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.
vincentian spirituality
65th Anniversary of Vincentian Brother Alfred Smith’s Service
by Tom McKenna, CM | October 19, 2022 | Formation, Reflections | 3 Comments
To keep God’s people safe and alive in their battle against Amalek, Moses has to hold his arms high in the air for a very long while.
Stand Up and Go! (2 Kings, 5:14-17; Lk 17:11-19)
by Tom McKenna, CM | October 5, 2022 | Formation, Reflections | 0 Comments
For all of us who have been through the pandemic, we know first-hand how disease and sickness have a way of separating us, how they can isolate and cut us off from the rest of life.
Acceptance — And Ingenuity (Luke 16:1-13)
by Tom McKenna, CM | September 21, 2022 | Formation, Reflections | 2 Comments
Scripture Scholars tell us that the meaning behind the word “parable” is curve, as in throwing a curve.
Prioritizing (Lk 14: 25-9)
by Tom McKenna, CM | September 7, 2022 | Formation, Reflections | 2 Comments
There are hardly any words in all the gospels more blunt than the stark ones Jesus proclaims in Luke’s 14th chapter.
Paying It Forward (Acts 2:42-47)
by Tom McKenna, CM | Apr 19, 2023 | Formation, Reflections
In the Acts of the Apostles, we come across a behavior that is not quite self-explanatory.
Toward Jerusalem
by Tom McKenna, CM | Apr 5, 2023 | Formation, Reflections
We disciples of Christ profess to follow the Lord Jesus– and this week in particular, we would follow Him to Jerusalem.
Spirit Prompts (John 1: 29-34)
by Tom McKenna, CM | Jan 29, 2020 | Formation, Reflections
The Spirit of God is always moving through creation and through human hearts. But there are things we can do which make us more receptive to those movements.
Solid Saving Symbols (Acts 10:37; Mt 3:17)
by Tom McKenna, CM | Jan 15, 2020 | Formation, Reflections
As all of us know, to say that something is symbolic is to claim that some reality, the symbol, carries inside itself much more than what appears on its surface.
Adding to the Scene (Lk 2:1-14)
by Tom McKenna, CM | Jan 1, 2020 | Formation, Reflections
Imaginatively placing resolutions and actions around the manger is a prayer exercise that can draw us closer into what is happening there.
Through the Veil (Isaiah 11; Hebrews 6)
by Tom McKenna, CM | Dec 18, 2019 | Formation, Reflections
Much of life, is spent waiting — and Advent is the time of hopeful waiting.
The King’s View
by Tom McKenna, CM | Dec 4, 2019 | Formation, Reflections
When this King is exercising his Kingship where does he stand and what does he see?
The Core Belief (Lk 20:27-38)
by Tom McKenna, CM | Nov 20, 2019 | Formation, Reflections
Developmental psychologists point to a foundational experience in the life of a child whose effects ripple through the rest of life.
“Nudges” (Luke 19:1-10)
by Tom McKenna, CM | Nov 6, 2019 | Formation, Reflections
…You feel an impulse to do something connected with faith – and you pursue it.
Catching the Meaning (Lk 17:11-19)
by Tom McKenna, CM | Oct 23, 2019 | Formation, Reflections
There’s a nugget of wisdom that goes, “He had the experience, but missed the meaning.”
On Noticing (Amos 6; Lk.16:19-31)
by Tom McKenna, CM | Oct 9, 2019 | Formation, Reflections
“Noticing” is high up on the list of how “they’ll know we are Christians” — and certainly how they’ll know we are Vincentians.