A Vincentian reading of the Sunday readings

Noise, Driving Wind, Tongues of Fire

Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit that comes from the Father (Jn 15, 26).  And not to have this Spirit is not to belong to Christ, and not be but noise. It is not that God likes noise.  In fact, he was in a soft whisper (1 Kgs 19, 12).  But he has to vie for people’s...

Heaven, Where the Risen Christ Is

Jesus went up to heaven and sits at the right hand of God.  That is why we gaze on him, the same one who also came down to earth. To rise with Christ means to seek what is in heaven (Col 3, 1).  But after the ascension, the eleven go forth to preach.  Is it due to...

Commandments that Make Love Known

Jesus embodies love.  And he sees to it that we catch this love.  Hence, he gives us commandments that will lead us to love as he loves. Jesus loves his own who are in the world not in theory but in practice.  And he does so before he teaches them his commandments; he...

Branches that Remain on the Vine

Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches.  That we remain in him, and he in us, is what makes us bear much fruit. In Ps 80, the Shepherd of Israel is asked to bring back his people.  This people started out as a vine that God brought out of Egypt and transplanted. ...
Lies, Darkness and Polarizations

Welcome for the Marginalized and Excluded

As he gives welcome to the marginalized, Jesus reflects the invisible God.  This God listens to the poor, executing justice for the orphan and the widow, and befriending the alien. Jesus is unlike those who walk around with blinders.  As he passes by, he sees a blind...

Lies, Darkness and Polarizations

Thirst and Hunger for God, Justice and Love

Meeting his thirst and hunger, Jesus gives us a model to follow, so that we may truly have our fill of water and food. Like us humans, Jesus gets tired and experiences thirst and hunger.  So, he sits down there at Jacob’s well in Sychar during the hottest part of the...

Lies, Darkness and Polarizations

Promise of Greatness, Blessing and Glory

Jesus is the perfect, awesome and amazing fulfillment of the promise God has made through the patriarchs and the prophets. From the perspective of human wisdom, the good news is that God makes a hopeful promise to Abraham.  But the bad news is that the Father of all...

Lies, Darkness and Polarizations

Tempting but Destructive Suggestion

Jesus is God-Man.  He himself unmasks the deceit in the devil’s tempting suggestion:  it is either God or man. From the perspective of our faith in the Word made flesh, we cannot but reject such tempting suggestion.  It is not true that one must choose either God or...

Lies, Darkness and Polarizations

Peace and Reconciliation at All Costs

Christ is our peace.  He breaks down, through his flesh, the wall of hatred that separates us from one another. Justice and peace are what the commandment, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” seeks.  It forbids vengeance like that of Lamech, who boasts, “I...

Lies, Darkness and Polarizations

Salt of the Earth and Light of the World

Jesus is the first to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  He appoints the disciples to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world also. First, salt cleans and preserves food.  It also seasons it, giving it taste.  Hence, to say Jesus is salt...