Jesus is not of the world. Nor are his true disciples. They get to reach what we who are humans find hard to reach....
A Vincentian reading of the Sunday readings
Gather Together Two or Three in Jesus’ Name
Jesus is always in his Church. Yes, he is in the midst of those who gather together in his name by the initiative of...
Deny Themselves, Bear Their Own Cross, Follow Christ
Jesus is all things to all. He leads those who live for others and deny themselves. For they do not seek their own...
Mind and Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Jesus and the Father are one and of one mind and heart. And to be a Christian means to have Christ’s mind and heart. Jesus walks about in the temple area on Solomon’s Porch or Colonnade. It is a place many people go to, especially in winter. For there, due to a...
Burden and Sorrow of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Jesus is God-with-us. He stays with us all along the way that we travel. He finds bearable the burden that we turn out to be. The disciples cannot haul in the net due to the huge number of fish caught in it. But surely, it is a burden that makes the fishermen...
Palpable, Touchable, Visible, True
Jesus makes palpable God, whom no one has seen or touched. True disciples do not rest till their Teacher is palpable to them. Jesus knows that when he shows up risen, his disciples will think they see a ghost. They will want him to be palpable. That is why he has...
Live and Die as Jesus Christ Did
The risen Jesus is at God’s right hand and intercedes for us. His love enables us to live and die as he did. There are in the New Testament paradoxical teachings. These ideas, for instance, strike us as odd: to die is to live, loss is gain, to serve is to rule,...
Palms of Martyrdom, of Witness
Jesus is the faithful witness and the King of martyrs. To welcome him means to follow him to the end with palms in our hands. Of the four gospel writers, only John mentions palms. Matthew and Mark speak only of “branches.” Luke, for his part, says nothing at all...
Holy and Just in the Sight of God
Jesus ushers in the new creation. He comes to make all things new. Hence, he wants us to be just and holy. The prodigal son goes back home. He stands for those who are not holy: robbers, evildoers, adulterers, tax collectors. But as it turns out, the older son should...
Come to Our Senses about Our Sins
Jesus is divine mercy in person. Hence, he is ready to forgive us if we come to our senses and decide to turn back to God. We have all to come to our senses and return so as not to perish. For we all stray, those from Galilee or Jerusalem. Those of us who are older...
Guilt and Hope that We All Share
Jesus is the Good News of salvation. He calls us who have sinned—and no one of us is free of guilt—to return to God. So, there is hope for us. In the face of evils, like war crimes, many wonder, “Where is God.” As though the guilt were his. Why does he allow...
Prayers and Changes for Good
Christ is always before the Father in prayer. And it is while he prays that the appearance of his face changes and his clothing turns dazzling white. Prayers make for good changes. In a forum in which exchange of ideas took place, a comment spoke of prayers as...
