In Your Presence

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on July 8th, 2026, at Kintore College, Toronto.
Today’s Gospel gives us a glimpse of that luminous moment in which Jesus entrusts his apostles with the most important responsibility of their lives. Nobody has ever been entrusted with a mission as important as this, with such decisive consequences for world history.
The account of Jesus' choice of his 12 apostles from Matt 10, 1-7: "Jesus summoned his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness.
  These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, the one who was to betray him."

Thumbnail: Massacio (Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Simone), "Peter Healing the sick with his shadow", Florence, Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence, 1424-1425.
Music: pulsebox piano music-cinematic-552722

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Ernescliff College, Toronto, on July 6, 2026.
From today's gospel, Matthew 9, 18-26: "...Then from behind him came a woman, who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years, and she touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, ‘If I can only touch his cloak I shall be well again.’ Jesus turned round and saw her; and he said to her, ‘Courage, my daughter, your faith has restored you to health.’ And from that moment the woman was well again."
The 12 years of hemorrhage was humiliating; it weakened her, and it depleted her resources. But she reached out, discreetly, with a humble faith, just to touch the very fringe of his garment. As though she wanted to go unnoticed. It was a humble faith. It must be present in our initiatives as well. It will be rewarded, but we have to stay humble.

Thumbnail: Fresco of the Healing of the woman with the issue of Blood, in the Catacomb of Sts Marcellinus and Peter, Rome, 4th century.
Music: pulsebox-piano-music-cinematic-552722

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on June 28, 2026 at Ellerton Centre, Toronto.
Matthew 10:37-42: Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Kintore College in Toronto, on July 1, 2026. (new audio file with proper editing uploaded July 2)
An account of the two demoniacs of the Gerasenes in Matthew 8:28–34. Jesus intervened and restored them to normality, but it meant that the herd of pigs was lost. Jesus has restored something authentic in this place, but the villagers are too desensitized to see it, to perceive it. This is really about the authority of Jesus on this earth, in our work, in our day-to-day. He must really be there. Yes, he can expel the demons of indifference. Of lukewarm norms, of lack of care in fraternity.

Thumbnail: The Gerasene Demoniac by Sebastian Bourdon (1653)
Music: pulsebox-piano-music-cinematic-552722 no copyrigh t

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Kintore College in Toronto, on July 1, 2026. (new file uploaded July 2)
An account of the two demoniacs of the Gerasenes in Matthew 8:28–34. Jesus intervened and restored them to normality, but it meant that the herd of pigs was lost. Jesus has restored something authentic in this place, but the villagers are too desensitized to see it, to perceive it. This is really about the authority of Jesus on this earth, in our work, in our day-to-day. He must really be there. Yes, he can expel the demons of indifference. Of lukewarm norms, of lack of care in fraternity.