In recent years I have reflected on that wonderful phrase of Pope Francis – “the saints next door.”
John Freund
Don’t You Understand?
by John Freund, CM | June 24, 2022 | Formation, Reflections | 0 Comments
I never gave much thought to what is involved when I hear or ask the question, “Don’t you understand?”
Who Is Pope Francis Listening To?
by John Freund, CM | February 18, 2022 | Formation, Reflections | 3 Comments
One of the great games in the press, both secular and religious, is wondering who Pope Francis listens to on matters of pastoral care for the entire Church.
Did Listening To the Spirit Change People 2000 Years Ago?
by John Freund, CM | February 16, 2022 | Formation, Reflections | 0 Comments
We all know not listening changed the world. If not, grab your bible and read about Adam and Eve in Gen 2-3.
Could Teleportation Aid Bible Reading?
by John Freund, CM | February 11, 2022 | Formation, Reflections | 0 Comments
I sometimes wish I could be teleported back to the days of the early church and experience Jesus as they did.
Learning to See What Jesus Sees?
by John Freund, CM | Nov 10, 2021 | Formation, Reflections, Systemic change
That day, as Jesus sat in the temple precincts, what impressed him? What caught his eye?
Do You Ignore “Nudges”?
by John Freund, CM | Nov 5, 2021 | Formation, Reflections
A big storm approaches. The weatherman urges everyone to get to higher ground. In his rectory, a priest says, “I won’t worry, God will save me.”
Systemic Change Calls For Paying Attention
by John Freund, CM | Apr 21, 2021 | Formation, Reflections, Systemic change
There are things we see but don’t pay attention to.
What Can We Learn From Anniversaries?
by John Freund, CM | Apr 16, 2021 | Formation, Reflections, Vincentian Family
Whatever the anniversary, it gives us a chance to look back over the years since the event we’re marking, and reflect on how it has shaped us.
Systemic Change – What My Mother Taught Me
by John Freund, CM | Apr 14, 2021 | Formation, Reflections, Systemic change, Vincentian Family
When will we really buy into the systemic change of thinking Jesus came to show us?
Reacting to Different Ways of Thinking
by John Freund, CM | Apr 9, 2021 | Formation, Reflections
Looking at Jesus through the eyes of a Jewish person or a Gentile.
Acts of the Apostles, Systemic Change and Polarization
by John Freund, CM | Apr 7, 2021 | Formation, Reflections, Systemic change
Over the next several weeks the liturgy, drawing from the Acts of the Apostles, presents selected stories of ordinary people who coped with severe polarization some 2,000 years ago.
Beyond Waving Palm Branches
by John Freund, CM | Mar 26, 2021 | Formation, Reflections, Vincentian Family
On Palm Sunday will I be waving the palm branches of my blind spots or holding high the cross of God’s universal love?
I am doing something new!
by John Freund, CM | Mar 24, 2021 | Formation, Reflections, Systemic change
For a variety of reasons, we sometimes can not see what is right before our eyes.
Falling In Love With “Real Families”
by John Freund, CM | Mar 19, 2021 | Formation, Reflections, Vincentian Family
It is a shame that most people only hear polarized pundits cherry-picking from a select few paragraphs, or even just footnotes, in what in reality is an inspiring document describing and addressed to the real family of today.
How Could This Happen?
by John Freund, CM | Mar 17, 2021 | Formation, Reflections, Systemic change
“All God’s people carry within themselves the same potencies that energized the early Christian movement…”