Recently I came across an intriguing quote from the 18th century author, Henri David Thoreau, which touched on a theme prominent in the scriptures.
vincentian spirituality
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!”
Forming a community that shows the Lord’s love for all
by Famvin Media Resources | April 5, 2024 | Formation | 0 Comments
A presentation about Vincentian Spirituality.
John 3:16 – Read It!
by Tom McKenna, CM | April 3, 2024 | Formation, Reflections | 2 Comments
If you’ve watched any sports events over the last decades, you’ve seen banners held high, calling attention to a famous passage in John’s Gospel.
A Closer Walk (John 2:13-25)
by Tom McKenna, CM | March 20, 2024 | Formation, Reflections | 0 Comments
Early in St. John’s gospel, we see Jesus resolutely striding into the outer courtyard of the Jerusalem Temple, a space bordering on what the Jewish people acknowledged to be God’s own Dwelling place.
Sacramentals (Mt 10:27-32)
by Tom McKenna, CM | Jul 13, 2022 | Formation, Reflections
The years-ago world of sacramentals — as you might remember, these were the scapulars and medals and holy cards and statues you’d find in a Catholic home.
Advance Notice (Lk. 10:1-2)
by Tom McKenna, CM | Jun 29, 2022 | Formation, Reflections
When breaking into any new territory, organizations send out what is known as an advance team.
Stretching Toward The Kingdom
by Tom McKenna, CM | Jan 30, 2019 | Formation, Reflections
A key theme in a recent workshop on intercultural living was stretching – the oftentimes painful effort needed to expand our perspectives and widen our view of what true and valuable.
Landing and Soaking In
by Tom McKenna, CM | Jan 16, 2019 | Formation, Reflections
That double action of the light, landing and then sinking in, provides an underlying clue to the whole direction of Jesus’ ministry.
“Honor” The Hidden Life
by Tom McKenna, CM | Jan 2, 2019 | Formation, Reflections
Those years between Jesus’ adolescence and public ministry there’s only silence, only the anonymity of what writers have termed The Hidden Life.
Light Through Darkness
by Tom McKenna, CM | Dec 19, 2018 | Formation, Reflections
The Christmas truth is that God’s light suffuses the dimness of those times and in the end beats back the encroaching darkness.
The Future Pulls The Present
by Tom McKenna, CM | Dec 5, 2018 | Formation, Reflections
Advent (Ad: toward; Vent: coming), lays out the direction of the season. It doesn’t just celebrate the future but what of that future is being poured into the present.
The Kingdom Interpretation
by Tom McKenna, CM | Nov 21, 2018 | Formation, Reflections
The Kingdom Interpretation (Mk 12:44-48) To profess myself a Christian is to profess a desire – and that desire is to follow behind the Lord, Jesus Christ. Perhaps “follow behind” doesn’t quite get to the heart of it. It’s more accurately a “stepping into his...
Testifying
by Tom McKenna, CM | Nov 7, 2018 | Formation, Reflections
Testifying (Luke 9:1-2) Reading Luke’s account of the disciples being sent out, I put myself in the shoes of one of those 70 individuals directed to go forth and proclaim the Good News that in Jesus, God’s forgiving compassion is drawing near. How would I feel...
On Listening
by Tom McKenna, CM | Oct 24, 2018 | Formation, Reflections
“On Listening” (Luke 11: 16, 29-31) One of the most gratifying compliments is to hear that you listen well. It conveys another’s feeling that something of his or her inner self has gotten through, that not just the words but the deeper resonances of those words have...
The Ministry of Encouragement
by Tom McKenna, CM | Oct 10, 2018 | Formation, Reflections
The Ministry of Encouragement (Hebrews 12:1) There’s a wonderfully comforting image in the Letter to the Hebrews which has special application to us in Vincent’s Family. The author sets out to build up his struggling fellow believers and does this through a...