Each December 12 many celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadeloupe. In this Vincentian Mindwalk, I slipped into questioning mode about the many apparitions of Mary. My questions begin with how many languages does Mary speak.. and why?
Mindwalk: Latest posts and thoughts...
How do you handle conflict? An Examination of Conscience.
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.
How can disagreem…
Tell me who your friends are…
“Tell me your friends, and I will tell you who you are.” In this Vincentian Mindwalk I offer a way of understanding Pope Francis through how and for whom he prays.
Finding Jesus In the Crib – Today
So that is my purpose. To know, love, and serve God as Mom. So, when I was lying in bed and I heard Lilly crying at 2 AM I didn’t just hear Lilly crying, I heard God crying asking me to love him and to serve him.
Focus On the “What” or the “Why”?
The heart of every gift is in the relationship. The lesson to be learned is that gifts, even unappreciated ones, are signs of love rather than the magical fulfillment of wishes. Sometimes the two overlap but sometimes they don’t.
December 21 As a “Mood-changer”
Whether great or small, events have a way of shaping our moods. But ultimately, it is what we are aware of and focus on that shapes our moods. Let’s focus on the big picture … even in our doubts and confusion.
Pope Francis’ Personal Covid-like Moments
“I’ve experienced three ‘Covids’ in my own life: my illness, Germany, and Córdoba. … In every personal “Covid,” so to speak, in every “stoppage,” what is revealed is what needs to change.”
Family Historians
Keepers of memories! Almost every family has one. You know… the person who remembers the family history, the stories of Uncle… and Aunt…, the in-laws and the outlaws. St. Matthew was trying to get his Jewish audience to think about the very unlikely people who pla…
We Don’t Listen To Secular Prophets Either
Israel’s prophets talked, but their audiences didn’t listen. Little has changed in 3,000 years. Given how little the Israelites listened to their prophets, what are we to think of the prophetic dimensions of Vincentian ministry today?
Don’t Mess With My Nativity Scene!
Don’t mess with my nativity scene… at least as I rrmember it. Yet Pope Francis reminds us that such “additions show that in the new world inaugurated by Jesus there is room for whatever is truly human and for all God’s creatures”.
Will you give birth to Christ today?
Have you ever thought of how the many dimensions of Mary bringing Christ to the world serve as a pattern for how we are called to birth Christ in our world?
Did the Mother of God Speak Spanish?
The mother of Jesus speaks the universal language of mothers or “mother tongue”. In each apparition, she speaks the motherly language of comfort, advice, warning or encouragement.
Each Approach Is Necessary
An image each Vincentian should consider! It is a simple image of people imperiled by a river flooding out of control. Read on to learn how a Franciscan uses that image to explore various approaches to saving people.