A Vincentian reading of the Sunday readings

Speak as Our Teacher Commands Us to Do

Jesus is the Word of the Father.  So, he does not speak on his own; the Father who has sent him commands him what to say (Jn 12, 49).  We, in turn, should only speak what Jesus tells us. God starts to speak, and just like that creation gets underway.  That means, he...

Willing to Hear and Proclaim Jesus

Jesus is the Firstborn among the prophets who are willing to hear and proclaim the word of God.  He does not tire until he brings forth justice on earth. Peter and Andrew are so willing to follow Jesus that they answer his call just like that.  They do not ask the...

Hide in Jesus Christ and Let Him Fill Us

Jesus saves us, shelters us and gives us our fill.  Those who go to him, and ask to hide in him and to have his fullness, are never disappointed. We are back to the Ordinary Time (OT).  Each week only gets the “ordinal” number.  Hence, the word “ordinary.”  And so,...

Nationalism, Racism, Exclusivism

Jesus is the Suffering Servant of God who anoints him with the Spirit.  He brings forth justice to the nations.  Hence, he and nationalism cannot mix. What he himself has seen and what Cornelius has told him make Peter sure that God is not partial.  That is to say,...
Rejoice in the Lord, for He is Near

Humble before God because Truth Demands It

Jesus is the definitive divine word that teaches us to be humble.  He is also the perfect response of humility to the divine word. Jesus goes to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees.  Since the Pharisees love places of honor at banquets, one can suppose...

Rejoice in the Lord, for He is Near

Trust Firmly and Without Reservation

Jesus assures us that God trusts in us.  We trust God because he first trusts us. Better than any prophet, Jesus’ embodies the divine invitation to trust.  That is because the Teacher explains in simple terms that God is the heavenly Father who loves all his children...

Rejoice in the Lord, for He is Near

Rich and Precious in the Eyes of God

There is no trace of greed in Jesus, and he is most rich in what matters to God. Jesus refuses to intervene in an inheritance dispute.  Perhaps he does not want to do something that others may misconstrue as softness with those who love money.  What is certain,...

Rejoice in the Lord, for He is Near

Prayer of faith that is shamelessly bold

Jesus is “a man of the greatest prayer” (SV.EN IX:326).  Because of him only, we try hard to be men and women of prayer. “Christ is constantly before the Father in prayer.”  His good example prompts one of the disciples to ask, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John...

Rejoice in the Lord, for He is Near

Mystic of Christ’s compelling charity

Jesus is the Lord of the harvest.  To work with him means to be a mystic of charity. To be a mystic of charity supposes, in the first place, that one is like Abraham or Martha.  Both avail of the moments of grace. Abraham opens his tent to travelers who are such...

Rejoice in the Lord, for He is Near

Fullness par excellence and unequaled

In Jesus dwells all the fullness; those who treat the helpless with mercy are surely partakers of his fullness. “And who is my neighbor?” asks a scholar of the law who wants to justify himself.  He is also one of those experts who like to test Jesus.  They think they...

Rejoice in the Lord, for He is Near

Credible witnesses of the Gospel

Jesus has the credible words of eternal life.  We believe in him.  Are we credible? Those who hear Jesus proclaim the Good News are amazed at his credible words of grace.  He teaches with authority. He wants us to be credible also.  The phrase “in pairs” indicates...

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