HOMILY – MEMORIAL ST VINCENT de PAUL

(1 Cor 1:26-31; Ps 111; Mt 9:35-37)

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Today the Church honors St. Vincent de Paul, founder of the Congregation of the Missions (Vincentians) and co-founder of the Daughters of Charity. Born in France in 1580, the son of a peasant farmer, Vincent attended university and was ordained at 20. His first inclination was to earn a good income, but appointed to the Queen’s household, he came under the influence of Bérulle (later Cardinal), and became a changed man. Vincent devoted the rest of his life to acts of charity. He organized groups to provide food and clothing for all who were poor: orphans, prostitutes, the sick, the disabled and the homeless. He established a congregation to preach and to train clergy. He collected large sums of money for his many projects and his influence spread from France across Europe. He died in 1660, was canonized in 1737 and is patron saint of charitable societies.

 

The readings provided for this memorial invite us to follow his example of love for Jesus and humble service to especially the poor.

St. Paul, in the first reading to the Corinthians, could be describing Vincent – son of a peasant farmer, he was chosen to reveal the goodness of Christ who is our wisdom, virtue, holiness and our freedom. Psalm 111 also can be seen as a description of Vincent – taking delight in God’s commands, just, generous merciful, and a light in the darkness for the upright.

In many ways, Vincent was also like Jesus in the gospel, at home with the simple country people, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom, reaching out to the poor and sick, and being a true shepherd to all under his care. His example has spawned the birth of the St Vincent de Paul Society, a lay Catholic organisation that aspires to live the gospel message by serving Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice, hope and joy, and by working to shape a more just and compassionate society. It was founded around 1848 by a 20-year old student Frederic Ozanam, operates in 140 countries and has over 800,000 members. There are about 60,000 members in Australia. I am actually privileged to be chaplain to a north Edmonton group, with whom I have occasionally share a spiritual message whenever my schedule allows it.

We need the example of St. Vincent reminding us to always be cognizant of the poor in our midst, and to do what we can to alleviate their distress. Here is an excerpt from his writings that speaks for itself:

 Even though the poor are often rough and unrefined, we must not judge them from external appearances nor from the mental gifts they seem to have received. On the contrary, if you consider the poor in the light of faith, then you will observe they are taking the place of the Son of God who chose to be poor. Although in his passion he almost lost the appearance of a man, was considered a fool by the Gentiles and a stumbling block by the Jews, Jesus showed them his mission was to preach to the poor: He sent me to preach the good news to the poor.We also ought to have this same spirit and imitate Christ’s actions, that is, we must take care of the poor, console them, help them, support their cause.

Hyland is someone who reminds me of St. Vincent de Paul by the way he lives out especially that last line above. We were part of a pilgrimage to our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico some years ago. On one excursion to a popular market, our group noticed a couple seated on the sidewalk, begging. He happened to pass by them again on his own as the group went about shopping. This time, motivated by Pope Francis’ call for us to show others the mercy of Jesus by reaching out and touching the poor, he knelt down on the street, looked them in the eye, gave them some money, and placing his hand on their heads while holding one of their hands, gave them a blessing. He then asked them to give him their blessing. They nodded, placed their hands on his head, and silently blessed him. He was profoundly moved by this encounter, humbly sharing with the group later that after seeing so many churches lined with gold plating, he had found Christ not so much there, but in this encounter with a poor couple. He had lived out the new commandment of Jesus, to love others as Jesus had loved us, and was an inspiration to us all.

Rev. Hyland and me at Eucharist with scholastics in Mexico City

Jean Vanier, founder of the L’Arche movement caring for the mentally challenged, is someone else who embodies the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul, in his attitude towards caring for the poor. Reminding us the poor are always being given to, he suggests we give them the precious gift of dignity, by allowing them to give us something, even if it is only a cigarette, and receiving something from them for a change. Much of what Vanier writes and teaches is what he learned from sharing life with the mentally challenged, especially the importance of relationships, celebration and laughter.

Jean Vanier with Dené translator in Fort Simpson

The Eucharist is a humble meal in which everyone is equal, pauper or prince. It makes present God’s unconditional love for us in Jesus Christ, and empowers us to follow the example of St. Vincent de Paul in his love for Jesus and his humble service to the poor.