Faith-Justice-St Vincent de Paul

HOMILY WEEK 13 03 – Year II

Letting Justice Surge Like Water

(Amos 5:14-24; Ps 50; Mt 8:28-34)

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“Let justice flow like water, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” “If you want peace, work for justice.”

Those two statements, the first from the Old Testament reading today, the latter a bumper sticker, invite us to be just and righteous in our lives.

The hard-hitting words in that first reading from the prophet Amos, were addressed to the Israelites who were always unfaithful to the covenant with God, falling as they consistently did, for the false gods of wealth, fame and power.

Amos diligently provides them with some earnest fraternal correction. God doesn’t care much about their fancy prayers, decorations, sacrifices and beautiful buildings – what God really cares about is that they are fair and just in their dealings with others, and righteous and holy in their relationship with God.

This experience of fraternal correction happened to someone else I am recently learning more about, after accepting to serve as national chaplain for the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Canada. That person is Frédéric Ozanam (1813-1853). Paris, where he was a university student in the 1830’s, was rife with poverty and homelessness. According to The Word Among Us, through the work of this one young man, justice and kindness began to “surge like water” through the city (Amos 5:24). Frédéric, a devout Catholic, had organized a debate among fellow students to discuss the value of the Church. But one student in the crowd called out, “What is your Church doing for the poor? Show us your works and we will believe you!”

With these words, the “dam” of mild indifference in Frédéric’s heart began crumbling. Guided and mentored by a local nun, Sr. Rosalie Rendu, he and a few friends started visiting the slums of Paris. They spent time with the people living there: listening, serving and sharing love in whatever simple ways they could. That’s when justice began to flow.

Together, Frédéric and his companions founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul as a way to promote acts of charity and spiritual renewal among Catholics. New chapters quickly opened, and they soon spread beyond the borders of France. What began as a trickle eventually swelled into a network of thousands of streams flowing around the globe.

To grasp more fully the extent of this young man’s experience, we can try to imagine Jesus’ love for everyone who is suffering. We can let that love soften our hearts and break down any barriers of discomfort and indifference within us. We can picture Jesus’ mercy flowing like a gentle stream toward the homeless woman living under a nearby bridge or a local couple grieving a miscarriage.

If we don’t know how to help, we can try to just be present, and listen more than we speak. Then we can see where that loving presence leads. Even small acts of mercy can grow into something powerful. Frédéric believed that when we sit with the poor, feel the same cold that pierces them, and listen, justice will surge like water within our hearts.

Someone who modelled for me that same love for the poor is Reverend Hyland Fraser, a deacon who participated in a recent pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe shrine in Mexico City. On an 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 our 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 has loved us.

The Eucharist is an experience of our merciful God loving us through His Word and the body and blood of Jesus, His Son. May our celebration strengthen our faith in that love of God and empower us to live it out with practical works of charity, as did Frédèric Ozanam and Hyland Fraser, so that justice will flow like water in our lives as well.