A self-described agnostic, Jo Piazza, writes… “I may not believe in God, but I do believe in nuns.”
Reflections
In This Together (Joshua 24; John 6)
Our believing is not solitary. The quality of one person’s faith spills over into the religious convictions of all the others.
Why Did Jesus Ask So Many Questions?
Jesus’ communication style focused on two things: He told great stories and asked great questions!
Mystic of Christ’s compelling charity
Jesus is the Lord of the harvest. To work with him means to be a mystic of charity. To be a mystic of charity supposes, in the first place, that one is like Abraham or Martha. Both avail of the moments of grace. Abraham opens his tent to travelers who are such...
Take up the Cross – Angry at God – Finding the Hidden Jesus
Take up the Cross - Angry at God - Finding the Hidden Jesus Vincentian Day of Prayer and Fast – Tuesday, July 12, 2016 Take up the Cross - What is the cross to us who believe? Among many other things, it is a sign of our lowest point, our sufferings joined with...
Saint Vincent de Paul: a Turkish perspective
by Burak Özdoğan Overture: the Magnet and the Old Man “Who is that man, Burak?” Marcela, Misa’s mother, asked me in a curious tone of voice.... A grandmother in her sixties, sitting in the armchair with a cup of Turkish coffee, squinting her eyes, and pointing her...
Vincent – balancing basics
After 50 years of priesthood I still struggle with the issues of balancing basics. Having been ordained in 1965 I was quickly exposed to a spirit of activism. I remember being very caught up with the concept of “leaving God for God.” After all, Vincent expressed that...
Who Do We Represent?
It is no secret that we tend to label people very quickly. No doubt there is some utility to labels even if today they are used like arrows of insult. Labels try to identify who we represent. To my mind labels lead a question for followers of Vincent and Louise. "Who...
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...
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...
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...
