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Six months ago, Pope Francis began a 16-part reflection on old age by asking the Holy Spirit to help us understand and appreciate the great contribution that the elderly can make to a just and fraternal society. I found each reflection gave me a lot to think and pray about. His concluding thoughts were profoundly challenging.

In my 80+ years I had never thought of old age itself as a ministry. He hopes we can revitalize the ministry of waiting for the Lord. His thoughts are a window into a ministry few have thought about… the ministry of Anna and Simeon who bore witness to the fulfillment of promises yet to come. In this Vincentian Mindwalk we can listen to his words describing old age as a ministry.

Old age as a ministry
Old age is “a special ministry of awaiting the Lord encouraging individual charisms and community qualities of the elderly person.”

In an earlier reflection he wrote:
“The elderly have much to teach us about the meaning of life; theirs is a wisdom, matured over time, that can help us to face the ever new questions and challenges raised by today’s rapidly evolving society.

He first speaks of “an old age that is consumed in the dejection of missed opportunities brings despondency to oneself and to others.

In contrast there is an : “Old age lived with gentleness, lived with respect for real life, definitively dissolves the misconception of a Church that adapts to the worldly condition, thinking that by so doing it can definitively govern its perfection and fulfilment.
– Our life as “apprenticeship” for the “fulness of life”
– “Our life is not made to be wrapped up, in an imaginary earthly perfection: it is destined to go beyond, through the passage of death – because death is a passage. Indeed, our stable place, our destination is not here, it is beside the Lord, where he dwells forever.”

I personally think of the image of Simeon and Anna in the temple welcoming Jesus. Each, so advanced in age, bore witness to Jesus as the fulfilment of what Israel hoped for. He hopes to “to revitalize this special ministry of awaiting the Lord” Pope Francis continues:
“Here, on earth, the process of our “novitiate” begins: we are apprentices of life, who – amid a thousand difficulties – learn to appreciate God’s gift, honoring the responsibility of sharing it and making it bear fruit for everyone”

“Our existence on earth is the time of the initiation of life: it is life, but one that leads you towards a fuller life, the initiation of the fuller one; a life which finds fulfillment only in God.

“Hence: old age brings closer the hope of this fulfillment. Old age knows definitively, by now, the meaning of time and the limitations of the place in which we live our initiation.”

Bearing witness to “The best is yet to come!”
The elderly have seen it all – good and bad. Yet, they are witnesses reminding us that the best is yet to come.
– “Old age is credible when it invites one to rejoice in the passing of time. Time passes … Yes, but this is not a threat, it is a promise. “
– “The old age that rediscovers the depth of the gaze of faith is not conservative by nature, as they say! God’s world is an infinite space, in which the passage of time no longer carries any weight.
– “Old age is the phase in life most suited to spreading the joyful news that life is the initiation to a final fulfilment.”
– “The elderly are a promise, a witness of promise.”
– “The message of elderly believers, the best is yet to come. “

Questions
Have you ever thought old age as a ministry?
Who in your family circle bears strongest witness to “the best is yet to come”?

For more reflections from Fr. Freund please visit:
https://johnfreund.net/

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The fires that happen around the world now are unlike the fires of 1992, 1972 or 1952. Fires are burning faster and hotter than ever before, and complex socio-economic factors are resulting in more people being affected by the effects of smoke, debris flows and other wildfire effects.

Yet the discovery and harnessing of fire was one of the great technological discoveries of human history.

Fire to a great extent made human civilization possible. Fire made it possible to:

• cook food, and to provide sanitary ways of eating, which reduced the spread of disease in its time.
• heat warm environments and thereby marking human migration a possibility even into colder climates.

Without fire there would have been no
• Bronze Age
• Iron Age
• Industrial Revolution.

Fire does not leave things as they were- better and worse

Pope Francis – the Fire of God’s love
“I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Lk 12:49). What fire is he talking about? And what is the meaning of these words for us today, this fire that Jesus brings?

“Therefore, he is telling us that the Gospel is like a fire, because it is a message that, when it erupts into history, it burns the old balances of living, challenges us to come out of our individualism, challenges us to overcome selfishness, challenges us to shift from the slavery of sin and death to the new life of the Risen One, of the Risen Jesus.

“In other words, the Gospel does not leave things as they are; when the Gospel passes, and is listened to and received, things do not stay as they are.

“It is just like fire: while it warms us with God’s love, it wants to burn our selfishness, to enlighten the dark sides of life – we all have them, eh! – to consume the false idols that enslave us.

“Jesus is inflamed by God’s love and, to make it spread throughout the world, he expends himself personally, loving up to the end, that is, up to death, and death on the cross (cf. Phil 2:8).

Vincent’s Fire
“To set people’s hearts on fire”, this is how Vincent described the vocation of his followers.

“So, our vocation is to go, not just to one parish, not just to one diocese, but all over the world; and to do what? To set people’s hearts on fire, to do what the Son of God did. He came to set the world on fire in order to inflame it with His love.” Vincent de Paul – May 30, 1659 (SV XII, 215)

Vincent’s mission was simple: to seek out and to love and serve the most abandoned in society

“Standing Outside The Fire”
Country music star Garth Brooks captures the challenge of fire.

We call them cool
Those hearts that have no scars to show
The ones that never do let go
And risk the tables being turned

We call them fools
Who have to dance within the flame
Who chance the sorrow and the shame
That always comes with getting burned

But you’ve got to be tough when consumed by desire
‘Cause it’s not enough just to stand outside the fire

There’s this love that is burning
Deep in my soul
Constantly yearning to get out of control
Wanting to fly higher and higher
I can’t abide
Standing outside the fire

Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you’re standing outside the fire

Where do you stand with the fire of God’s love?

For more reflections from Fr. Freund please visit:
https://johnfreund.net/

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Heard any really “shocking statements” in the last 24 hours?

The front pages of tabloid newspapers scream shocking statements. News pundits and internet “influencers” specialize in shocking “clickbait headlines.”

Have you been shocked by the bombing of maternity hospitals and police seeming to wait for orders from someone higher up while children in classrooms are being shot?

Now for the “trick question”!

What is the most radical or shocking statement you hear… but maybe do not consider shocking?

In this Vincentian Mindwalk, I invite you to consider two words we commonly use in prayer. Jesus asked his followers to pray OUR Father. I am coming to realize that OUR Father is not just a memorized formula or ritual title. Believing… and living accordingly… these words are a truly radical challenge for each and every one of us

We miss their radicality because we focus on the second word… “Father” and gloss over the implications of “OUR.” We unconsciously think of MY father.

Is the “OUR Father” a Challenging Prayer?
It was for the early followers of Jesus! They missed the significance of praying OUR Father as Jesus taught them to pray

Just ask the shocked hearers of the parable of the Good Samaritan.

The Good Samaritan is a story about taking care of someone who is your sworn enemy! It unpacks the radical meaning of OUR. We are our brother’s keeper regardless of bloodline or belief.

We have tamed the story of the Good Samaritan!
If we understand how hated a Samaritan was, we see Jesus challenging his listeners to be neighbors who care for and come to one another’s aid even if not friends or even “good” people.

Don’t we tend to think about our brothers and sisters as more than mere neighbors?

In this shocking parable, Jesus challenges us to accept each as our brothers and sisters, especially when in need.

I suggest reading Pope Francis’ insightful commentary (paragraphs 56-86). It is not for the faint of heart.

Radical Implications
Jesus asks us to be present to each person in need of help, regardless of whether they belong to our social group or bloodline. That is a shock whether we call ourselves religious or not, Republicans or Democrats, Proud Boys or Black Lives Matter. Christian, Non-Christian or None” It is a shock!

Jesus concludes the parable by saying: “Go and do likewise” … be a neighbor to the other. (Lk 10:37). These words echo his command at the last supper… “Do this in memory of me”… Wash one another’s feet.

Of course, in the background lurks the realization that God sets the example in the person of Jesus. His example challenges all of us who have so little understanding of this radical challenge to how we think of many degrees of relationships or being neighbors.

Just think of their disbelief after Jesus’ crucifixion. We still struggle to understand that Jesus would die for everyone, including all his brothers and sisters who caused or cheered his suffering!

The journey from “my” to “our” Father
In the remaining chapters of his encyclical, Pope Francis unpacks the societal implications of the story of those who fall by the wayside of who we value as neighbors, much less sisters and brothers.

Fratelli tutti is not about making adjustments here and there to our personal and communal lives. Rather it is nothing less than a way to reread and to live the Gospel for our times.

In telling the story of the Good Samaritan Jesus was describing himself and his mission to bring healing not only to the polarized world of his day but to ours!

Is this “Good News” not more shocking than any of our shocking headlines?

Personal Questions:

  1. How conscious am I of my brothers and sisters when I pray OUR Father as Jesus asked?
  2. What are the challenges I face in living this shocking way of thinking?

To subscribe to Fr. John Freund’s MindWalk reflections, please click on the link below:
https://johnfreund.net/

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Last Sunday, I was in my usual concelebrant’s seat on the right side of the sanctuary. After communion, I admit to being distracted by watching the line of people coming up to receive the Body of Christ.

I was implicitly taught to regard that as a distraction from focusing on the Body of Christ I just received. Suddenly, with insight, I became grateful for this “distraction”! What changed?

Two things! I am increasingly aware of how much I missed being physically able to stand to give the Body of Christ to each member of the body of Christ who steps forward for communion. And yesterday, in researching something else, I connected some dots.

In this Vincentian Mindwalk, I explore a Eucharistic interpretation of an ancient Indian greeting. “The divine in me bows to/greets the divine in you.”

The divine in us
Over some two or three millennia, the Sanskrit word “namaste” has acquired many meanings. All point to what is really an amazing, and also biblical, concept. “The divine in me bows to the divine in you.”

This is far from a radical insight. It is consistent with….

Jesus teaching us in Mt 25, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me….”
St. John Chrysostom, preaching on Mt 25, challenging us to honor Christ’s body not only in the Eucharist but also on the streets.
The Second Vatican Council pointing to the many ways Christ is present: sacraments, especially the eucharist, the word proclaimed in the liturgy, and the church gathering in his name to pray and sing.
Remember, Christ himself promised: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20)
Our encounters with Christ in the liturgy
What clicked for me now was how well “namaste” summed up our eucharistic encounters.

In a recent post, I shared how I have unconsciously replaced OUR father with MY father when I pray as Jesus taught.

I now suspect something similar applies to our understanding of the Eucharist. We have made Christ a prisoner of the tabernacle and in ordinary bread and wine.

I was looking at the faces of those approaching the altar. Now I realize I was also witnessing the encounter of the Christ under the appearance of bread and wine, with the Christ in each of us no matter how scarred or unworthy.

When we break bread together, we are celebrating our awareness of each being the body of Christ.

Talk about discovering a real presence. What could be a more profound Eucharistic renewal?

I was watching the guests encountering each other at a heavenly banquet!

Walking together – Pope Francis and the culture of encounter
In Vincentian circles, we are once again discovering that we are not bringing Christ to those living on the margins. Rather we are helping them to discover and claim the Christ already present in them!

It adds another dimension to Pope Francis’ plea for “a culture of encounter.”

“ we need a culture of encounter, because “we, the people, should be passionate about meeting others, seeking points of contact, building bridges, planning a project that includes everyone” (Fratelli Tutti #216).

Reflection Questions:

    1. Does this perspective carry over to our encounters after Mass and elsewhere?
    2. Do we recognize that in the liturgy, we are encountering Jesus in each other as well as in the host?

To subscribe to Fr. John Freund’s MindWalk reflections, please click on the link below:
https://johnfreund.net/

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My personal relationship with my grandparents is complicated. I never knew either my father’s or mother’s parents. Yet I know more about my great grandparents than just about anyone reading these words.

I know the names of my maternal grandparents back to 1794. On my father’s side, I know the names of his grandparents as far back as the 12th generation in 1495!

Yet I have often felt I missed out on the wonderful gift grandparents can give their children. I hear so many speak reverently about the love they experienced from their grandparents. It is different from the love of their parents.

The closest I had as a grandparent was my Aunt Tessie. She was the one who did not have day-to-day responsibility for me and showed the different dimensions of love people associate with grandparents.

Pope Francis’ memories
Pope Francis speaks from his heart when he speaks of his grandparents. I was not surprised when he declared a World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. We celebrate it each year on the fourth Sunday of July to coincide with the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, Jesus’ grandparents, July 26. (2022 Message)

In his 80’s Francis carries this memory…

“I had the grace to grow up in a family where faith was lived in a simple and concrete way; but it was above all my grandmother, my father’s mother, who marked my path of faith.

She was a woman who explained to us, who spoke to us about Jesus, who taught us the Catechism.

I always remember that on Good Friday evening she would take us to the candlelight procession, and at the end of this procession… my grandmother would make us children kneel, and she would say: “Look, he is dead, but tomorrow he will rise again”.

I received the first Christian announcement from this woman, from my grandmother! That’s beautiful! The first announcement at home, with the family! And this makes me think of the love of many mothers and grandmothers in the transmission of the faith. It is they who transmit the faith”.

Pope Francis’ Wednesday reflections on Grandparents and the Elderly
In an extraordinarily rich series of Wednesday public audiences, he has explored various dimensions of grand parenting and the life of the elderly.

He set the tone in the first of the series…

We heard the prophecy of Joel: “your old men shall dream dreams and your young men shall see visions” (2:28).

It can be interpreted as follows: when the elderly resist the Spirit, burying their dreams in the past, the young can no longer see the things that must be done to open up the future. When, on the other hand, the old communicate their dreams, the young see clearly what they have to do.

Young people who no longer question the dreams of the old, aiming headlong at visions that do not go beyond their noses, will struggle to carry their present and bear their future.

If grandparents fall back on their melancholies, young people will look even more to their smartphones. The screen may stay on, but life will die out before its time.

The old have resources of life already lived that they can call upon at any moment. Will they stand by and watch young people lose their vision, or will they accompany them by warming their dreams?

Reflection Questions:

  1. You and your grandparents and elders
  2. What kind of memories do you have?
  3. Is there something you hope to leave for the next generation?

To subscribe to Fr. John Freund’s MindWalk reflections, please click on the link below:
https://johnfreund.net/

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For nearly 50 years, pro-life supporters have been fighting to overturn the flawed decision of Roe vs. Wade. However, many are wrestling with possible flaws in the recent decision and implications for creating a comprehensive “culture of life”. In his blog post, Fr. John Freund reflects on today’s polarization over the recent Supreme Court’s decision. Click the link below to read Fr. Freund’s reflections:

https://johnfreund.net/2022/06/29/dressing-an-old-story-in-todays-clothes/

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In this blog post, Fr. John Freund, CM, discusses the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. How do we apply them in our daily life.

Click the link below to read Fr. Freund’s reflections:
https://johnfreund.net/2022/06/10/learning-to-see-as-god-sees/

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Fr. Rooney explores the Values of Vincentian Education proposed by Daughter of Charity Sr. Louise Sullivan. This week: Vincentian education is Person-oriented!

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Who is the wisest person you know? Fr. John Freund, CM delves into people in our lives who help open our eyes to something in ourselves we have not realized before. Click the link below to read Fr. Freund’s reflections.

https://johnfreund.net/2022/06/20/who-are-the-wise-people-in-your-life/

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Celebrating 57 years of priesthood, Fr. Freund reflects on how many roads he has crossed, is crossing, and still has to cross as he reviews his life using the metaphor of the “rules of the road”.

https://johnfreund.net/2022/05/27/stop-look-listen-rules-for-the-road/

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Today we increasingly hear about being “woke”. In this Vincentian Mindwalk blog, Fr. Freund attempts to move beyond any narrow political meanings.

https://johnfreund.net/2022/05/23/are-christians-woke-or-waking-up/

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Fr. Rooney explores the Values of Vincentian Education proposed by Daughter of Charity Sr. Louise Sullivan. This week: Vincentian education is Person-oriented!

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In his new blog post, Fr. John Freund, CM, whether you and I are getting social media right.
https://johnfreund.net/2022/04/27/asking-the-right-questions-about-social-media/

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As we approach the feast of St. Vincent de Paul we can draw strength and be challenged by all that St. Vincent did.

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A Vincentian Minute: Vincentian Educational Values 6

Oct 05, 2022   /   Vincentian Minute

Fr. Rooney explores the Values of Vincentian Education proposed by Daughter of Charity Sr. Louise Sullivan. This week: Vincentian education is Person-oriented!

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Frederic Ozanam, the founder of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, pioneered concepts of free, dignified labor, the natural wage, and voluntary unions which helped set the stage for the great Catholic social encyclicals on the rights of workers, beginning with Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum (On Labor) in 1891. Fr. John Freund, CM, reflects on what some might call Pope Francis’ ‘Mayday signal’ for workers today.

Read the Post from Fr. John Freund: https://johnfreund.net/2022/05/02/mayday-pope-francis/

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A Vincentian Minute: Vincentian Educational Values 6

Oct 05, 2022   /   Vincentian Minute

Fr. Rooney explores the Values of Vincentian Education proposed by Daughter of Charity Sr. Louise Sullivan. This week: Vincentian education is Person-oriented!

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Fr. John Freund CM explores the “annunciation” of the greatest change in human thinking. Mary’s yes changed HER world … and OUR world!

Read More at Fr. John Freund’s Mindwalk

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A Vincentian Minute: Vincentian Educational Values 6

Oct 05, 2022   /   Vincentian Minute

Fr. Rooney explores the Values of Vincentian Education proposed by Daughter of Charity Sr. Louise Sullivan. This week: Vincentian education is Person-oriented!

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Spiritual heart transplants are examples of the repentance Jesus calls us to – “metanoia” or ”change your way of thinking”… and live according to that changed way of thinking. Fr. John Freund CM reflects on how the followers of Vincent have more become aware of Vincent’s radical change of heart in his life changing concern for the poor.

https://johnfreund.net/2022/03/25/heart-transplants-physical-and-spiritual/

Homelessness – Our Heritage and Challenge

Sep 22, 2022   /   Around the Province, Home

As we approach the feast of St. Vincent de Paul we can draw strength and be challenged by all that St. Vincent did.

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“He has sent me to evangelize the poor” (Luke 4:18)

Give Me 5: Brother Alfred Smith, CM

Nov 10, 2022   /   Around the Province, five, Home

A monthly series in Vincentian Voices where we ask five random questions to an Eastern Province Priest or Brother. This month, we talk with Brother Alfred Smith, CM.…

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A Vincentian Minute: Vincentian Educational Values 6

Oct 05, 2022   /   Vincentian Minute

Fr. Rooney explores the Values of Vincentian Education proposed by Daughter of Charity Sr. Louise Sullivan. This week: Vincentian education is Person-oriented!

Continue Reading

Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date with how we are living up to the mission of St. Vincent de Paul, and how you can help.

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Jesus spent much of his time forming a team filled with a sense of common mission. What’s more, they were so different from one another. Fr. John Freund CM reflects on why Jesus recruited ordinary people.

https://johnfreund.net/2022/04/01/jesus-drew-the-best-out-of-ordinary-people/

Homelessness – Our Heritage and Challenge

Sep 22, 2022   /   Around the Province, Home

As we approach the feast of St. Vincent de Paul we can draw strength and be challenged by all that St. Vincent did.

Continue Reading
“He has sent me to evangelize the poor” (Luke 4:18)

Give Me 5: Brother Alfred Smith, CM

Nov 10, 2022   /   Around the Province, five, Home

A monthly series in Vincentian Voices where we ask five random questions to an Eastern Province Priest or Brother. This month, we talk with Brother Alfred Smith, CM.…

Continue Reading

A Vincentian Minute: Vincentian Educational Values 6

Oct 05, 2022   /   Vincentian Minute

Fr. Rooney explores the Values of Vincentian Education proposed by Daughter of Charity Sr. Louise Sullivan. This week: Vincentian education is Person-oriented!

Continue Reading

Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date with how we are living up to the mission of St. Vincent de Paul, and how you can help.