Last weekend, on the 2nd Sunday of Lent, we heard about Jesus being transformed on the mountaintop in the transfiguration, a revealing and instructive event for his disciples. Today, in our Gospel reading from John, another transformation takes place in the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. At the beginning of this encounter, we see how the Samaritan woman is separated from her community, how she is an outcast. She is getting water alone by herself in the hot afternoon sun when everyone else in the village would not dare brave that terrible heat. Through this encounter with Jesus, she is able to turn away from her sins and her hurts, all that is keeping her from moving forward in her journey of faith. Now, not only is her life converted, but she becomes an evangelizer to the rest of her community. Her sufferings and her longings are converted by Jesus into faith and hope, not only for herself, but for others.
Every weekend during Lent, we are looking at different saints or holy men and women who can edify us and encourage us on our Lenten journey. This brings us to the saint we are celebrating today. Many Catholics mistakenly believe that St Vincent de Paul himself was the founder of the Society of St Vincent de Paul. Yes, he is that organization’s patron saint and it was named after him. His work with the poor and the needy in 17th century France inspired the work of this society. However, the French priest Vincent de Paul, the founder of the Vincentians and the founder of the women’s religious congregation the Daughter of Charity, died in 1660, more than 150 years before the start of the Society of St Vincent de Paul. In May 1833, 20-year old Frederic Ozanam founded this society with a group of his friends while they were university students in Paris. Frederic was the fifth child born in the family of a French doctor. Of 14 children born in this family, only 3 reached adulthood. As a teenager, Frederic starting having doubts about his Catholic faith. His discussions with a priest helped him a lot. In the decades after the French revolution, much of the population of France were openly hostile and mocking of the Catholic faith. Frederic defended his faith against the condemnations of his professors and his fellow students. In a discussion club at the university that Frederic helped organize, Catholics, atheists, and agnostics debated the issues of the day. In one particular discussion, Frederic defended Christianity’s contributions to Western civilization. One of the club members replied: “Let us be frank, Mr. Ozanam; let us also be very particular. What do you do besides talk to prove the faith you claim is in you?” Frederic reflected on that question. Yes, how did his actions reflect the faith that he preached? He realized that he needed to start putting his faith into action. He started visiting the poor neighborhoods of Paris with a friend, offering assistance to the residents there as best as he could. Soon, a group of dedicated individuals formed around Frederic offering assistance to the poor - this was the genesis of the Society of St Vincent de Paul. Even after Frederic became a professor of literature, he remained a passionate advocate for social justice and for helping the poor. The Society of St Vincent de Paul spread throughout Europe during these years. In 1848, a revolution rocked France. The unemployment rate in Paris skyrocketed. The government asked Frederic and the Society of St Vincent de Paul to supervise dispersing aid to the poor. Later, Frederic founded a newspaper, The New Era, that advocated social justice for the poor and the working classes. Some Catholics were put off by Frederic’s frank and honest words, but he persevered in proclaiming the Gospel of social justice in the midst of the industrial revolution that brought about harsh working and living conditions to the working classes. Ozanam struggled with poor health the last decade of his life. He died in 1853 at the age of 40. At his funeral his friend Father Lacordaire described him as “one of those privileged creatures who came directly from the hand of God in whom God joins tenderness to genius in order to enkindle the world.” Frederic Ozanam was beatified by Pope John Paul II in the Cathedral of Notre Dame at the Catholic World Youth Day in Paris in 1997. Ozanam once said: “It is our vocation to set people’s hearts ablaze, to do what the Son of God did, who came to light a fire on earth in order to set it ablaze with his love.”
Here are some suggestions you can incorporate in your Lenten journey in the spirit of Frederic Ozanam. As Ozanam tried to inspire others to live out their faith with zeal and enthusiasm, perhaps you could invite someone back to the Church who has fallen away from the faith or who is having doubts. This may not be easy. But Christ calls all of his disciples to be evangelizers. One of the tenants of the Society of St Vincent de Paul is that the members of that society need to constantly grow and develop in their faith, and then out of that faith, to do good works. Are we are part of a religious education program? Do we read the Scriptures regularly on our own? Are we spending time and energy studying and praying in our faith? If not, what can we do to be a lifelong learner? As the Society of St Vincent de Paul is devoted to good works, may we devote ourselves to good works as part of our Lenten journey. This Friday, our confirmation class is having a soup supper, with funds benefiting different organizations in our community who reach out to the poor and need. We will have a raffle to raise such funds too. You could attend this soup supper as a part of your Lenten journey. Soup will also be available for takeout. Frederic Ozanam once said: “To become better - do a little good.” A good quote for us on our Lenten journey.
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