Do you think the church has ever before faced as severe crises as it faces today?
Let’s explore the problems faced today and those of the early Church.
What can we learn?
Mindwalk: Latest posts and thoughts…
Are There Any Roads You Have Not Taken?
Today I ask are there any roads you didn’t take… or maybe not follow far enough?
Do we sometimes keep Jesus in the tombs of our hearts?
What Is the Real World Anyway?
In this Vincentian Mindwalk let’s explore the “real world” of Good Friday, Holy Saturday … and Easter Sunday.
How does Jesus’ resurrection open up the doors to a real world that goes beyond our limited versions of “the real world.”
Playing the Short Game Or the Long Game?
Jesus could have handed out copies of his encyclicals – the Sermon on the Mount, Beatitudes, the Our Father. Rather, he gave us his preaching as guides to understand the next stage of the journey of the Body of Christ to discover the fulness of eternal life in God!
How Can You Disagree With the Pope… and others?
The church is a family, “God’s people”. Family fights are the worst. But disagreements are part of any family or community. Suppressing them leads to frustration and dysfunctional behavior. Our goal must be to be reconcilers, not dividers.
Mary’s Memories – the Rosary As Her Scrapbook
“She kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk 2:19; cf. 2:51)
To me, that’s another way of saying she kept her scrapbook of memories of special memories of her son in her heart.
How Christ-like Do You Think You Are?
When St. Paul asks us to “put on the mind of Christ” he has much more in mind than mouthing Jesus’ words. I believe he is asking us to look at our attitudes and actions. We are called to “walk the talk”!
Who Are You Calling a “Cafeteria Catholic”?
Many of those who take cudgels to anyone who disagrees with a Pope now often lead the charge seriously asking whether the current Pope is Catholic. And those who tended to ignore some Popes in the recent past cheer on the current Pope.
But the truth is larger than what either is willing to see and struggle to understand.
The “Dead Horse Theory” of Ministry
Organizations… and individuals… develop all kinds of strategies to cope with change. Some strategies are more successful than others. There is one strategy that has many lives … the “dead horse” theory.
The Courage to See Ourselves As God Sees Us?
As I think about contemplation, I realize that the phrase “the courage to be” might be adapted to understanding of contemplation. It takes courage to become aware of God’s long, loving look at me.
Have You Tried Christianity?
“… in the modern world we are primarily confronted with the extraordinary spectacle of people turning to new ideals because that have not tried the old. Men have got tired of Christianity; they have never found enough Christianity to get tired of.” Chesterton
Pope Francis Wants To Hear From You!
The Synod is “intended to inspire people to dream about the church we are called to be, to make people’s hopes flourish, to stimulate trust, to bind up wounds, to weave new and deeper relationships, to learn from one another, to build bridges, to enlighten minds, warm hearts, and restore strength to our hands for our common mission.”
The Gift and Challenge of Vincentian Imagination
We talk, perhaps too glibly, of the Vincentian charism. For a moment, I would like to reframe the conversation. Let’s talk about the Vincentian imagination!… and how it led to the “Vincentian Question.”