vincentian spirituality

A Divine Bias? (Ps 146; I Cor 1:27-30)

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.

Outbreaks of Glory (Isaiah 49:3)

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.

God Up Close (Mt. 11:2-11)

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?

Advent Receptivity (Matthew 3:1-12)

by Tom McKenna, CM | November 30, 2022 | Formation, Reflections | 2 Comments

One way to hear the Advent Gospel message is to put ourselves in the shoes of all those people walking out to that desert to listen to John the Baptist.

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.

Inside The Fold (John 10:1-10)

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.

Nativity Power

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.

Setting the Stage (Mark 1:1-8)

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.”

A Holy Nudge (Is 61; Jn 1:19-28)

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”

In The Mood (Mk 13:37)

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.

A Steadying Presence (Ps 128; Romans 8:35-39)

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.

Given A Break (Ex. 22:20; Mt 22:38-40)

by Tom McKenna, CM | Nov 4, 2020 | Formation, Reflections

In his unaffected way, he was voicing a truth that runs across the whole length of the Bible and all down the avenues of our faith: “I give help because I have been helped.”

Lifting the Veil (Is. 25: 6-8; Phil 4:20; Mt 22:1-14)

by Tom McKenna, CM | Oct 21, 2020 | Formation, Reflections

One of the favorite images seen all through the Scriptures is the feast, the sumptuous banquet overflowing, as Isaiah pictures it, with “juicy, rich food and choice wines.”

A Collaborative Witness (Luke 8:1-3)

by Tom McKenna, CM | Oct 7, 2020 | Formation, Reflections

Certainly the words and actions of such groups are meant to proclaim God’s Kingdom, but their very collaboration is itself an announcement of the Message.

Magis (Matthew 20:1-16)

by Tom McKenna, CM | Sep 23, 2020 | Formation, Reflections

There is the Jesuit one-word motto, “magis,” the Latin for “more,” meant to remind them that God is always “more than,” always greater. But greater than what?