Mindwalk Podcasts: Latest posts and thoughts...

Easter People in a Good Friday/Holy Saturday World?

A great theologian, Johannes Hoffinger, asked: “if we are Easter People, why do we so often look like people in need of an aspirin?” Can we learn to recognize our experiences of the resurrected Jesus today.

Connecting Dots: Lent, Valentine’s Day, and Systemic Change

At first glance, it may seem like quite a stretch to connect Ash Wednesday, Valentine’s Day and Systemic Change. But hear me out. Actually, it is not that hard.

Did Jesus Contradict Himself?

The editors of Commonweal caught my attention! The editorial titled “Advemt in a Time of War” I had never thought the impllications of the following…

Have You Ever Gone Out On a Limb?

Have You Ever Gone Out On a Limb?

In this Vincentian Mindwalk I am going to predict some things about what will happen when an ailing 86-year-old Pope Francis braves the sweltering heat wave in Lisbon to spend some time with young people at World Youth Day.

Jesus and the Culture Wars of Today

Jesus and the Culture Wars of Today

Do you really think “culture wars” are new? Far from it! Jesus lived in the midst of culture wars! The Acts of the Apostles are a record of how first-century Christians coped with their own culture wars

In this Vincentian Mindwalk I invite you to look at the realities …

I Actually Attended a Session of Vatican II

I Actually Attended a Session of Vatican II

Yes! I figuratively rubbed shoulders with some 2000 bishops inside St. Peter’s! There are not many left who can say that.
Here I share my journey from a pre-Vatican II church to the church after Vatican II.
I will also share how belatedly I discovered that Vincent …

Bible in One Hand, Newspaper In the Other

Bible in One Hand, Newspaper In the Other

I don’t normally read InterVarsity publications. One popped up in a google search for material related to the words of a theologian ” Pray with the bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.”
In this Vincentian Mindwalk I share two aspects on what that migh…

Ancestry.com and Mary’s memories!

Ancestry.com and Mary’s memories!

Mary “kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk 2:19; cf. 2:51). We can remember with Mary some of the memories she kept in her heart. The rosary is an invitation to look through her mother’s eyes at Jesus, the center of her life!

Pope Francis’ “Puzzle Box Picture”

Pope Francis’ “Puzzle Box Picture”

The picture on a puzzle box inspired me to see how the pieces fit together. This morning I read a reflection, “Either an Evangelizing Church or a Worldly Church. It provided me with the picture on the “Pope Francis puzzle box! I offer it as a picture of what guides Pop…

Biblical Coverups and Gotchas

Biblical Coverups and Gotchas

They were comfortable… until they were told a story. Then they learned an uncomfortable truth. The person in the story out there, hid in their own heart.
In this Vincentian Mindwalk i explore how Pope Francis tells us a story about ourselves that unmasks our coverups…

I Can’t Take It Anymore!

I Can’t Take It Anymore!

Today we hear cries of pain of a people saying I can’t take it anymore after the conquest of Jerusalem. They faced unspeakable losses of lifestyle and challenges to their faith.
They had to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives and somehow find the strength to c…

Are You Done With the Virus??

Are You Done With the Virus??

I see some connections with another more benign virus – the Vincentian Virus. COVID19  Is both similar to and very different from the Vincentian Virus.
In this Vincentian Mindwalk I explore the Vincentian movement as a desirable virus that continues to spread… hop…

Are You a Genius? You Might Be Surprised!

Are You a Genius? You Might Be Surprised!

A biographer of geniuses thinks their most common trait may be the extraordinary ability to apply creativity and imaginative thinking to almost any situation.
In this Vincentian Mindwalk I explore why St. Vincent dePaul should be classified as a genius. By his life, Vin…