John Freund
The Poor Will Always Be With You??
Here I reflect on a “prequel” to the very first council, the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15). I will also fast-forward to the two-year-long “sequel” taking place right now.
“What are you hearing?”
The most effective reporters highlight the impact on the life and concerns of a viewer. Pope Francis seems to instinctively do the same.
What is the Prequel of Today’s “Synodal Process”?
Here I reflect on a “prequel” to the very first council, the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15). I will also fast-forward to the two-year-long “sequel” taking place right now.
The Spirituality of “Nouns and Adjectives”
It could be said that we are living in a culture of adjectives that forgets about the nouns that name the reality of things. But also a culture of the insult as the first reaction to any opinion that I do not share.
Unrecognized Experts
People experiencing poverty have an expertise that can not be taught in a classroom. They know their situation from the inside. They understand many dimensions of poverty that may not occur to us.
The “Before” and the “After” of the Ascension
The question “why are you looking at the sky?” is addressed to us today. Today, we are those dazed apostles looking up rather than within and around ourselves.
A Daring Prudence – Systemic Change
“… create a Family that looks to the past for inspiration, but is also eager to create a vibrant innovative collaborative future in the service of the most abandoned.” Fr. Robert Maloney
Mary and the Mommy School
Three words sum up Mary’s attitude: listening, decision, action. They are words that point out a way for us too as we face what the Lord asks of us in life. Listening, decision, action. (Pope Francis)
Wide-angle View of the Vincentian Family
We are people with a mission…to do what Jesus did. Pople who use the skills of their profession in frontline “field hospitals” or mobilize those who are committed to “seeking long-term solutions.”
St. Joseph – Patron of “Saints Next Door”
Can we recognize Joseph, “the quiet one,” as the model for far more than just carpenters?
A Challenge is in the Air
Think about the hot button issues of the day: Police reform, Climate change, Poverty, Homelessness, Election reform, Systemic racism, #metoo… Tou name it. People are calling for more than just quick but temporary fixes. People are calling for systemic reform.
Can You Put Yourself In This Picture?
I am not an Ethiopian at the beginning of a thousand-mile journey. Actually, I am on a lifelong journey of trying to “put on the mind of Christ,” to see things as Jesus, the stranger in my life, sees them.