BROTHER MATTHEW MARIE, OSB, professed his religious vows on November 11, 2016. A native of Washington, Iowa, he studied at Conception Seminary College in Conception, Missouri, and graduated in 2014. With experience in retreat and hospitality ministry, he is presently an observing monk assigned at St. Benedict's Abbey in Benet Lake, Wisconsin. There, he assists with Retreats and their Oblate program. Most importantly, however, he takes part in that community's daily life of prayer.
I find it hard to stay constantly motivated when there are challenges in the Church. It’s true. I walk in my faith as best I can, and still wonder when God will deliver his people. There are a seemingly infinite amount of challenges facing the World...
We cannot rely on our own strength when it comes to life. I must admit that I am a prideful man. I want to say I did everything on my own. Well, no one can claim this. All people have to rely on others at some point in their lives. Obviously it is...
When I come to the Eucharist I see it as the source of love. It fills all things and all peoples. The power of this act of wonder gives life to life and gives reality to all existence. I have come to see love enlightened in the Eucharist. When I was...
I go to Mass to worship God and to accept the gift of salvation. In Holy Communion, I find that which gives my soul all that it needs. Nevertheless, for much of my life, I did not follow the way of the Christian. I did not comprehend the mystery of...
Friendship is a vital part in the spiritual journey as the heart of the whole. It was not easy for me make friends growing up. I did not fit in easily and was precocious, sensitive, and timid as a kid. My first real friends helped me to grow as a...
The Holy Eucharist is by its very nature grace shrouded in ordinary elements. The Eucharist maintains the appearance and accidents of unleavened bread and dry, red wine. These accidental qualities belie the true substance of the Holy One Himself...
Life lost and forsaken cannot be renewed unless it is taken up again. To be lost on the road of life, without any recourse to purpose or endeavor, leads the soul away from where it is meant to be. Here is the problem we find ourselves in, we, us...
