Today’s parable makes clear that those who accept God’s call to his kingdom must clothe themselves appropriately.
A Vincentian reading of the Sunday readings
Dare the Wise and Learned to Be Truthful
Jesus is the sign of contradiction. He brings to light what we harbor in our hearts. He cannot but dare us to be...
Doubt the Quick “Yes” that We Say
Jesus is the firstborn from among those who do what is true and come to the light, so that there is no doubt that...
Trials We Have to Go through to Be New
Jesus dies for us so that we may live for him and in him. To live so means to go through trials and thus get to be a new creation. Jesus has been teaching the crowds with parables. One lesson is about trust in God who carries out fully what starts out, even if...
Sisters and Brothers All by Blood
Jesus is the only Son who is in the bosom of the Father. Through him, we are children by adoption, and so we cry, “Father,” which then means we are sisters and brothers. Jesus says that his mother, sisters and brothers are those who do God’s will (Mk 3, 35). It...
Worshipers of the Father in Spirit and Truth
Jesus embodies what to worship the Father in Spirit and truth means. Hence, we Christians are to be such worshipers. We humans can spoil everything (SV.EN XI:247. 249. 310. 313. 388; SV.EN XII]:92. 131. 139). We spoil worship of God even, and so become false...
Noise, Driving Wind, Tongues of Fire
Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit that comes from the Father (Jn 15, 26). And not to have this Spirit is not to belong to Christ, and not be but noise. It is not that God likes noise. In fact, he was in a soft whisper (1 Kgs 19, 12). But he has to vie for people’s...
Heaven, Where the Risen Christ Is
Jesus went up to heaven and sits at the right hand of God. That is why we gaze on him, the same one who also came down to earth. To rise with Christ means to seek what is in heaven (Col 3, 1). But after the ascension, the eleven go forth to preach. Is it due to...
Commandments that Make Love Known
Jesus embodies love. And he sees to it that we catch this love. Hence, he gives us commandments that will lead us to love as he loves. Jesus loves his own who are in the world not in theory but in practice. And he does so before he teaches them his commandments; he...
Branches that Remain on the Vine
Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. That we remain in him, and he in us, is what makes us bear much fruit. In Ps 80, the Shepherd of Israel is asked to bring back his people. This people started out as a vine that God brought out of Egypt and transplanted. ...
Lead God’s Flock in the Same Way as Jesus
Jesus shows what God does to lead his flock. And so, he also gives a model for his shepherds. The crowds longed for someone to lead them out of the mess, a Messiah to guide a people in trouble. But they ended up disappointed since they did not want a suffering...
Misgivings, Doubts, Questions, Darkness
Jesus was once dead, but now he lives forever and ever (Rev 1, 18). For God raised him from the dead. May our misgivings not lead us to deny him. It is hard to get rid of misgivings. And misgivings can easily arise even in the hearts of the disciples. But...
