In Luke’s 15th chapter, Jesus relates his perhaps most famous parable, aiming to open another window onto the Kingdom of God, especially its meaning for the present.
vincentian spirituality
“Something More” (Exodus 3:1-15)
Through the ages, the episode of Moses and the burning bush has figured into the religious experience of many.
Storing Up (Luke 6:42-45)
In a Lukan parable, Jesus uses the image of “storing,” accumulating and building up a certain quality inside one’s heart.
On Pruning Vines
On Pruning Vines (John 15) In his letter to the Church in Rome, St. Paul asserts, “All things work together unto good for those who love God.” (Rom. 8:28) No matter what kinds of things happen, both good and indeed bad, good will rise on the other side of it. It’s a...
On Being Overshadowed
On Being Overshadowed (Every year on the feast of the Annunciation thousands of Daughters of Charity the world over retake their vows of poverty, chastity, obedience and service to the poor. This was the homily at one of their Eucharists.) I once heard someone say...
Right Religion
Right Religion (John 2:13ff) Some years ago, a book was published entitled, "When Religion Goes Bad." Premised on the fact that religion exercises a powerful force, it took up instances where that force has been badly used, even in destructive ways. Granting there was...
Following Behind “The Story”
Following Behind “The Story” Especially in this age of Facebook and Instagram has the power of story come to the fore. That is, increasingly so, the narrative much more than the bullet-pointed outline is what does the most effective job of getting through to hearts...
Why Step Across?
Why Step Across? (Leviticus 13; Mark 1) A concept that shows up in the history of religions is the one of boundaries, the borders between what is permissible and what is forbidden. These lines in the sand separating the holy from the sinful figure prominently all...
Driven to Disruption
Driven to Disruption (Mark 1:12-15) If you asked ten people what contact with God is supposed to bring I suspect at least seven would list things like peace, joy, calm, well-being, reassurance. But there's a theme running through Lent which moves in another direction...
Why This Suffering?
Why This Suffering? (Job 7) If you were charged with collecting a series of writings aimed to persuade people that God is overflowingly good and ever desirous for the good of His people, would you have included the Book of Job? We look in on the main character, this...
Circles of Repentance
Circles of Repentance (Jonah 3; Mk 1:14-15) At the beginning of Mark’s gospel, Jesus issues a no-holds-barred directive: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel!” It’s worthwhile noting that his command does not mean asking forgiveness for this or that sin. More...
The Holiness Quotient
The Holiness Quotient (Lk 2: 25-40) The initials “EQ.” Different from IQ, meaning Intelligence Quotient which measures mental ability, they stand for Emotional Quotient and refer to the degree to which one person can read the feelings and mood of another -- or more...
