Here I reflect on a “prequel” to the very first council, the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15). I will also fast-forward to the two-year-long “sequel” taking place right now.
Formation
Kingly and Faithful Witnesses to the Truth
Jesus is the King that God has raised. Hence, his kingdom is not from this world of lies. And he expects his...
Vincentian Prayer Images: One of the Great Saints of History VII
“…the Kingdom of God is near and that Kingdom is for [the poor].”
For the poor, it is always “Night”
"Elie Wiesel was brought up in a closely knit Jewish community in Sighet, Transylvania (Romania). When he was fifteen years old, his family was herded aboard a train and deported by Nazis to the Auschwitz death camp. Wiesel’s mother and younger sister died at...
Vincent and Sustainability
Scott Kelley engages St. Vincent de Paul in a "colloquy" on Sustainabilty. Sustainability is the endurance of systems and processes. The organizing principle for sustainability is sustainable development, which includes the four interconnected domains: ecology,...
You Are Somebody
“You Are Somebody…” (John 15) (Homily at the Farewell Mass for the departing members of the 2015/16 Vincentian Mission Corps, St. Louis) Jesus confides in His disciples today, “I have told you this, that your joy may be complete.” Or to put it another way: “I...
What must be done – Framing the questions
Seeds of future systemic changes....Father Gregory Gay, during his twelve years as Superior General, consistently invited us to think beyond what we were accustomed to, especially in terms of collaboration for systemic change. Here are the questions that he presented...
Fullness par excellence and unequaled
In Jesus dwells all the fullness; those who treat the helpless with mercy are surely partakers of his fullness. “And who is my neighbor?” asks a scholar of the law who wants to justify himself. He is also one of those experts who like to test Jesus. They think they...
Be a Sign – Everyday Formation
Be a Sign - Everyday Formation – Vincentian Prayer - Vincentian’s Clean Heart Vincentian Day of Prayer and Fast – Tuesday, July 5, 2016 Be a Sign - We, as Vincentians are a sign to others. We do not have to preach, but we must be the sign. Called as Vincentians we...
Anniversary of the First Miraculous Medals
The first 2,000 medals were delivered on June 30, 1832.
Blogging for Others
In a little blog called "The Known Soul" I encountered this. After the distractions fade away, what are we left with? What sorts of things have we glanced past while we run around all day long? It was one evening a few weeks ago that I looked outside, and saw the...
St. Vincent, Kevin Spacey and sending the elevator back down
An elevator goes up, goes down. People get on and off. I live in a large Vincentian community facility where at 78 I like to think I am in the mid-range age group of this community (okay maybe upper). It is no surprise that the elevator is crucial for so many of us....
