As a little boy, I thought my Mom knew everything! With eyes in the back of her head, she would always catch me when I was doing something wrong!
Reflections
A Vincentian View: Cost of Discipleship
Whenever I read John 21:15-19, which is only a few verses from the end of the Gospel, I am drawn to reflect on Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his book “The Cost of Discipleship.”
What can Bricklayers can teach us about following Christ?
I have learned a lot from bricklayers about the meaning of work! And continue to learn … even about being a follower of Christ.
Contemplation: He Who Chooses Us
Our vocation to serve the poor follows Christ’s example, who came to us before we ever sought Him. Like St. Vincent and Frédéric, we recognize God’s hand in every call to charity and strive to serve in humility and love.
Hear and Follow the Good Shepherd
Jesus is the Good News to the poor in person. Hence, he seeks them and they, in turn, do not fail to hear and follow him. Jesus says that he knows his sheep, and they hear and follow him. And he says this to the leaders of the Jews in matters of religion. It looks...
400 Years of the Congregation of the Mission – A Reflection
Francis had learned that, in the year before Vincent’s death, the great saint had given a series on conferences on the Common Rules of the Congregation
Does it Matter if We Have a Special Place?
A place that helps you feel a sense of comfort, identity, inspiration… whatever you need at that moment! A place where you are nourished and grow.
Knowing the Unknowable (John 3:16)
I came across a poem entitled “To the Unknown God.” This heading conveys two things.
Could Someone Convict You of “Mercying?”
Over 50 years ago, a university student showed me a card. “If being a Christian were a capital offense, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”
Contemplation: The Sorrows We Cannot Avoid
Suffering often challenges our faith, yet as Vincentians, we are called to respond with compassion, doing all we can to relieve the neighbor’s pain while recognizing that our deeper mission is to grow in holiness by serving Christ in the poor. Even when material aid falls short, we bring true hope through acts of love, presence, and friendship that reveal God’s enduring light in the midst of darkness.
Rulers Who Are Lowly, and Love and Feed Others
Jesus is Ruler and Savior. He wants the rulers among his own to be lowly, to love and feed others, just as he has been and done to them.
The Vincentian Family in Gratitude for Pope Francis: A Pontificate of Compassion
As the Church bids farewell to Pope Francis, the Vincentian Family around the world pauses not only in mourning, but in reflection. For those who follow in the footsteps of St. Vincent de Paul, the life and legacy of Pope Francis feel deeply familiar: a love for the poor that is not abstract, a faith expressed in action, a Church that is close to the people, and a Gospel lived on the margins.
