Vincentian Sunday Reflections
June 28, 2026
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
June 28, 2026
Gospel: (Matthew 10:37-42)
Jesus said to his apostles: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me….And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because the little one is a disciple—amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”
Reflection:
The heart of the paschal mystery is dying and rising. Our own daily living can sometimes seem to have much more dying than rising. Even setting aside the issue of consciously choosing self-sacrifice, just the simple demands of our lives pull it out of us: feeding the infant in the middle of the night, ferrying the kids to soccer, helping with the homework when we are dog tired, cleaning the house and preparing meals, taking time to share some good thing with a spouse, calling and visiting an aging parent, helping the suffering and the poor. One of the great encouragements of this Sunday’s gospel is that all this behavior—like giving “a cup of cold water”—may seem small to us, but to God they are actions that correspond to those of Christ. The message is that our generosity is far surpassed by God’s generosity. (Living Liturgy, p.188)
Vincentian Meditation:
To Vincent, a life of virtue was no accident. God gives the grace, but human effort is required to cultivate the virtue. Habits of charity, hopefulness, and justice are built, not just wished into being. Vincent knew that good intentions were insufficient responses to God’s grace. Virtue—a good habit, an inner readiness to accomplish moral good—had to become part of the fabric of life. For instance, by acting patiently over and over in trying situations, a person may learn patience. Virtues such as patience are important in the full living of the Christian life. Vincent constantly made concrete suggestions about how to develop virtue. From hard experience, he knew that definite dispositions had to be cultivated into the heart of the servant if the Gospels were to come alive through his or her hands. (McKenna, Praying with Vincent, p.70)
Discussion: (Share your thoughts on the readings after a moment of silence.)
What Vincentian virtues have you seen lived out in your Conference?
Closing Prayer:
O God, you inspire the followers of Vincent to be virtuous,
-help us to serve always with respect and gentleness.
O God, you inspire the followers of Vincent to be servants of the poor,
-send us out in humility, simplicity and charity.
Amen
July 5, 2026
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
July 5, 2026
Gospel: (Matthew 11:25-30)
Jesus exclaimed: “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him. “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
Reflection:
The love Jesus speaks of is a self-sacrificing love that knows no bounds when the good of the other is at stake. No bound, not even ones’ life. Jesus’ command of love requires of us no less than dying to ourselves. We must let go of all our own pretensions, become meek and humble like Jesus and serve others. In everyday terms this means that we always seek God’s will in our lives. This isn’t always easy, because our natural human tendency is to seek our own good. Just as Jesus came to do God’s will and brought salvation and peace, so when we do God’s will we extend salvation and know peace. This is knowing God! (Living Liturgy, p.192)
Vincentian Meditation:
Not only will we find rest and refreshment in Christ as we move along the road of life, but He would have us learn from Him meekness and humility of heart. Gentleness and humility of heart contribute much to our peace and rest on our journey to heaven. St.Vincent would wish us to be sacraments of the gentleness of Christ. Not only must we bring strength and help to the poor, but we must put them in contact with the meekness of Jesus. That is why it is important that we should not be angry people. If there is anger in our hearts, it will be difficult for us to help the poor effectively because we will not bring to them the gentleness of Jesus. (9McCullen, Deep Down Things, p.573)
Discussion: (Share your thoughts on the readings after a moment of silence.)
Who are the Vincentians that have shown you how to be “sacraments of the gentleness of Christ”?
Closing Prayer:
Lord, make us gentle servants,
-with eyes to see the poor.
Lord, make us humble servants,
-with ears to hear the cries of the poor.
Lord, we come to you with our labors and burdens,
–may we know your rest.
Amen
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