This past weekend contained the “moving-in” days at St. John’s.

by Pat Griffin, CM | November 20, 2024 | Formation, Reflections | 0 Comments
Pope Francis’ most recent encyclical (Dilexit nos, “He Loved us,” October 2024) finds a welcome place in our Vincentian reflections.
by Pat Griffin, CM | November 6, 2024 | Formation, Reflections | 1 Comment
In the Gospels, Jesus mentions the “little ones” on several occasions. He says that they need to be treated with respect (Mt 18:10).
by Pat Griffin, CM | October 23, 2024 | Formation, Reflections | 2 Comments
Praying and preaching the psalms has been one of my great joys for many years. The opportunity to take a psalm and reflect upon its meaning has challenged me to study its context and appreciate its message.
by Pat Griffin, CM | October 9, 2024 | Formation, Reflections | 1 Comment
As Christians, we can pray with and for our Jewish brothers and sisters on these holy days. We can learn from their time of devotion and reflection.
by Pat Griffin, CM | Aug 31, 2022 | Formation, Reflections
This past weekend contained the “moving-in” days at St. John’s.
by Pat Griffin, CM | Aug 17, 2022 | Formation, Reflections
“Being Vincent de Paul” can prompt our reflection. The intent, however, should not be to compare ourselves to him but to allow our love for the poor to be inspired by his witness.
by Pat Griffin, CM | Aug 3, 2022 | Formation, Reflections
The blessing of abundance carries with it a responsibility. Jesus points out that truth when he tells the parable of the rich man with the abundant harvest.
by Pat Griffin, CM | Jan 24, 2018 | Formation, Reflections
Vincentian View: A Vincentian Family Sometimes it is hard not to take pride in being a member of the Vincentian Family. In my role as Director of the Vincentian Center for Church and Society at St. John’s University, I have been in Kenya for the past week. I came...
by Pat Griffin, CM | Jan 3, 2018 | Formation, Reflections
Vincentian View: Keeping in the Heart Some of my friends can be categorized as falling into one of two groups. In one are those people who keep everything and who are not particularly concerned with organization. Their desks are piled high with books and magazines...
by Pat Griffin, CM | Dec 20, 2017 | Formation, Reflections
Vincentian View: Light in the Night “Silent Night, Holy Night.” Like many of you, I have heard those words sung numerous times in the past weeks. An odd thought flitted through my mind during one of these recent hearings: “How do we know that Jesus was born at...
by Pat Griffin, CM | Dec 6, 2017 | Formation, Reflections
Vincentian View: Remembering to be Grateful Just about two weeks have passed since we celebrated Thanksgiving. I spent the day with many members of my family and felt the blessing which accompanies such a gathering. Leading those closest to me in prayer before we...
by Pat Griffin, CM | Nov 22, 2017 | Formation, Reflections
A Vincentian View: Three Stories—One Direction Have you noticed that in the Sunday Gospels of these weeks, the passages have all been taken from successive verses in the 25th chapter of Matthew? The “Parable of the Ten Virgins” is Mt 25:1-13 (November 12); the...
by Pat Griffin, CM | Nov 8, 2017 | Formation, Reflections
A Vincentian View: The Lord Hears A number of phrases in the Scriptures of the past weeks have stayed in the front of my mind. I have felt the truth of these words and the considerable summons which they offer. From one hearing, they bring consolation and...
by Pat Griffin, CM | Oct 25, 2017 | Formation, Reflections
A Vincentian View: Homelessness Once every two years, St. John’s runs a “Poverty Conference.” This conference invites a discussion on an important situation in our society which impacts upon those who are poor and marginalized. In the past few years, issues like...
by Pat Griffin, CM | Oct 11, 2017 | Formation, Reflections
A Vincentian View: A Message for Us I have been to more than one Vincent event in the past two weeks which contained an opening prayer which included some passage from Pope Francis’ message to the Vincentian Family on September 27th. Different people, different...
by Pat Griffin, CM | Sep 20, 2017 | Formation, Reflections
A Vincentian View: 2417 400 years. For the universe, or the pyramids, or the Judeo-Christian faith, it does not seem like such a long time, but for human life it really is. In this year, as we all know, we celebrate the 400th anniversary of our Vincentian charism....