I remember a man complaining that there was too much dissention in his family. He used a memorable phrase to describe their connections: “In a given month, who’s in and who’s out?”
McKenna
Hearing the Voice (John 10:11-18)
by Tom McKenna, CM | May 29, 2024 | Formation, Reflections | 3 Comments
I think people would worry if someone accused them of “hearing voices.” But the truth of the matter is that during each week, any number of voices are directed at us.
Indwelling (John 14:21-26)
by Tom McKenna, CM | May 15, 2024 | Formation, Reflections | 0 Comments
The Lord Jesus grew up in an agricultural setting, and so it’s no surprise that He draws on images that run through that world.
The Shining Gaze (Ps 4:7a; Lk 24:36-80)
by Tom McKenna, CM | May 1, 2024 | Formation, Reflections | 0 Comments
A favorite verse, Psalm 4, reads: “Lord, let your face shine upon us.” It summons up a very warm and private kind of experience that each of us in our own way can recognize.
Solidarity – in Life, Death, and New Life (Mark 14:1-15:47)
by Tom McKenna, CM | April 17, 2024 | Formation, Reflections | 1 Comment
A remark I once overheard: “I don’t mind suffering when nobody knows about it – as long as somebody knows about it!”
The Power For Oneness (1 Cor 12: 12-13)
by Tom McKenna, CM | Jun 12, 2024 | Formation, Reflections
The motto on the great seal of the United States is the Latin “E Pluribus Unum.” It’s translated: “Out of the Many, One.”
Hearing the Voice (John 10:11-18)
by Tom McKenna, CM | May 29, 2024 | Formation, Reflections
I think people would worry if someone accused them of “hearing voices.” But the truth of the matter is that during each week, any number of voices are directed at us.
A Very Personal Question (Matthew 16:13-20)
by Tom McKenna, CM | Sep 6, 2023 | Formation, Reflections
To get at a pivotal question in Matthew’s 23rd chapter, consider the distinction between two types of answers, one standard and the other personal.
Prayer Visuals (I Kings: 19; Matthew: 14)
by Tom McKenna, CM | Aug 23, 2023 | Formation, Reflections
The Scriptures are filled with striking visuals for our lives of faith, and in particular for our lives of prayer. One is in chapter 19 of the Book of Kings, up on the mountain with the Prophet Elijah who is fleeing from the threats of Jezebel and her husband King...
From Deep Within (Romans 8:26-7)
by Tom McKenna, CM | Aug 9, 2023 | Formation, Reflections
There’s a way of looking at our religion as a series of truths to be acknowledged and then followed out.
Drinking At The Fountain of God’s Word (Isaiah 55: 10-11)
by Tom McKenna, CM | Jul 26, 2023 | Formation, Reflections
With this hot weather scorching many parts of the globe, it’s not hard to appreciate the metaphor the prophet Isaiah offers as a picture of how it is between ourselves and God — more specifically, between ourselves and the Word of God.
Receiving Me (2 Kings,4; Mt 10:40)
by Tom McKenna, CM | Jul 12, 2023 | Formation, Reflections
Two agitated men, just coming from a disastrous happening, were walking down a country road and pouring out their shared troubles. Each was focused on his own grief, but each was also was taking in the pain of the other.
Hearing God’s Love (Matthew 10:26-33)
by Tom McKenna, CM | Jun 28, 2023 | Formation, Reflections
We readily readily recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus as the symbol of his great love for us. But as we know from the experience of many, this message given is often enough a message not received.
Naming God (Exodus 34: 8-9; John 3:16)
by Tom McKenna, CM | Jun 14, 2023 | Formation, Reflections
Two people are in a conversation, asking how they feel about each other. After much back and forth, one says to the other, “How would you name that feeling?”
The Way (John 14:1-12)
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.
Get Up and Set Out (John 6:44, Acts 8:26-40)
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.