The writing & works of

Fr. Chrysostom Baer, O.Praem. Prior

The Presentation of the Lord

Jesus Christ is presented in the Temple, even as He is, Himself, the perfect temple of God.

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Why do we need Christmas?

This is not the question of why the Child deserves it, but rather why do we need to do this? What is it in us that cannot count the year as complete unless we celebrate this holy day?

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Sacred Heart of Jesus

There is no sorrow we can feel that the Sacred Heart does not want to alleviate for us. 

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Homily: Anniversary of the Dedication of the Abbey Church

The Church is so profound a mystery that no one image fully plumbs it depths and explains it exhaustively. Each image has its own aspect to emphasize and bring to light in ways the others do not.

The Good Shepherd

The mystery of our Blessed Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection is so central to our faith, such an immovable foundation upon which everything else is based, that He spoke of it not only openly once, twice, and a third time at least, but He also alluded to it in riddles and images, so that by uncovering the truth beneath the veil the hearts of His disciples might be the more confirmed in their conviction that what He had said in plain words was true indeed.

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Homily 3rd Sunday of Easter 2023

"What are you discussing as you walk along?" They stopped, looking downcast.

The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Worthy and fruitful holy communions increase our faith in the rising of Christ and the hope of our own rising on the last day. Such faith answers the deepest need of the human heart; such belief is itself a witness and proclamation—heart speaking to heart, deep calling on deep.

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Helping Him Die

It was in this Gospel, the Passion according to John, that we heard that the Mother of Jesus stood at the foot of the cross, so close that He could speak to her, in an agonizing rasp, and expect to be heard. Ask yourself for a moment, How is it possible that any mother in such a situation could actually stand?!

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Holy Saturday: A Blessed Night, A Glorious Night

Truly this is a blessed night, a glorious night, when the catastrophic fall of mankind in Adam is revealed in the New Adam to be a happy fault. This is the night whose wonder gleams as bright as the day. 

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Good Friday: No Answer

We have no excuse for our ungrateful rejection of His kindness. The liturgy’s only answer to His reproaches is to beg for mercy, from the Greek East to the Latin West

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Holy Thursday: As He Has Loved Us

“A new commandment I give you: love one another…” For this to make sense, we must love ourselves, and love ourselves rightly.

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Jerusalem, Jerusalem

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A Hymn of Grief

By listening to the simple tone and absorbing the tragic sentiment of Tenebrae, we enter more deeply into the wonderful mystery of the Lord’s saving passion and death.

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