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.
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by Tom McKenna, CM | June 14, 2023 | Formation, Reflections | 1 Comment
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?”
by Tom McKenna, CM | May 31, 2023 | Formation, Reflections | 0 Comments
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 | 0 Comments
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 | 1 Comment
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 | 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.
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...
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.
by Tom McKenna, CM | Nov 17, 2021 | Formation, Reflections
When you hear that someone is “acting out” it usually isn’t heard as a compliment.
by Tom McKenna, CM | Nov 3, 2021 | Formation, Reflections
There’s an instinct to idealize the saints as entirely different from the rest of us, off in another league at some unattainable level of holiness and favor with God.
by Tom McKenna, CM | Oct 20, 2021 | Formation, Reflections
Most of us know the image backing the word “scandalize;” i.e., somebody tripping over a stone in the road.
by Tom McKenna, CM | Oct 6, 2021 | Formation, Reflections
This homily was preached at a recent anniversary Mass for Fr. Joseph Daly, C.M. — a Vincentian priest beloved of many,
by Tom McKenna, CM | Sep 22, 2021 | Formation, Reflections
I knew a close-knit family of 5 personable children, and as they got older, they would kid their mother about having a favorite.
by Tom McKenna, CM | Sep 8, 2021 | Formation, Reflections
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 | Aug 25, 2021 | Formation, Reflections
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 | Aug 11, 2021 | Formation, Reflections
People develop tastes for different things.
by Tom McKenna, CM | Jul 28, 2021 | Formation, Reflections
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.