Today, we celebrate the feast day of St. Vincent de Paul,
a French priest who died in in the middle of 17th century, but whose
influence is still felt so strongly in our modern world today. He founded two
influential religious orders in his own lifetime – the Vincentians & the
Daughters of Charity. But, his
compassion, humility, & generosity in serving the poor also served as the
inspiration for the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which was founded by Frederic
Ozanam & others at the University of Paris in 1835. The St. Vincent de Paul Society is known
throughout the world for the way it serves the poor as an expression of our
Catholic spirituality. When I served as
Associate Pastor of St Richard parish in Jackson, I had the privilege of being
on the ground floor of forming a conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society
at that parish, where it has become an important presence in serving the poor
in the Jackson area, as well as an important part of St Richard parish. I have seen a lot of parishioners have their
lives changed dramatically through their ministry with the St. Vincent de Paul
Society, as I've also seen the ways the Society has changed the lives of those who have received help..
St. Vincent de Paul taught
that true charity does not only consist of distributing alms & giving
financial assistance, but also in helping the poor feel the fullness of their
human dignity and freedom. Vincent
taught that our good works must never be separated from our faith, but rather
must flow out of our faith. Thus, he
counseled that to be men & women of action & good works, we must also
be men & women of prayer & deep spirituality. He advises us: “You must have an inner life,
everything must tend in that direction. If you lack this, you lack everything.”
Our psalm today,
Psalm 87, tells us that God is with us, telling of people from various nations
who know the Lord. In many ways, people
get to know the Lord not only through his Word and his teachings, but also in
the ways we see people witnessing to his word in the world. We have the witness of the saints and of
other faithful examples who have brought the Gospel to us and who have been
instrumental in shaping our faith. Yes, St.
Vincent de Paul touched so many lives by his humble, steadfast witness of
faith. The way he empowered the laity, as well as his work with abandoned
children, prisoners, victims of catastrophe & natural disaster, refugees,
and the homebound was considered groundbreaking in his day; his witness has had
a profound affect on how many charitable organizations & governmental
agencies approach such issues today.
May we give thanks
to the Lord for the way his Word interacts with our lives, for the many ways
that God’s word indeed is with us.
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