Years ago, walking along a crowded beach, I came upon a group of people gathered around a crying, screaming child.
![Hearing The Voice (John 10:1-10)](https://b704496.smushcdn.com/704496/en/files/2016/02/mckenna-tom-reflections-featured-facebook-1.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1)
by Tom McKenna, CM | September 8, 2021 | Formation, Reflections | 2 Comments
I remember a heated conversation between a man who was promising something to a woman, and the woman to whom the promise was being made. It ended with her exasperated response, “Those are just words.”
by Tom McKenna, CM | August 25, 2021 | Formation, Reflections | 1 Comment
Our believing is not solitary. The quality of one person’s faith spills over into the religious convictions of all the others.
by Tom McKenna, CM | August 11, 2021 | Formation, Reflections | 0 Comments
People develop tastes for different things.
by Tom McKenna, CM | July 28, 2021 | Formation, Reflections | 1 Comment
There’s a scene in chapter 6 of Mark’s gospel which has special appeal to anyone who has ever been caught up in an over-busy, fast paced life.
by Tom McKenna, CM | May 18, 2022 | Formation, Reflections
Years ago, walking along a crowded beach, I came upon a group of people gathered around a crying, screaming child.
by Tom McKenna, CM | May 4, 2022 | Formation, Reflections
“They recounted how…he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.”
by Tom McKenna, CM | Apr 6, 2022 | Formation, Reflections
In Luke’s 15th chapter, Jesus relates his perhaps most famous parable, aiming to open another window onto the Kingdom of God, especially its meaning for the present.
by Tom McKenna, CM | Jan 17, 2018 | Formation, Reflections
The Holiness Quotient (Lk 2: 25-40) The initials “EQ.” Different from IQ, meaning Intelligence Quotient which measures mental ability, they stand for Emotional Quotient and refer to the degree to which one person can read the feelings and mood of another -- or more...
by Tom McKenna, CM | Dec 27, 2017 | Formation, Reflections
Words That Glow (Isaiah 6:11; John 1:23) A familiar phrase, “It leapt off the page at me!” Of all the lines and sentences in a book, one starts to glow and flash out as if it were being spoken to me personally. I mention this because a single sentence occurring in...
by Tom McKenna, CM | Dec 13, 2017 | Formation, Reflections
Nimble in Advent (Is. 64; I Cor 1:3; Mk. 13:33) There’s a term I’ve heard used lately in business circles that’s practically become a buzz word. And that’s “nimble.” It refers to the quickness with which a given company can react to changes happening in the world...
by Tom McKenna, CM | Nov 29, 2017 | Formation, Reflections
“Getting Ready” (Wisdom 6:12-16; Mt 25:1-13) “Be Prepared” is a famous theme in Boy Scout lore but also frequently shows up in the Scriptures. The injunction in the Book of Wisdom to keep a watchful eye for the coming of God’s presence (Wisdom 6), and Jesus’ praise of...
by Tom McKenna, CM | Nov 15, 2017 | Formation, Reflections
Some years ago, I experienced what you might call a “surprise in sound.” Coming down a corridor talking with a few other people in normal voices, we turned a corner into a smaller space. All at once our voices took on another sound -- fuller, richer, you might even...
by Tom McKenna, CM | Nov 1, 2017 | Formation, Reflections
I remember talking to a man who was leaving a good position in his company after over 30 years on the job. He didn’t want to, but he said it wasn’t the same company he had come to those three decades ago. He lamented that it had lost its lights and heart, particularly...
by Tom McKenna, CM | Oct 18, 2017 | Formation, Reflections
Just last week at the end of a sequence of calamitous happenings in the country and world, someone remarked that if he had one wish it would be that when turning on the news he’d hear something other than bad news. His wish caught the dark and heavy feelings of the...
by Tom McKenna, CM | Oct 4, 2017 | Formation, Reflections
I know two young men who were given a set of CD’s of the greats in classical music. Neither of them ever listened to nor had any appreciation for this kind of track. The one said, “This stuff is boring and even hard on my ears. I’ll humor my uncle who gave them to me,...
by Tom McKenna, CM | Sep 27, 2017 | Formation, Reflections
To us who live in a time when extremes on the left and right of the spectrum seem glaring, St. Paul comes with this counsel for keeping on course. “Do not conform yourselves to this age. But be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” To paraphrase him, “There are...