A Vincentian reading of the Sunday readings

Already at birth, Jesus offers himself as the food that gives life and saves.  Unless we eat his flesh and drink his blood, we have no life within us. Mary does not lay her child in a crib.  Rather, she lays him, wrapped in swaddling clothes, in a manger, which holds...

Jesus fulfills the promise of God to king David of an everlasting royal house.  This kingdom is for the poor of all peoples. Living in a palace and enjoying peace and security, king David thinks of building God a house.  But the holy and pious thought of the king does...

Jesus, the incarnate Word, is the light that enlightens everyone.  Christians prove themselves through the humble and courageous testimony they give in his behalf. This time, we have a portrait of John the Baptist giving a deposition in a court trial.  That is because...

The Gospel, the Good News, is Jesus himself, his preaching, his ministry.  That is why his presence fills us with consolation, joy and hope. The Gospel implies newness, which shows up in the beginning.  That is because John the Baptist is a different, a new, prophet....

Jesus, who rose from the dead and went up to heaven, will not fail to return in his glory.  Of course, he wants us to be always watchful and hard-working. Jesus exhorts all of us to be watchful.  And the exhortation sounds urgent, for he repeats it in several ways: ...

Jesus is the Evangelizer of the poor.  All those who live announcing the Good News to the poor belong to him and are heirs to the kingdom. Jesus goes around to all towns and villages.  He teaches in the synagogues and proclaims the Gospel of the kingdom.  Moreover, he...

Going up to heaven, Jesus entrusts gifts and talents to his disciples.  He expects them to be faithful, no matter the kind or the amount of the gifts or talents they receive. In the parable of the talents, the good and faithful servants are those who right away trade...

Jesus is the bridegroom whom we await.  We will enter with him into the wedding feast, if with wisdom we stay awake and are ready, with our lamps burning. Jesus informs us that we really do not know the day or the hour of his coming.  He can come any day, even at an...

There is, in Jesus, consistency between thought and word, also between preaching and doing.  We are not Christians if we lack such simplicity. Jesus addresses this time the crowds and his disciples to reassure them.  That is because a religious leader’s bad behavior,...