Over a lifetime, we each learn the stories of where we fit and don’t fit, and who are our good and bad guys. Sadly, at least in the eyes of God, for most of us, it is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid the trap of building walls instead of bridges.
The tribal wisdom of the American Indian says that when you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount.
Organizations often seem to have trouble with this.
Two images, a “Wise Old Woman” and a “Beautiful Young Lady” merge into one picture.
In this Vincentian Mindwalk explore with me what this picture can teach about deep polarization today.
insights into St. Vincent’s journey may lead us to recognize our own journey’s from looking for good news for ouselves to bringing good news to those on the margins.
Among the many hungers in our lives what are you most hungry for?
Do we really hunger for the coming of God’s kingdom where even now we recognize each and every one of us, no matter how scarred, as our brothers and sisters? “How can this be?
How not to see? The quick answer is to find a pair of rose-colored glasses. … I thought about rose-colored glasses as I read a satire about a tech company that developed digital glasses for rich people to edit out the poor.
I can no longer say, “do this memory of me” without hearing Jesus ak his disciples, “Do you understand?” It becomes an instant examination of the reality of my belief in the real presence of Christ in my brothers and sisters.
We sometimes define contemplation as “A long loving look.” I never thought of God takes a long, loving look at us. God contemplating me… with a long loving look!
Vincent may have started in the rural zip codes in France but he soon began to realize that the spiritual and material poverty he woke up to in Chatillon and Folleville existed also in the zip code of cities like Paris… and beyond.
Renewal of Vincentian spirituality requires movement, changing ideas and new perspectives. Let me point out a few possible movements that might lead us to revitalization of our spiritual tradition:
God leads us into the midst of the world. God waits for us among the poor. Christ invites us to participate in his mission,
What might be the vocation of a Vincentian lawyer? I think the American Bar Association gives us an appreciation of why it might not be strange.
The next time you watch a flock of geese, pause for a moment — think about what they can teach us about ministry in general and, especially, “long-haul” ministries of systemic change.