A Vincentian reading of the Sunday readings
Tempt Someone Is Not What God Does
Jesus let the devil tempt him just as we are tempted, though he did not sin. Hence, he can feel for us who are weak,...
Perfect as Our Father in Heaven
Jesus, who is in the bosom of the Father and knows him up close, shows us the divine face. He wants us to be perfect...
Fulfill with All Our Heart What God Wants
Jesus is the most blessed of those who are blessed since they fulfill what God wants. And he is the way that leads to...
Communion among Ourselves and with Others
Jesus does not look out for his interests, but for those of others. To follow him we need to be in communion among ourselves and with others. The devil seeks to break up Jesus’ communion with others. For what he is after is for Jesus to turn his back on his calling...
Overflowing and Unfathomable Fullness
Jesus Christ embodies the overflowing fullness of God. He eagerly wishes to share with us this fullness. Jesus goes on showing what to fulfill the commandments and go beyond the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees means. He wants to see in us overflowing...
Brothers and Sisters to One Another
Jesus, giving his body up and pouring out his blood for us, shows us the love God has for us (1 Jn 3, 16; Rom 5, 8). So, we also ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. Benedict cannot believe it when his sister, Scholastica, asks him to stay with...
Meaning and Quality of Human Life
Jesus is the salt of the earth and the light of the world. He gives meaning to our lives. And he wants his followers to be and do the same. Seeing the crowds, Jesus pities them because they are troubled and left behind, like sheep without a shepherd (Mt 9, 36). There...
Meeting between Jesus and His People
Jesus is the fullness of revelation. Meeting him, we meet God. We also meet ourselves, for he lays bare the thoughts of our hearts. But we must welcome him first. The presentation of Jesus in the temple means the meeting of God’s Anointed with his people. And his...
Following Jesus Christ Genuinely
Jesus opens our minds so that we may understand Scriptures. This understanding is crucial to our knowing and following Jesus. God calls us out of pure mercy though we are weak and fall down easily (SV.EN IX:284). And it is on God’s infinite goodness that we rely to...
Point and Witness to God’s Son and Lamb
Jesus is the Son of God and also the Lamb of God. We Christians believe and proclaim him so. We also point and witness to him. John’s reason for being is to point and witness to Jesus. For he baptizes with water so that he may reveal the one who will baptize with the...
Share in Jesus’ Anointing and Mission
Jesus is the one anointed with the Spirit. God has sent him to bring the Good News to the poor. To belong to him is to share in his anointing and sending. The baptism of Jesus identifies him as God’s beloved Son, with a share in divinity. But it also suggests that he...
Boundaries That Needs Opening
Jesus is the salvation that God has prepared in the sight of all peoples. He opens boundaries: between God and human beings; between us and others. The Word has become flesh through the motherhood of Mary. And being thus uniquely God and man, Jesus becomes the one...