Vincentian View

This past weekend contained the “moving-in” days at St. John’s. 

“Being Vincent de Paul” can prompt our reflection. The intent, however, should not be to compare ourselves to him but to allow our love for the poor to be inspired by his witness. 

The blessing of abundance carries with it a responsibility.  Jesus points out that truth when he tells the parable of the rich man with the abundant harvest. 

One of Vincent’s instructions to the Daughters of Charity involved the decision on what to do when the obligation for prayer and the obligation for service collided. 

Paul ordinarily employed a scribe to write down the letters that he dictated for the benefit of his local churches.  Sometimes, however, he picks up the pen himself to write a last few lines.

On occasion, some college campuses run a program called “The Last Lecture.”  We have done it a few times at St. John’s.

Each year, St. John’s University organizes a program around the Vincentian Chair of Social Justice (VCSJ). 

In the middle of the Acts of the Apostles (c. 15), we find one of the first issues of exclusion in the young Christian community.

One of the great blessings of the Easter Season is the way in which the church directs our attention to the Acts of the Apostles in both the weekday and the Sunday readings.