9/27/2012 – Vincent DePaul – Thursday of 25th week in ordinary time– Psalm 90

      Today, we celebrate the feast day of St. Vincent DePaul, a French priest who died in mid-17^th century, but whose influence is felt so strongly in our modern world. He founded two influential religious orders in his own lifetime – the Vincentians & the Daughters of Charity.  But, his compassion, humility, and generosity in serving the poor also served as the inspiration for the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which was founded by Frederick Ozonam and others in Paris in 1835.  The St. Vincent DePaul Society is known throughout the world for the way it serves the poor as an expression of our Catholic spirituality. In 2010, before coming here to Yazoo City, I was involved in founding the St. Vincent DePaul Society at St Richard parish in Jackson.  Since that time, this group has become an important presence in serving the poor in the Jackson area, and it has become an important part of St Richard parish.

         St. Vincent de Paul taught that true charity does not only consist of distributing alms and giving financial assistance, but of helping the poor feel the fullness of their human dignity and freedom.  He also 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 and women of action and good works, we must also be men and women of prayer and deep spirituality.  He advises us: “You must have an inner life, everything must tend in that direction. If you lack this, you lack everything.”

         In the psalm today, our response was: “In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.”  The Lord is indeed our refuge, our place of comfort and strength.  But the Lord should not be a place where we go and hide, where we shield ourselves from the harsh realities of our world.  The Lord should call us to live out our faith, just as St Vincent DePaul and so many others have done throughout the ages.

         St. Vincent DePaul touched people’s lives by his witness of faith. The way he empowered the laity, and his work with abandoned children, prisoners, victims of catastrophe & natural disaster, refugees, and the homebound was considered groundbreaking in it day, and has had a profound affect on how many charitable organizations and governmental agencies approach such issues today.