vincentian spirituality

Seeing What’s There (John 9:39)

by Tom McKenna, CM | March 8, 2023 | Formation, Reflections | 6 Comments

How many times have you heard people use the phrase, “I finally woke up?”

Struggles at a Well (John 4:5-42)

by Tom McKenna, CM | February 22, 2023 | Formation, Reflections | 0 Comments

Some of the traits which come out in the Samaritan woman as she interacts with Jesus at the noonday well could paint her as a hard-hearted and difficult lady.

Higher (Matthew 5:38-48)

by Tom McKenna, CM | February 8, 2023 | Formation, Reflections | 0 Comments

There’s a phrase from the sports world, “setting a high bar.” It means raising the height of the jump just beyond the mark the athlete think he can clear.

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.

Naming God (Exodus 34: 8-9; John 3:16)

by Tom McKenna, CM | Jun 14, 2023 | Formation, Reflections

Two people are in a conversation, asking how they feel about each other. After much back and forth, one says to the other, “How would you name that feeling?”

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.

In The Boat (Mark 4:35-41)

by Tom McKenna, CM | Jun 30, 2021 | Formation, Reflections

When Mark speaks to this endangered flock, it’s no surprise that he includes a pair of Jesus’ hope-filled parables, lessons on how things grow.

The Growing (Mk 4:26-34)

by Tom McKenna, CM | Jun 16, 2021 | Formation, Reflections

When Mark speaks to this endangered flock, it’s no surprise that he includes a pair of Jesus’ hope-filled parables, lessons on how things grow.

The Body and Blood of Christ (Exodus 24:3-8; Mk 14:22-26)

by Tom McKenna, CM | Jun 2, 2021 | Formation, Reflections

There are actions that in their very enactment communicate more depth and meaning than the words that surround them.

Experiencing The Spirit’s Descent (Acts 10: 25-48)

by Tom McKenna, CM | May 19, 2021 | Formation, Reflections

When we meet love in our lives, we are experiencing The Spirit.

Setting Out (Acts 9:1-20)

by Tom McKenna, CM | May 5, 2021 | Formation, Reflections

As far as beginnings go, we’d have to look far and wide to find something more dramatic than the one portrayed in chapter 9 of the Acts of the Apostles: Paul knocked over and blinded on that Damascus road.

“First Generation Disciples”(John 10: 14-15)

by Tom McKenna, CM | Apr 21, 2021 | Formation, Reflections

“Handing on the tradition” is a phrase often connected with matters of faith.

Living “As If”(Acts 4: Jn 20)

by Tom McKenna, CM | Apr 7, 2021 | Formation, Reflections

Where are the assurances that these claims about Jesus rising to new life have any substance?

We Remember, We Celebrate, We Believe

by Tom McKenna, CM | Mar 24, 2021 | Formation, Reflections

All of us have heard the phrase, “living in the past.” Usually it has a negative ring – – somebody missing out on the good things happening now because he or she lives on memories of a bygone day.