The stories in Luke 15 (the lost sheep, coin and son) forcefully draw our attention to our importance in the eyes of God.
Reflections
St. Vincent Experienced War
by John Freund, CM | February 25, 2022 | Formation, Reflections, Vincentian Family | 1 Comment
St. Vincent was painfully aware of the dire situations he faced and the rich nuances of Vincent’s response. What can we learn from Vincent and Pope Francis’ responses?
Moving Ahead (Jeremiah 1:17-19)
by Tom McKenna, CM | February 23, 2022 | Formation, Reflections | 1 Comment
“Call,” a notion that figures prominently in the Scriptures, God summoning people to change direction. Heading nowhere in particular, someone senses an inner prod to take some new course.
How My Idea of Lent Has Changed
by John Freund, CM | February 23, 2022 | Formation, Reflections, Systemic change | 0 Comments
I never used to think about Lent until Ash Wednesday and the ritual of receiving ashes. My earliest recollection of Lent is that I wanted it to be over.
Lies, Darkness and Polarizations
by Ross Reyes Dizon | February 22, 2022 | Formation, Reflections | 0 Comments
Who is My Neighbor the Day After Election Day?
by John Freund, CM | Nov 9, 2022 | Formation, Reflections
Recently I reread John Allen’s reflection in Crux about an opportunity and a challenge for Catholics to play a major role in healing our deeply divided nation.
Sun of Justice That Saves and Heals
by Ross Reyes Dizon | Nov 8, 2022 | Formation, Reflections
Jesus is the sun of justice that enlightens us who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. The Ukrainians suffer...
The Kingdom Interpretation
by Tom McKenna, CM | Nov 21, 2018 | Formation, Reflections
The Kingdom Interpretation (Mk 12:44-48) To profess myself a Christian is to profess a desire – and that desire is to follow behind the Lord, Jesus Christ. Perhaps “follow behind” doesn’t quite get to the heart of it. It’s more accurately a “stepping into his...
Thanksgiving with Mary – Celebrating God’s Upside Down World
by John Freund, CM | Nov 21, 2018 | Formation, Reflections, Systemic change
Mary’s thanksgiving hymn is actually a hymn celebrating God’s “systemic change” of seeing things as God sees things … and an invitation to live it in our lives.
Advent Letter 2018 to the Vincentian Family, by Fr. Tomaž Mavrič, CM
by Javier F. Chento | Nov 20, 2018 | Formation, Reflections
In this year's Advent letter, Fr. Tomaž Mavrič, CM, 24th successor of St. Vincent, invites us to delve into the example of St. Vincent de Paul, addressing one of the main sources in which Vincent drank as a mystic of Charity, the daily prayer: "He urged all the groups...
Kingship That Jesus Christ Wishes for All of Us
by Ross Reyes Dizon | Nov 20, 2018 | Formation, Reflections
Jesus Christ is King. But his kingship, the one he wants to share with us, is not just like any other. For it does not come from this world. Those who make up the Sanhedrin bring Jesus before Pilate. One of the charges they bring against Jesus is that he keeps...
Pope Francis’ Annual Day of the Poor and the Heart of St. Vincent
by John Freund, CM | Nov 18, 2018 | Formation, Reflections
There must be a big smile in St. Vincent’s heart! When Pope Francis pours out his heart about the meaning of the annual World Day of the Poor his words resonate with themes close to the heart of Vincent.
November 18: Second World Day of the Poor
by Eduardo Marques Almeida | Nov 17, 2018 | Formation, Reflections
“This poor man called, and the Lord heard him” (Psalms 34,7) What a great idea of Pope Francis to set one Sunday a year for us to reflect on the situation of the Poor! In his message for this day, the Holy Father seems to make a reflection for the Vincentian Family....
Is Your Sight Growing Stronger with Age?
by John Freund, CM | Nov 16, 2018 | Formation, Reflections
It took Vincent until midlife to begin to see clearly. By the end of his life. seeing Christ in the beggar was not merely poetry.
Social Justice Conversations: My Vincentian Heart is Breaking
by Sister Julie Cutter, DC | Nov 15, 2018 | Formation, Reflections
My Vincentian heart is breaking. In the 1990s, I was privileged to minister as part of a pastoral team of the diocese of Quiche in Guatemala. We were present to resilient and faith-filled indigenous families who experienced 30 years of violent repression by their...
Youth in the SSVP: a Future that is Already Present
by Lucas Rafael Oliveira de Vergilio | Nov 14, 2018 | Formation, Reflections, Society of St. Vincent de Paul
Among the main clichés, popular sayings or phrases of common sense heard or read in Brazil are: "The friend is for those things," "The union is strength," "It is better to prevent than cure" and the classic "Brazil is the country of soccer." What stands out, in the...