A Vincentian reading of the Sunday readings

Jesus steadfastly makes up his mind to carry out fully his mission. To follow him steadfastly to the end is what it means to be a Christian.

Jesus gave himself up for us.  Because we break the bread and bless the cup, we keep alive the memory of his love to the end. The memory of Jesus surely comforted St. Vincent de Paul.  That was why he was able to comfort others.  He comforted, for instance, a dying...

Jesus reveals that God, whom no one has ever seen, is love.  Those without love, then, do not know God nor, much less, the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Without doubt, Jesus is God’s last word to us human beings.  He is the mystery of God and in him are hidden all...

Obviously, people no longer see us Christians follow Jesus or go with him. He is not with us as he was with Peter and the other disciples, for he has gone up to heaven. But this does not mean that there is no picking us out as followers of Jesus.

Jesus embodies the way to grow up and get ready for the life to come. Following him, we will get to the place that he readies for us and we will be where he is. Just before going up to heaven, Jesus does for his followers what he has already done for two of them. For...

Jesus is the one through whom God speaks definitively to his people.  Listening to Jesus and keeping his word leads to peace and fellowship. Jesus goes on to say goodbye to his followers.  And they must be listening very attentively in view of fondly recalling and...

Jesus is the perfect model of love to the end. His true and dear followers, then, are those who love one another as he has loved them. Jesus’ followers are as dear to him as children are dear to their parents. And since he is going to be with them only a little while...

Jesus and the Father are one.  And so are Jesus and his true followers.  Needless to say, then, true followers cannot but be one in heart and mind. One with us in every way, but in sinfulness, the Word made flesh feels the cold of winter.  So, he walks about in the...

Jesus gives us the perfect example of love.  He wants us, who call him ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ to do together also what he has done for us. Together are some followers of Jesus.  They are less than twelve.  The group, then, is not meant to represent Israel with its...