Mark, as any good pastor would, uses Jesus stories circulating in oral tradition to help a community understand how the gospel is “good news”… even in the face of catastrophe and persecution.
Reflections
Gestures and Words That Heal and Proclaim
Jesus opens our ears and makes loose the strings of our tongues. He enables us to make gestures that heal and speak...
Vincentian Prayer Images: What Moved Saint Vincent? IX
“…the direction in which missioning moves— toward the poor people of the world, trying to be God’s love for them, and at the same time finding in them God’s love.”
Master and Teacher thrice holy
Jesus is our Teacher and Master, which also means we must learn to do everything that he commands and teaches by words and works, and to proclaim his Gospel. Setting aside his experience and knowledge as a fisherman, Simon believes in the words of the carpenter from...
Lenten letter – stories of fasting and prayer
In Father Gregory Gay's last Lenten Letter as Superior General he uses stories to help us reflect on Lent as a time of fasting and prayer. For both themes he tells a story from his personal journey, a Jesus story and invites us to write a new story, our story. Lent:...
Holiness Sets Us Free
This week Lynn L’Heureux reflects on the following: Holiness Sets Us Free - Why do I say “Blessings”? - Walk with God - Beacon of Light Vincentian Day of Prayer and Fast – Tuesday February 2, 2016 Dear Vincentian Family: Pray for each other and pray for peace. ...
Honoring our Prophets
Father Pat Griffin concludes his series, Considering Consecrated Life, with a final post dedicated to Honoring our Prophets. This week, we come to the end of the Year of Consecrated Life, but its blessings continue. Along that line, the scripture readings from this...
Formation: Learning to See God’s Presence
“Formation:” Learning to See God’s Presence (Mk. 3:7-12) One way of looking at this story of healing in Mark is to see it as a case of the wrong people discerning the right things. On the one hand, you’ve got these hoards of people following Jesus, and in so dense...
Vincent was not always a Saint
Vincent was not always a saint. What were the key formative events? Eamonn Flanagan, CM, from the Irish Province of the Congregation of the Mission, offered these reflections originally published in 1982 in "Colloque, Journal of the Irish Province of the Congregation...
Poverty as social sin
Poverty: An Opportunity for Encounter or Exclusion? By: Marian Lamoureux North Central Region Voice of the Poor Leader As Vincentians, have we ever thought about poverty as “social sin?” This notion of social sin is a powerful concept in Catholic social thought and...
Who is Family – Fr. Tom McKenna, CM
“Who is Family?” (Mk 3:31-5) To better digest this story about Jesus’ question, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” I ask you to try a little exercise in imagination. You’re at a family wedding, brothers and sisters, mother and father, cousins and children and...
Prophet also means rejected
Jesus states he is a prophet with the same destiny as the other prophets rejected by their own people. He explains that he is God’s good and amazing Word to the poor. And right away he is revealed as a prophet. That is because, notwithstanding their initial expression...
