September 27 – Memorial for St. Vincent de Paul

Reflection by Deacon Steve

“Set your hearts on the greater gifts…If I give everything I have to feed the poor…but have not love, I gain nothing. There is no limit to love’s forbearance, to its trust, its hope, its power to endure.
Now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. My knowledge is imperfect now; then I shall know even as I am known.
There are three things that last; faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love.” 
 - 1 Cor 12:31-13:13

St. Vincent de Paul wrote, 

“Charity is certainly greater than any rule. Moreover, all rules must lead to charity. Since she is a noble mistress, we must do whatever she commands. With renewed devotion, then, we must serve the poor, especially outcasts and beggars. They have been given to us as our masters and patrons.” (Correspondence, Paris, 1922 -1925)

Each time a “client’ is visited, know that you are seeing Christ “face to face” and likewise they see Christ “face to face” in you. Each time you go out on your visits you are a living testimony that charity is greater that any rule or teaching. You are a witness to how the Church’s teaching is to lead to charity. May that love you share return to you a hundredfold!

Have a blessed day and may God bless you and your families.

 - Deacon Steve

So Many Different Ways To Follow Jesus

 

Image Credit: www.catholicregister.org

by Deacon Steve,
Homily for 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2024

In our contemporary films and TV programs, and thus for many of us, the perfect hero is one who responds to rejection, persecution, or some form of personal attack with a dazzling display of power and most likely, violence, enhanced of course by CGI and AI. For our modern society the measure of a hero is measured in body counts and timely explosions.

In our first reading today, from a section of Isaiah known as the Song of the Suffering Servant, the hero responds with silence, patience, and unwavering determination. The Suffering Servant knows that they are guided and inspired by our Lord. As this faith grows, they develop the courage and patience to face every kind of adversity for they have come to believe deeply that God will be the source of their strength.

Thus, Isaiah writes, “The Lord God helps me; therefore, I have not been disgraced; therefore, I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.”

We may think that we have to be a fanatic. But a fanatic, is self-centered and willing to use force, violence and hatred to impose their own vision of the truth and believes everything depends on them. In contrast, the one who is truly listening to God and is called by God, is God centered and does not wish to undermine God’s work with violence and hatred. It is God’s show - and their strength and success will only come from our Lord. They will quietly and peacefully stand firm in their ideals and let the power of truth itself win the victory.

And so, they say, like Isaiah, “It is the Lord God who helps me.”

****

“What good is it my brothers and sisters. If you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?
If a brother or sister is without clothing and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So, faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.” James 2:14-18 – Second Reading 

The Letter of James reminds us that religion is not about focusing merely on our own personal salvation – in other words, the “me and Jesus” form of spirituality.

Scott Lewis, a scripture scholar reminds us,
“Although faith springs from the depth of our own heart, it must always be expressed in concrete ways, most notably in the care and concern for the well-being and happiness of others (all of our brothers and sisters). Any form of religion or theology that turns a blind eye to the human suffering of others or theologizes it away is human selfishness and a lack of love cloaked in pious platitudes. Faith as love – is always manifested in deeds.”

****

Jesus in our gospel today from Mark, asks the apostles a simple question. “Who do people say that I am?” After they give the usual pat answers, Jesus asks them, and so us, “Who do you say that I am?”

Peter, who has been quiet, lost in deep thought and silent communion in the depths of his soul, blurts out the answer, “You are the Christ.”

The gospel writer, rather than Jesus praising him, has Jesus tell them sternly to tell no one.
What follows reveals why Jesus does this. For Jesus goes on to tell them what it really means to be the Christ, the Messiah. It is about suffering, humiliation and death, which we know the apostles, like ourselves at times, do not want to hear. Jesus reveals to them that they are thinking, “as humans do” and as the world does. As humans we tend to think of comfort, safety and reputation. 

Jesus…then says to them, “Whoever wants to become my follower, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Mk 8:34

Taking up one’s cross means one thing – being willing to focus on God’s will regardless of personal cost.
Today, we can see all sorts of examples of people who do this very thing, volunteering at soup kitchens, clothing and food banks and Out of the Cold programs. Right here in our parish we have the CWG, the Knights of Columbus, the bereavement ministers, our ministers who volunteer to help at our liturgies.
As well there are our outreach volunteers, bringing communion to those who cannot be here. In addition, there are our Vincentians, members of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, who, with the help of our weekly donations, go out each week to bring food cards and baskets to those in need. More important is the time they spend with our brothers and sisters who feel weak and vulnerable.
Together all of these ministers, day by day, deepen their faith by their works, becoming followers of Christ by taking up Christ’s cross.

Thomas Merton a famous monk and spiritual writer in our modern times, wrote, “It is not a matter of God or humanity, but of finding God by loving humanity, (all of our brothers and sisters) and discovering the true value of humanity in our love for God. Neither is possible without the other.”
And further he writes, “…we exist solely for this, to be the place God has chosen for our Lord’s presence, God’s manifestation in the world.”

Our Eucharist speaks to us, tells us that we are the Body of Christ, Christ’s manifestation to the world. Let us then, each day, try to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow our Lord and with God’s grace and blessing, grow in our confidence that God will stand with us and help us.

Rebuild My Church - Instruments of Shalom-Peace

 

San Damiano Cross

While often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, the Peace Prayer wasn’t written by the saint. However, it remains a popular traditional prayer.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

National Volunteer Training Week

 

Thanks to all of our Vincentians who have completed the virtual training for Bingo World! By volunteering your time in this way we are able to secure more funds to continue our mission helping families, seniors and individuals in our community, who have fallen on hard times.

Words, Bones, Sticks and Stones

 

Image credit:
https://crossfitodyssey.com/sunday-story-sticks-and-stones/

When I was a little boy and people used unkind words I was told to retort, 

"Sticks and stones can break my bones,
  But words can never harm me."

At the time I believed this, and it helped me get past a few difficult situations as a young child, but I now know this not to be true. Words can and do harm; they have the power to harm or to heal, to instruct or to mislead. They can convey whether we are arrogant, officious, paternalistic and patronising, or genuinely compassionate, empathetic and caring. The words we use betray our unconscious attitudes and unchallenged stereotypes, or help us serve the poor with love, respect, justice and joy. 

For more on this, please have another look at our 8 minute training video "SSVP Mission, Respect and Stereotypes". 

Bl. Rosalie Rendu DC - Feb 7

 

Blessed Rosalie Rendu - February 7, 2023

This Tuesday February 7th, is the feast of Blessed Rosalie Rendu, who was a member of the Daughters of Charity, an order cofounded by St. Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac. They were founded in 1633, when Louise de Marillac began a systematic training of the women, particularly for the care of the sick. The sisters lived in community in order to better develop the spiritual life so as to more effectively carry out their mission of service. The Daughters of Charity differed from other religious congregations of that time in that they were not cloistered. They maintained the necessary mobility and availability, and lived among those whom they served.

It was this order that Jeanne Marie joined at the age of 16, and a few years later received the habit, taking on the name of Sr. Rosalie. Over the years Sr. Rosalie became known for her creative, relentless and effective work in some of the worst conditions such as revolutions and epidemics, not to mention the horrible poverty and destitution in which the people whom they served were living.

But it was Bl. Sr. Rosalie’s guidance combined with the dedication of the students of the History Conference formed by Bl. Frederic Ozanam that led to the creation of the Conference of Charity, which eventually became the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

***********************************************************

This year I thought we could reflect a little and pray about some of Soeur Rosalie’s virtues. In the work titled “Life of the Soeur Rosalie” the author wrote about some of Sr. Rosalie’s virtues, 

“The humility of Soeur Rosalie was equal to her charity. When told that a person had been speaking well of her, she replied, “He is very wrong to say it, and still more to think it.”

“She could not bear the poor to call her their benefactress. “Call me your friend, your sister, your servant if you will, for that is what I am.”

“She could not endure that any of her good works should be known and talked of. “One single grain of self-love,” said she, “is enough to spoil any good work.”

“What a folly it is,” she often said, “to take credit to ourselves for the success of any of our undertakings, when we owe it to the prayer of some poor man or the intervention of some unknow friend.”

From the book, “Life of the Souer Rosalie: Jean Marie Rendu” p. 62-63, published by Burns and Lambert, London, 1858 and reproduced in the same format as the original work. No attempt was made to update the language.

While the language is a little antiquated and sounds a little negative/harsh, it does help us as we reflect on her life and allow ourselves to remember our beginnings.

As we celebrate Bl. Sr. Rosalie Rendu’s feast, let us reflect on her instruction and pray to her for the grace to see Christ in every person. As we continue to draw closer to the poor may we be drawn closer to our Lord, whom we serve and who gives us the grace to do the work of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. 

Blessed Rosalie Rendu pray for us. As I said last year, may she say of us, “How good these young people are! Oh, how good they are.”  Enjoy the day all you “young people”!!!!

- Deacon Steve

Lights shining in the world

 

River Jordan. Image credit https://faith.nd.edu/

Selection by Deacon Steve: Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

“Jesus rises from the waters; the world rises with him. The heavens like Paradise with its flaming sword, closed by Adam for himself and his descendants, are rent open. The Spirit comes to him as an equal, bearing witness to his Godhead. A voice bears witness to him from heaven, his place of origin. The Spirit descends in bodily form like the dove that so long ago announced the ending of the flood and so gives honour to the body that is one with God.

Today let us do honour to Christ’s baptism and celebrate this feast in holiness. Be cleansed entirely and continue to be cleansed. Nothing gives such pleasure to God as the conversion and the salvation of people, for whom God’s every word and every revelation exist. Our Lord wants you to become a living force for all humanity, lights shining in the world. You are to be radiant lights as you stand beside Christ, the great light, bathed in the glory of Christ who is the light of heaven. You are to enjoy more and more the pure light of the Trinity, as now you have received – though not in its fullness- a ray of its splendor, proceeding from the one God, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be power and glory forever and ever. Amen”

From the Second Reading- From a Sermon by Saint Gregory Nazianzus, bishop – Office of Readings, Liturgy of the Hours on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, p. 634- 635.

Anxious and Troubled?

This Sunday's gospel reading about the visit of Jesus to the home of Martha and Mary generates more than its fair share of popular opinions from people who hear it. Understandably, many people empathise with Martha, feeling that she unfairly got the short end of the stick from Jesus and that Mary got off like a Goody Two-shoes.

To be clear: Jesus did NOT pass judgement on Martha's acts of service themselves. That would not be consistent with Jesus' description of himself as having come to serve, not to be served, and his mandate to the apostles in the Gospel of John when he washed their feet at the Last Supper. 

Listen again to what Jesus actually said: "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled..." Other English translations use words like: worried, bothered, upset, distracted, fretting, fussing. In a nutshell, Martha's preoccupation with fulfilling society's expectations of the perfect hostess, and her resentment at Mary's disregard for these expectations, meant that Martha didn't hear a word that Jesus was saying. Houses in Jewish Palestine of the day were not large. Jesus, who could teach thousands, would have been audible anywhere in the house and Martha would have been able to hear Jesus if she had only chosen to listen. 

We have a soft spot for Martha because each of us can so easily identify with her resentment, a resentment that must have built up so much that she actually interrupted Jesus with an accusing question: "Master, do you not care that my sister has left me to do the serving alone?" Martha wasn't only resentful towards Mary, but even towards Jesus himself whom she saw aiding and abetting Mary's 'laziness'. If her brother Lazarus was present with the men that day she was probably resentful towards him too. But instead of going quietly to Mary and whispering in her ear for some help, she brashly 'goes to the top', interrupting Jesus while he is teaching. That made such an impression that the story made its way into the gospel tradition. What Jesus taught there that day did not even get recorded.

Resentment is probably an 'under-confessed' and under-repented 'sin'. The reason for that is that it is almost always fully justified in our minds. "Darn right I'm upset! Didn't you see what he got away with? Didn't you read what she said? Why don't more people step up and (... fill in your hobby horse here)?"

This Sunday's gospel is an opportunity for a mini examination of conscience. What resentments have I been carrying? In the home, with my spouse, my children, my neighbours, my work colleagues, my Vincentian confreres? A good place to do this exercise is setting aside 15 or 20 minutes and sitting at the feet of Jesus.

A Prayer of Oscar Romero

 

Curated from Bread for the World

This poem was composed by Bishop Ken Untener of Saginaw in November, 1979.
It draws inspiration from St Oscar Romero and now known as A Prayer of Oscar Romero.

A PRAYER OF OSCAR ROMERO

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction
of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete,
which is a way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the Church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything,
and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.

This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results,
but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders;
ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future that is not our own.

Amen.

Follow Christ to where we are not yet

 

Image: crosswalk.com

Reflection by Deacon Steve selected from Thomas Merton

“The cult of the Holy Sepulchre is Christian only in so far as it is the cult of the place where Christ is no longer found. But such a cult can be valid only on one condition: that we are willing to move on, to follow Christ to where we are not yet, to seek Christ where he goes before us - “to Galilee.”

So we are called not only to believe that Christ once rose from the dead, thereby proving that he was God; we are called to experience the Resurrection in our own lives by entering into this dynamic movement, by following Christ who lives in us.

This life, this dynamism, is expressed by the power of love and of encounter: Christ lives in us if we love one another. And our love for one another means involvement in one another’s history.”

(Merton, Thomas, “He is Risen.” p. 7-8, Argus Communications, 1975)

As we make our visits to the people who request our services we become involved in another person’s history, thus we enter the dynamism of the Resurrection and thus we follow Christ who lives in us, bringing the experience of the Resurrection to all we meet.

May you and your families and loved ones be transformed by the grace and mercy of our Lord as you celebrate the Easter mysteries. May Christ‘s Easter hope, peace and joy fill your hearts.

Spiritual Reflection for December Meeting

 

Selection by Deacon Steve

“Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Lk 21: 27 – 28)

As we journey in this season of Advent, a time of preparation for and anticipation of the coming of Christ in the Incarnation, which has taken place and is ongoing, we also remember that it is a time of preparation for the Second Coming, for as our Gospel for the First Sunday of Advent tells us, 

“Then they will see, “the Son of Man coming in a cloud” with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Lk 21: 27 – 28)

Yet as Thomas Merton reminds us, 

“More important than the eschatological sign of renewed life, is the sign par excellence; “The Gospel is preached to the poor.” This means that the prophetic message, the fulfillment of the divine promises is now formally announced to the ‘anawim’, to those who hungered and thirsted for the Kingdom because they had no hope but the Lord…. This fulfillment has begun because now Christ has appeared in the midst of the poor as one of them, and has taken them to Himself so that they are, in a most special way, Christ. What happens to them, in a most special way, happens to Christ (Matt 25:37-45). The Last Days have come not merely because the poor have heard about Christ but because they “are” Christ. The poor themselves now become an eschatological sign of Christ, a sign by which other people are judged, for “if the wicked servant says in his heart: ‘My Lord delays in coming’ and begins to strike his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with drunkards, the Lord of that servant will come on the day he does not expect and in the hour which he does not know, and will cut him off (from Man in Christ) and give him his portion with the hypocrites.” (Matt 24:48-50)”

Thomas Merton, “Seasons of Celebration: Meditations on the Cycle of Liturgical Feasts” p. 79

Conference Spiritual Reflection - September 13/21 - by Deacon Steve

Image: thevalemagazine huacachina-peru-desert-oasis-south-america

The following reflection is taken from  “The Lessons of St. Francis: How to bring Simplicity and Spirituality into Your Daily Life” by John Michael Talbot.

Francis (of Assisi) found his inspiration in the life of Jesus, whose love for us led him to become one of us by being born into the human race instead of remaining in heaven, aloof from us and all our problems.

Most Christians celebrate the Incarnation of Christ as human, around Christmas time and ignore it for the rest of the year. But for Francis, the Incarnation served as a minute by minute reminder to be deeply involved in the world, loving people at close range instead of from inside the strong, stony walls of a monastery.

Francis understood that the dichotomy between solitude and service is a false one, because everyone needs both. If we don’t spend time alone with God, we become spiritually weak, and our work in the world carries little of lasting value. On the other hand, if we spend all of our time with God and never venture out into the world, we may become spiritually isolated and self-contained. We may be full of wonderful wisdom and divine power, but if we don’t share it with others, who benefits? Certainly not other people, and often, not even ourselves.

Here’s how saints down through the ages have explained it: Contemplation and prayer are like an oasis in a dry desert. Through prayer we store up a huge reservoir of water. Our service is the conduit for delivering the water. But once our reservoir is depleted, we need to return to our oasis so we don’t wind up stranded in the desert without water. This is a picture of the life-giving balance between prayer and service.

Talbot, John Michael, “The Lessons of St. Francis: How to bring Simplicity and Spirituality into Your Daily Life”, p. 188 – 189, New York, Penguin Group, 1997.

Image credit: https://thevalemagazine.com/2019/04/13/huacachina-peru-desert-oasis-south-america/

St Ignatius of Loyola - homeless

 

Image credit: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-56364339

On seeing that today, July 31st, is the feast day of St Ignatius of Loyola, I decided to read a bit about him. Like many people, my first resort is Google which led me to that source of all knowledge, Encyclopaedia Britannica which told me that Ignatius was born in Spain, one of 13 children in a noble, relatively wealthy family. He became a knight until a cannonball took him within a whisker of death, smashed his legs - and his dreams of fame on the battlefield.

After nearly dying... "In February 1522 Ignatius bade farewell to his family and went to Montserrat, a place of pilgrimage in northeastern Spain. He spent three days in confessing the sins of his whole life, hung his sword and dagger near the statue of the Virgin Mary as symbols of his abandoned ambitions, and, clothed in sackcloth, spent the night of March 24 in prayer."

Now here is where it became really interesting for me. Read on with Britannica...

"The next day he went to Manresa, a town 48 km from Barcelona, to pass the decisive months of his career, from March 25, 1522, to mid-February 1523. He lived as a beggar, ate and drank sparingly, scourged himself, and for a time neither combed nor trimmed his hair and did not cut his nails. Daily he attended mass and spent seven hours in prayer, often in a cave outside Manresa."

Think about how Ignatius would be labelled today if he tried being a homeless beggar who neither combed nor trimmed his hair, and did not cut his nails. Mental health and addiction stereotypes spring to my fertile imagination. Anyway, he went on to found the organization we know today as "The Society of Jesus" or simply, "The Jesuits". 

St Ignatius of Loyola was declared patron of all spiritual retreats by Pope Pius XI in 1922. He is also considered by some a patron of soldiers but, can he be more fittingly considered a patron of homeless people?

Who are the shepherds?

 

When I first heard the readings for mass this Sunday (16th Sunday: Jeremiah on selfish, lazy shepherds, Psalm 23, Jesus the Good Shepherd having compassion on the people in the Gospel,) my thoughts went immediately to judging and condemning the shepherds of today and the era we have inherited - spiritual shepherds such as bishops and priests who have brought scandal upon the Church, and political leaders who refuse to see beyond the next election and the need for economic growth as an end in itself regardless of the human, social and environmental cost.

Two women brought me back to myself: the first woman, my wife, read to me a reflection by Sister Mary McGlone (second woman) published in the National Catholic Reporter. Sr McGlone reminds us that we are all shepherds to the extent that we have a sphere of influence with other people; that being a shepherd is not just about the power and authority of those in charge, but also bringing others - any others -  nourishment (prepare a table, green pastures,) peaceful refreshment (still waters,) solidarity and encouragement in the dark valleys of fear and anxiety.

The Good Shepherd doesn't try to do this out of obligation, like the hired hand who will fail. The key is compassion.  Compassion will even induce us to alter our own plans for ourselves, as Jesus did in today's Gospel reading: Jesus wanted to take the apostles on a quiet retreat, but then "… he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them..."

Who are the people in need within our sphere of influence? Perhaps the Good Shepherd wants to reach them through the hands and voices of the likes of you and me. Meanwhile I thank God for the two lady shepherds who brought me this insight.

Returning to the Father - Spiritual Reflection

 

Spiritual Reflection - Monday June 14, 2021

Thomas Merton writes, 

“One thing above all is important: “the return to the Father.”

The Son came into the world and died for us and rose and ascended to the Father; sent us His Spirit, that in Him and with Him we might return to the Father… to God who loves and knows, to the Silent, to the Merciful, to the Holy, to God Who is All.” (K. Deignan, “Thomas Merton: A Book of Hours” p. 166-167, Sorin Books, Notre Dame)

Each day as we continue our journey encountering and loving our brothers and sisters, inspired by those Vincentians who have gone before us, we are returning to the Father, allowing God to live in us more and more, until one day when our journey is complete, we will hopefully experience in all its fullness that communion with our Lord. 

The mission of St. Vincent de Paul Society members, the feeding of and caring for our brothers and sisters, and more important, listening and being present to them, hopefully restoring some of their dignity as persons who are created in the image of God, is not a mission that the world appreciates or even sees, for it is carried out mostly away from the main stream of life, at night and out of sight and in places where society would rather not go or even care to know about.

This quiet service is done in such a manner so as to not draw attention to our work and, more importantly, so as to not cause any discomfort to those whom we visit by drawing attention to their situation or condition. In this way we offer respect and dignity and so love people as Christ loves them.

In loving people as Christ loves them we in turn grow in our love of Christ, which opens us to the love of the Father, allowing God to live in us and us to live in God.

And all of this is to be carried out in the deepest humility and simplicity.

Blessed Rosalie Rendu was for all of us as Christians and Vincentians a wonderful example of this. 

A story is told of a visitor who came to see Blessed Rosalie Rendu because of her “fame” in the hope of seeing “something very extraordinary.”

“He was received by Sister Rosalie, who spoke to him in her usual politeness and simplicity, and pursued her accustomed occupations in his presence. After some time, he went to another Sister of the house and he asked to be introduced to the superior, Sister Rosalie. 

On being told that he had just seen her, he exclaimed, “What… is Sr. Rosalie nothing more than that?” 

He had in fact seen nothing in her to distinguish her from others; and could not understand the apparent disproportion between the person and her reputation.” (J.M. Rendu, “The Life of Souer Rosalie”, p. 83-84, London)

The world like this visitor, as we know, does not understand because of the way it measures greatness.

Gene Bowles, whom we recently lost, was a wonderful example of the humble, quiet, peaceful and compassionate way that Vincentians carry out their mission and the fruits that result thanks to God’s grace.

May he and all of our Vincentian sisters and brothers, and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen

(Spiritual reflection by Deacon Steve.)

Saint Marguerite d’Youville, PATRON SAINT OF THE SOCIETY OF SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL IN CANADA

 

Saint Marguerite d’Youville

Saint Marguerite d’Youville, PATRON SAINT OF THE SOCIETY OF SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL IN CANADA. An ordinary woman who became an extraordinarily strong woman and SUPER-HERO in the crucible of personal tragedy, suffering and service to the poor.

Read an illustrated story of her life here.

The National Spirituality Committee invited members to submit nominations of Canadian Saints to be considered the Patron Saint of the Society in Canada. Four wonderful nominees were put forward and members made the decision by ballot.

The National Spirituality Committee are pleased to announce that the Patron Saint of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul in Canada is Saint Marguerite d’Youville.

St. Joseph was an ordinary worker

Following spiritual reflection is by Denise Bondy, Chair of the ONRC Spirituality Committee. Read the original reflection on the Spirituality Corner.

Pope Francis has declared that, from December 8, 2020 until December 8, 2021 the church will celebrate a year dedicated to St. Joseph. Vincentians do well to study St. Joseph, to attempt to live in his example and to ask his intercession as we seek to live our vocation to serve Christ in his poor.

St. Joseph was an ordinary worker. Even though his family line traced back to King David’s royal family, Joseph was not wealthy and he wasn’t one of the VIPs in his hometown. He was an ordinary, a just man, who worked with his hands.

Covid 19 has brought those who are ‘ordinary workers’ to our attention and has rightly named them as the heroes who serve in spite of their own danger. Our Vincentian tradition has long encouraged the ordinary work of serving those most in need without any reward and without fear.

St. Joseph was a husband and father, not a high priest or a scholar. His call to serve elevated him above all other husbands and fathers, to become husband to Mary and earthly father to Jesus.

We can look to his example as we try to grow in our vocation as lay Catholics. Maybe we won’t quite reach sainthood, but our baptism is our call to service and our Vincentian vocation is the way we try to become the best we can be – maybe even saints one day.

St. Joseph was obedient to God’s call. It took courage to face the community as he accepted the pregnant Mary, to run away to Egypt and to return and re-establish his business. Joseph did all this because he had the courage of his faith.

Many people are suffering right now because of Covid-19. Some are ill or have experienced the death of a loved one. Others are unemployed and unable to manage their debts. Not all will manage to get through the pandemic without permanent, life altering damage. As members of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, we must support everyone we can. We need to use the courage of our faith when we are dropping off groceries on a front porch, or making friendly phone calls, or paying bills, or any of the other things Vincentians do well. We must also be praying for our friends and searching for any way we can bring love, respect, justice and joy in these troubled times.

Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer,

Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

To you God entrusted his only Son;

in you Mary placed her trust;

with you Christ became man.

Blessed Joseph, to us too

show yourself a father

and guide us in the path of life.

Obtain for us grace, mercy and courage,

and defend us from every evil.

Amen

(Pope Francis December 8, 2020)

Blessed Rosalie Rendu - February 7, 2021

This Sunday February 7th, is the feast of Blessed Rosalie Rendu, who was a member of the Daughters of Charity, an order co-founded by St. Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac. 

They were founded in 1633, when Louise de Marillac began systematic training of the women, particularly for the care of the sick. The sisters lived in community in order to better develop the spiritual life so as to more effectively carry out their mission of service. The Daughters of Charity differed from other religious congregations of that time in that they were not cloistered. They maintained the necessary mobility and availability, and lived among those whom they served.

It was this congregation of nuns that Jeanne Marie joined at the age of 16, and a few years later received the habit, taking on the name of Sr. Rosalie. Over the years Sr. Rosalie became known for her creative, relentless and effective work in some of the worst conditions, such as revolutions and epidemics, not to mention the horrible poverty and destitution in which the people whom they served were living.

But it was Bl. Sr. Rosalie’s guidance combined with the dedication of the students of the History Conference formed by Bl. Frederic Ozanam that led to the creation of the Conference of Charity, which eventually became the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

This guidance included her gathering the students together after their visits and discuss with her their immediate experiences, motivations and insights; always open to her advice. She would ask them to think and pray about the following questions:

How did I speak with/listen to this family? 

Did I help with an attitude of respect, without being patronising? 

How did my actions and attitudes reflect those of the Gospel? 

Where was God in this experience? For me? For the persons I visited? 

What were my reasons for becoming involved in the first place? 

What connections or otherwise reflected the life of St. Vincent de Paul?

She counselled patience, attentive listening and politeness as values which the young students should honour. 

These meetings contributed to the formation of a solid foundation for the Conferences in practice and in Faith. Rosalie welcomed these enthusiastic young men, and often would say to her Sisters: “How good these young people are. Oh, how good they are.” (Sullivan L. P. 209) 

(Taken from “Our Story, Our Mission: Blessed Frederic Ozanam and Blessed Rosalie Rendu” Prepared by Sr. Margaret Armstrong, Vincentian Leadership Program, Orientation, June 15th, 2015)

As we celebrate Bl. Sr. Rosalie Rendu’s feast, let us also reflect on these questions each time we are out on calls, or even take one question each day when we are praying to our Lord so as to draw closer to the Source, who is Love and who gives us the grace to do the work of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. 

 Blessed Rosalie Rendu, pray for us. 

May she say of us, “How good these young people are! Oh, how good they are.” To all you “young people”!!!!

- Deacon Steve Pitre, Conference Spiritual Advisor

Conference Spiritual Reading - December 14, 2020

 

Image credit: Melani Pyke - https://www.melpyke.com/

“O’ Adonai, God of the Covenant, and King of Israel, You appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush, and you gave the sacred law on Mount Sinai. Come now! With an outstretched arm, redeem us! - O Antiphon from Vespers, 18 December

Christ, the Lord, who is God Most High and Son of God, was at work with the Father during the early days of Israel, in the time of the first Covenant. He comes to us now, establishing a New Covenant in our hearts, with the task of delivering us from the power of Satan and bringing us into His kingdom.  

To Moses, God appeared in a flaming bush in the desert and as thunder and lightning on the mountain. To us, He appears in a humble piece of bread – the Eucharist. Do we realize the fire and flame that comes to us?

We are called to accept this fire and flame into our being, so that we can go forth and, in every step of ours, shed this flame, this fire of love, upon all the earth so that it may be renewed. For that is the desire of Christ the Lord!”

Catherine Doherty, “Donkey Bells: Advent and Christmas,” Madonna House Publications, Combermere, Ontario

Go and Look at Misery - October Spiritual Reflection

 

An extract from the October Spiritual Reflection  by Alain Besner, National Spirituality Committee, Quebec Regional Council

What most astonished Frédéric Ozanam during his university years became a turning point in his life (as happened to Paul on the road to Damascus, Ac 9:1-19, but less dramatically). That was to run out of arguments against those who, in March 1833, were objecting that most Christians paid no attention to the misery of their contemporaries and did not even join forces to alleviate it. Let us read excerpts from his letter to Léon Curnier, Paris, February 23, 1835, where this is mentioned:

The savants have compared the state of the slaves of antiquity with the condition of our workers and proletariat and have found the latter to have more to complain of, after eighteen centuries of Christianity. Then, for a like evil, a like remedy. The earth has grown cold. It is for us Catholics to revive the vital beat to restore it, it is for us to begin over again the great work of regeneration...

The humanity of our days seems comparable to the traveller to whom the Gospel speaks; it also, although it took its way in roads marked out for it by Christ, has been attacked by the cutthroats and robbers of thought, by wicked men who have robbed it of what it possessed: the treasure of faith and love, and they have left naked and wounded and lying by the side of the road. Priests and levites have passed by, and this time, since they were true priests and levites, they have approached suffering themselves and wished to heal it. But in its delirium, it did not recognize them and repulsed them.

In our turn, weak Samaritans, worldly and people of little faith that we are, let us dare nonetheless to approach this great sick one. Perhaps it will not be frightened of us. Let us try to probe its wounds and pour in oil, soothing its ear with words of consolation and peace; then, when its eyes are opened, we will place it in the hands of those whom God has constituted as the guardians and doctors of souls, who are also, in a way, our innkeepers in our pilgrimage here below; so as to give our errant and famished spirits the holy word for nourishment and the hope of a better world for a shield.

That is what is proposed to us, the sublime vocation God has given us.

Read the full spiritual reflection here