Daniel Rowlands
Born in Berkshire, Br Daniel was raised in the Faith in a Benedictine parish. Before entering the novitiate in 2018, he read Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge where he remained to complete a doctorate in Theoretical Physics. His years of study confirmed a love for the contemplative life, but also theological debate with those of different world views. C. S. Lewis, St Augustine, and Pope Benedict XVI were formative influences as an undergraduate, whilst more recently he has enjoyed exploring Dante, the twelfth-century Cistercians, and Eastern spiritual theology.
daniel.rowlands@english.op.org
Get Behind Me, Satan
Christ's rebuke of Peter reveals three powerful principles for confronting temptation: we must always know our predominant weakness, we must
Wisdom’s silent subjugation
Human wisdom is a vacuous proliferation of words, if not ordered to the silent wisdom of the cross of Christ. Readings:
What sign are you going to give us then?
'You are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves'. Jesus’
Contemplating the Cross amidst the crowd
Jesus told his disciples to “have a boat ready for him because of the crowd”. That boat is a symbol
Learning the language of the Kingdom
Whilst living in exile as a senior official of king Darius, Daniel remains in the service of another king, the
Not far from the Kingdom
By Br Daniel Benedict Rowlands, O.P | In today's Gospel Jesus lauds the scribe for his wise response concerning the two greatest commandments. But
When heaven meets earth | The Ascension in the Drogo Sacramentary
By Br Daniel Benedict Rowlands, O.P | This Carolingian miniature depicts Christ's feet firmly rooted to the ground as the Father
Dangerous prayer
By Br Daniel Benedict Rowlands, O.P | False, solely human "prayer", is dangerous, even lethal. True prayer bears a divine mark. It is
Let us weep before the God who made us (*Ps 94:6)
By Br Daniel Benedict Rowlands, O.P | "Sin, even venial sin, is the only real sadness in life, the only enemy of peace,
In God alone be at rest, my soul (Ps 61:6)
Br Daniel Benedict Rowlands, O.P | Heaven is, in a certain sense, individual for each and every one. Every time we pray,
Nothing is to be preferred to the Work of God
By Br Daniel Benedict Rowlands, O.P | This then is the true heart of the monastic Office: to learn to "pray without
The Seven Last Words – 6. ‘It is accomplished’
The Seven Last Words | From the Friday before Palm Sunday until Holy Saturday, the student brothers offer you a daily