Monday, September 19, 2011

9/27/2011 –Homily for Tuesday of 26th week of ordinary time – St Vincent de Paul – Psalm 87


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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