It was a moment I think most of us dreaded. In the later stages of formation some 60 years ago I remember hearing the words “Mr. Freund please”. The words came from the Superior’s bench in both the Novitiate and the Major Seminary. Whoever was called had to...
Year: 2023
Lessons Learned From a “Street Priest!”
Is God tired of us waiting for us among the poor?
Is Advent “Missing In Action?”
What ever happened to Advent?
Christ the King and the “Duck Test”
We speak of Christ as King.
Do our lives show it?
Thanksgiving
Beth Nicol here filling in for Fr. John who is taking a brief Thanksgiving break with plans to return to Mindwalk next week. During his small break, I offer the following reflection: On Thanksgiving Day 2008 I opened my email to find a note from my husband’s youngest...
Will You Be Traveling For the Holidays?
For many of my years, “Home for the Holidays” was in the back of most people’s minds come Thanksgiving and Christmas. For younger generations, it meant a trip to ancestral homes. It could be Mom and Dad’s House, while for others, Grandma and Grandpa’s. For older...
Are You “Woke?” – Should You Be?
Today we increasingly hear about being “woke.”
In this Vincentian Mindwalk I will try to move beyond any narrow political meanings.
The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same
Twenty-five years ago, the Congregation of the Mission engaged in what amounted to a corporate examination of conscience.
I sometimes reread the final document as an examination of conscience.
Raised in the world of “Pay-Pray-Obey”
I was amazed to discover a Vincentian born in 1868 who pioneered a thoroughly Vatican II concept of laity.
His words in 1923 echo today!
The Early Church Had No “Office of Evangelization”
Jesus did not establish the church as an institution with a slick “Public Relations” plan. His followers were attracted by his message. They became a movement that developed into the early church.
Can you explain how?
Street-level Encounters – a Parable
In this Vincentian Mindwalk, explore with me a street-level parable about the latest buzzword in many religious circles – “encounter.”
Have Catholics Seen Such Polarization Before?
There is so much polarization in our world today. And it is not just political.
Polarization is on full display at all levels of the Church today… hierarchy, clergy, laity, vowed religious.
Is this the first time in history that the Church has been so divided?
Certainly not!
Changing Our Clocks, Fast-forwards and Do-overs
Fall behind – spring ahead!
What if we could “replay” what we lost in our lives. Of course, we don’t get to replay the hours we lost.
Nor do we get to skip ahead and see our futures as we change clocks.
Can changing of clocks as a metaphor for our lives?
What’s Your Way of Handling Conflict?
A simple fact of life. We don’t always agree… especially on things that are important to us.
A painful fact of life. Disagreements and conflicts can get out of hand.
But, there is another fact of life.
We can and should learn from disagreements.
Unfinished Family Business?
Have you had someone close to you die with whom you had unfinished business?
We are left saying: “If only there were another chance!”
Well there is!
How Are You At Predictions?
A stopped clock is right at least twice a day.
I hope my track record for predictions is a bit better than that.
Here I revisit 3 predictions I made some two years ago.
Real or Fake – Spotting the Difference
Sometimes, it is very difficult to spot the difference between the “real thing” or an imitation.
Let’s explore different understandings of imitating Christ.
Hearts on Fire – Feet on the Move!
Pope Francis sees mission as a way of speaking about the road BACK from Emmaus to Jerusalem with “hearts on fire and feet on the move.”
Star Wars, the Nones, and the Good News
Is there any connection with the Star Wars phenomenon, the Nones, and Good News today?
Serving Others In a Digital World
RIp van Winkle slept though the American Revolution. Are members of the Vincentian Family aware of a new form of poverty – access to a digital world? What must be done?
Shocking document bishops signed in the Catacombs 60 years ago
Pope St. John XXIII certainly had expectations of Vatican II!
Saint John XXIII convened it hoping that it would lead to the Church becoming “the Church of all, and particularly the Church of the poor”
NATO As No Action – Talk Only
In this Mindwalk, I explore an alternate meaning of the acronym NATO
It involves the story of a pivotal moment in the life of Frederick Ozanam. He was inspired to move from talk to action.
What was your mother’s special recipe?
Mothers often seem to have what seems like a secret recipe or ingredient for preparing a meal.
I wonder whether Vincent had some secret recipe that would account for the momentous changes he brought to the Church and society in 17th-century France.
I suggest it was his ability to imagine and support lay ministry, especially for women.
If Jesus’ Mother Had a Scrapbook
Mothers keep memories! Often in a scrapbook.
What if the mother of Jesus kept a scrapbook? It would be filled with what kept in her heart.
Might the mysteries of the Rosary be a peek at her memories of Jesus?
Does Everybody Want to Change Your Thinking?
Sometimes it seems that everybody wants to change our way of thinking. That has probably always been true. But it certainly feels truer now in our polarized lives.
Is it Time for the “Brocolli” Approach?
Many generations of mothers have cajoled their children with “Try it. You’ll like it!” (It seems they all went to the same “Mommy” school.)
A famous layman, of the last century, Chesterton, used it in a different sense. ”The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.”
I wonder if maybe we should use the “try it, you’ll like it” approach to synodality.
Putting Newest Cardinals in Their Place
… Acts of the Apostles makes us reflect that, before being “apostles”, before being priests, Bishops, Cardinals, we are “Parthians, Medes, Elamites”, et cetera, et cetera.
Missing the Point!
Been in a conversation where someone missed your point? I certainly have. Also, more times than I care to admit, I have been the one who missed the point.
Unfortunately, the more the conversation touches our lives the more heated the conversation becomes… especially when come to what it means to be followers of Christ
Can You Imagine That!
On this feast of Vincent De Paul, we can be thankful Vincent never stopped dreaming… and working1
St. VIncent imagined a world very different from the world he lived in.
He imagined a world that could be … and asked what can I do.
Know Any Relationships Not Going Anywhere?
St. Vincent and Louise got off to a rocky start. Yet their collaboration produced transformational results that echo today. What can we learn from them?
Rom 16, 13 reads: "Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; and greet his mother—a mother to me also." If this…
Have a blessed Holy Week!
I have never thought about the people that were named in the Gospels. I would agree that they may be…
Generally, I love the laconic nature of Mark's Gospel. The Passion narrative is very compelling in its starkness, with one…
Father John, Blessings to you as you step cautiously down that new path. Grace and Peace be with you!