Rereading Andre Dodin’s biography of Saint Vincent de Paul recently, I was struck with the phrase he used to weave together the various threads of Vincent’s life.
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by Tom McKenna, CM | February 8, 2023 | Formation, Reflections | 0 Comments
There’s a phrase from the sports world, “setting a high bar.” It means raising the height of the jump just beyond the mark the athlete think he can clear.
by Tom McKenna, CM | January 25, 2023 | Formation, Reflections | 2 Comments
The word “bias” doesn’t have an especially pleasing connotation. It usually means an unfair leaning toward one group and a blindness toward its opposite.
by Tom McKenna, CM | January 11, 2023 | Formation, Reflections | 1 Comment
Every once in a while when reading the Scriptures, something lights up, jumps out into the present time and place.
by Tom McKenna, CM | December 14, 2022 | Formation, Reflections | 0 Comments
Something with which most every believer can struggle is the felt nearness of God: how close up do I sense the Divine presence?
by Tom McKenna, CM | May 31, 2023 | Formation, Reflections
Rereading Andre Dodin’s biography of Saint Vincent de Paul recently, I was struck with the phrase he used to weave together the various threads of Vincent’s life.
by Tom McKenna, CM | May 17, 2023 | Formation, Reflections
This homily was preached on the occasion of the taking of Final Vows by a Vincentian seminarian, Alex Palacios, in Philadelphia, PA.
by Tom McKenna, CM | May 3, 2023 | Formation, Reflections
Preparing for this Sunday, which is often called Good Shepherd Sunday, I came across a description of the things a shepherd in Jesus’ time would do to care for his — or her — sheep.
by Tom McKenna, CM | Feb 24, 2021 | Formation, Reflections
How is that the glory of God supplies motivation, gives the impetus for getting up and doing something?
by Tom McKenna, CM | Feb 10, 2021 | Formation, Reflections
Job has the well-deserved reputation as a complainer. Throwing up his hands, he whines to God, “How long is this misery going to lasts, this drudgery, these troubled nights.” (Job 7:1-7)
by Tom McKenna, CM | Jan 27, 2021 | Formation, Reflections
God’s Call is a theme that runs all through the Scriptures. Where does God’s call occur and to what does it summon us?
by Tom McKenna, CM | Jan 13, 2021 | Formation, Reflections
There’s a phrase which often enough appears in stories having to do with someone coming up against his or her limits.
by Tom McKenna, CM | Dec 30, 2020 | Formation, Reflections
The Christmas gospel from St. Luke starts out on a theme of power, the political power of an absolute ruler, Caesar Augustus.
by Tom McKenna, CM | Dec 18, 2020 | Formation, Reflections
I read an account of a high school boy who had, as the story title put it, “Made it Easier to be Honest.”
by Tom McKenna, CM | Dec 16, 2020 | Formation, Reflections
One of my favorite words, both because of the way it sounds and what it connotes, is “nudge”
by Tom McKenna, CM | Dec 2, 2020 | Formation, Reflections
We’ve all heard the term “mood music.” It refers to the power music has to set a tone, move us through different feeling states.
by Tom McKenna, CM | Nov 18, 2020 | Formation, Reflections
“God” is not just another word, but rather the designation of the overflowing reality at the heart of everything.