A Vincentian reading of the Sunday readings
Yoke That Is Easy, Burden That Is Light
Jesus soothes those who are weary and carry heavy burden. To take his yoke and learn from him is to know the Father...
Paradoxes: Signs of the New Creation
Jesus brings in the new creation. The paradoxes that he lives and teaches let us know what the new creation means....
Fears the Sent Ones Must Overcome
Jesus comes to his own people and they persecute him. This will also be the fate of his disciples. They waver due to...
Walk before the Lord with Faith
Jesus gives us a model to follow so that we may do what he does. We only need to walk with him to learn to walk before the Lord. One can guess that Abraham cannot help to walk sometimes with nearby peoples. It would be odd, then, if he does not know that they make...
Moments of Trial and Fall, Triumph and Grace
Jesus is the Good News for all the moments of joy, light, sorrow and glory. Are we his followers such Good News? Matthew’s account of the temptation of Jesus has eleven verses; Luke’s, thirteen. But there are just two in Mark's. The two show that Jesus spends...
Hands Outstretched to the Quarantined
Jesus stretches out his hand to the quarantined, marginalized, excluded, unclean. His followers are to stretch out their hands to them, too. The law asks quarantine for those with leprosy, though this may be no more than a skin eruption. And others should not touch...
Persevere in the Faith and in Service
Jesus does not lose heart till he brings justice to the earth. As disciples we are to follow him and to persevere in the faith and in service. Job muses that life is but a drudgery. Hence, he seems to lose heart; it seems he is not going to persevere. Never mind...
Speak as Our Teacher Commands Us to Do
Jesus is the Word of the Father. So, he does not speak on his own; the Father who has sent him commands him what to say (Jn 12, 49). We, in turn, should only speak what Jesus tells us. God starts to speak, and just like that creation gets underway. That means, he...
Willing to Hear and Proclaim Jesus
Jesus is the Firstborn among the prophets who are willing to hear and proclaim the word of God. He does not tire until he brings forth justice on earth. Peter and Andrew are so willing to follow Jesus that they answer his call just like that. They do not ask the...
Hide in Jesus Christ and Let Him Fill Us
Jesus saves us, shelters us and gives us our fill. Those who go to him, and ask to hide in him and to have his fullness, are never disappointed. We are back to the Ordinary Time (OT). Each week only gets the “ordinal” number. Hence, the word “ordinary.” And so,...
Nationalism, Racism, Exclusivism
Jesus is the Suffering Servant of God who anoints him with the Spirit. He brings forth justice to the nations. Hence, he and nationalism cannot mix. What he himself has seen and what Cornelius has told him make Peter sure that God is not partial. That is to say,...
Nations, All Nations, Will Worship the Lord
Jesus is the light of the nations. That is why to follow him means to welcome Gentiles from all races, tongues, peoples and nations. Ps 149, 6 asks that praise be on the lips of the faithful. And swords in their hands to take revenge on the nations. Is it due to...