I knew a close-knit family of 5 personable children, and as they got older, they would kid their mother about having a favorite.
vincentian spirituality
The Word (Deut 4: 1-8; Jas 1:17-27)
I remember a heated conversation between a man who was promising something to a woman, and the woman to whom the promise was being made. It ended with her exasperated response, “Those are just words.”
In This Together (Joshua 24; John 6)
Our believing is not solitary. The quality of one person’s faith spills over into the religious convictions of all the others.
Soaked Through and Through by Sense of God’s Reality
“Soaked Through and Through by Sense of God’s Reality” - Psalm 82 My Father loved and listened to classical music. Looking back on that, it’s a bit surprising because he was from a working class home, never graduated high school, played semi-pro football, and so on....
Not Just Interesting, But Moving
“Not Just Interesting, But Moving” (Exodus 3; Psalm 103) There’s a difference between things that are interesting and things that are intriguing, between things which make us curious and things which actually move us. I can pick up a score of a symphony and...
St. Louise and the tax collector in the back of the room
One of the famous Gospel characters is the publican, the tax collector in the back of the room. Jesus portrays him as the ideal worshipper, the best kind of pray-er. He knows how to come before God; he does it right. Not full of himself, not holding up accomplishments...
Facing Mercy
Facing Mercy: In the Reign of God’s Mercy There Are No Anonymous Faces in Crowds Writers often acknowledge the importance of opening words and lines. Images grab; words beckon; tones compel; and even official church documents capitalize on this dynamic. Church...
Hearing The Word in Pressured Times
Hearing The Word in Pressured Times (Lk. 5:1-11) Here are some things to note in this Gospel about Jesus getting himself involved in a fishing expedition with Peter and his friends. For one thing, there’s Peter’s state of mind. He’s exhausted. All night on the...
Getting in the Spirit
Father Tom McKenna offers the following reflection Getting “In the Spirit” (Samuel 18; Romans 8) The story of David and Goliath is set inside a larger narrative about the fall of Saul and the rise of David. And the difference between these two is that one, Saul,...
Hannah’s Prayer – Fr. Tom McKenna
Fr. Tom Mckenna offers this reflection on Hannah’s Prayer (I Samuel 1:9-20) In a talk on the spirituality of the Twelve Steps, the speaker told a story of a woman who was being swept along in a powerful ocean current. She was a swimmer and so at first wasn’t...
5 Faces of Vincent de Paul (includes text)
5 Faces of St. Vincent de Paul - which one do you know best? Missionary… witness… formator… inventive… contemplative… active… prayerful… gentle… compassionate… these are some of the words used to describe St. Vincent de Paul.Fr. Maloney writes... Vincent de Paul lived...
Vincent on the Trinity and Corpus Christi
“(Vincent) often spoke of the mystery of the Trinity to the Vincentians and Daughters. In an article “As friends who love one another deeply – reflections on community living yesterday and today” Father Robert Maloney shares his reflections.
