A Vincentian reading of the Sunday readings

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...

Lure of Power, Wealth and Glory

Jesus wears the crown of glory since he rejected the devil’s lure and suffered death.  The Crucified is model of true grit; we fix our gaze on him. The Holy Spirit who came down on Jesus in the Jordan now leads him to the desert.  There, the one who embodies the truth...

Lies, Darkness and Polarizations

Jesus is the light of the world.  To follow him means not to walk in the dark, in lies, but to have the light of life, the truth. Jesus warns his hearers about blindness and the darkness that comes with it.  It is, of course, about spiritual blindness, about not...

Heavenly as Our Father Who Is in Heaven

Jesus, the second man is from heaven.  He bids us to be one with him, so that we who are of the earth may become heavenly also. We heard last Sunday that Jesus looked at his disciples and then announced the blessings and the woes.  Did he mean to say that he wanted...
Thanks to God through Jesus Christ

Embrace of Love for All of God’s Children

Jesus is the firstfruits of the resurrection.  Those who love as he does, and embrace lovingly even the wicked and the thankless, live in the newness of life. Luke took liberty with Is 61, 1-2, the passage that Jesus read at the synagogue in Nazareth.  The Gospel...

Thanks to God through Jesus Christ

Blissful and Woeful Far Beyond Belief

Jesus became poor to make us rich by his poverty.  He is the firstborn among many poor brothers and sisters who trust in God and, hence, are blissful. Jesus teaches that poor people are blessed, blissful.  And those, too, who are hungry, and those who are weeping. ...

Thanks to God through Jesus Christ

Rejection of Jesus by His Very Own People

Jesus is the great prophet that God has raised up from among us.  Rejection of him on our part will leave us not knowing the truth that will free us. Jesus wins approval and admiration at the synagogue in Nazareth. But suddenly, he becomes an object of rejection....

Thanks to God through Jesus Christ

Like Jesus in Mind, Heart and Action

Jesus is the one whom God has anointed with the Holy Spirit and sent to bring glad tidings to the poor.  And he wants us to be like him, bringing the Good News to the poor by the power of the Spirit. We Christians try to become like Jesus Christ.  We seek to conform...

Thanks to God through Jesus Christ

Baptism with the Holy Spirit and Fire

Jesus is God’s very dear Son and his Christ.  His baptism authenticates him so.  And he will baptize whomever believes in him with the Holy Spirit and fire. Receiving prayerfully John’s baptism of repentance, Jesus shows once again that he is one with us...