vincent de paul

REFLECTION ON THE DAILY GOSPEL AND READINGS 27 SEPTEMBER 2013

/ Michael J. Cunningham / Leave a comment

Today is the feast day of St. Vincent de Paul. When Vincent was a young priest in France, a friend of his–St. Francis De Sales said of him, “here is the holiest man in all France”.

The impact that one person can have on others should not be hard to understand. But somehow it is.

It all started with Jesus, his mission and twelve others called to his work. From Him and those twelve, we now have more than 2 billion Christians in the world and more than 1.3 billion Catholics in that number.

Not a bad multiplying factor from twelve, for the mathematicians out there, that is about 166 million percent increase.

Despite all this power, we continue to underestimate the effect on just one individual on others’ lives. St. Vincent de Paul did not just save many lives in his time, through his own selfless example, and encouraging those with riches to give up their wealth for the good of the poor; But his real concern was saving souls.

The power of humility in every act he conducted is an inspiration to us, but often we take the position of gazing in awe at others works in the world and its community, and neglect our own personal call to do God’s work. While none of us is St. Vincent, we can participate in his work. Just this week I had the opportunity to ask the St. Vincent De Paul society in my parish in Westford, to help a woman that was in need. Telephone calls were exchanged and within a few days, the help that she so desperately needed was being coordinated.

The first reading today shows that when we step out and answer his call, God’s promises do not go unanswered.

That our treasure will be delivered. “Greater will the future glory of this house … and in this place I will give you peace”

We can trust in those promises, first in our faith, but then in our actions. Treasure indeed.

Aside from the religious communities founded by St. Vincent, in 2012 the St. Vincent de Paul society gave 11 million service hours, provided 627,000 home visits, 27,000 prison visits and gave out $767 million in services to those in need. St. Vincent must be smiling a big one in delight at this work inspired by his leadership, love of God and humility.

St. Vincent never forgot what drove him onward in his spirituality. His deep love of Jesus kept his focused and guided on the pilgrimage that was his life.

As the Psalmist in 43 this morning describes, “Your light and your fidelity” are a pair of divine attributes that will be guides for all of us on our own journeys. Ones that lead us back to our own Jerusalem and to God’s peaceful presence within us.

Don’t you know what it is like when you meet someone who is truly peaceful and holy? There is a reason that everyone wanted to be in the presence of Mother Theresa of Calcutta. She radiated the peace and love of God. There was so much of it inside her; it streamed out for all to see. How beautiful is that.

Something similar seems to be going on with Pope Francis. Not a week goes by that he does something again that brings the mission of the Church to the headlines. He is working hard to show that mercy and love are at the center of Christ’s message to us, and therefore our message must be the same.

That is not to say that we should not be bold in our own missions whatever they are, however, I think we have all had the experiences where we try and argue someone into the Church. It seems that Pope Francis, St. Vincent and the readings are all speaking the same message at a time that we need it most.

Here are a few words from St. Vincent that speak volumes to our situation in the world today.

“Strive to live content in the midst of those things that cause your discontent. Free your mind from all that troubles you, God will take care of things. You will be unable to make haste in this [choice] without, so to speak, grieving the heart of God, because He sees that you do not honor him sufficiently with holy trust.

Trust in him, I beg you, and you will have the fulfillment of what your heart desires” (from the letters of St. Vincent de Paul).

So St. Vincent, like the prophet Haggai wants us to rebuild the temple for the Lord. The rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem was a sign of the end of exile for God’s chosen people in Babylon, and God’s promises renewed.

Jesus reminds us that His role in rebuilding the temple of God will be done by His sacrifice and our following the new law given to us in the New Testament reading today.

That is one of a loving and merciful God, where we are drawn like those first 12 apostles to vigorous love Him and do his work, no matter what that means to us personally.

Does all of this seem like it is above our pay grade? Is all this holiness something for someone else? Can we really get that close to God?

I think we already have the answer to that question.

It is answered every moment that we celebrate the Eucharist as we are this morning together. We know of this love and we want to share it intimately with Him.

St. Vincent celebrated his first Mass as a priest in a small wooden shed of a chapel without any of his family or friends present. But he did have his most important friend present. The one he wanted to be closest to in every way in his life. Jesus Christ. By maintaining that closeness in his activities, no goal was too much, no task too large, any number of “No ways” were politely ignored as he continued to try and move others positions in life from selfishness to helping others.

It is sometimes described that Saints are above us all because “they just are”. They seem to be operating on a different plane, where they do not get tempted or disturbed by the “other guy”. Of course we know that this is not true, in fact many describe in detail the way they are tormented greatly in their journeys moving closer to God.

So this holiness is often thought of “them being holy” and they have no will to “do bad” or sin ever again. It certainly looks that way from the outside.

However, the real reason is that they are now operating with Christ inside them. It is Christ’s will that is helping them govern their actions, they are not just thinking “what would Jesus do” but rather are aligned with Him.

Imagine Jesus being a part of our fully formed conscience and will. This is why saints and saintly prayerful people appear to be at such peace in the world.

We can detect this just by meeting someone, often without saying anything to them.

A glance at their face, demeanor and you can feel God radiating from them. This spillage is the grace of God, and is available to us all. We just have to stay on the path outlined this morning in the readings and set by the example of St. Vincent.

Help build his temple in the world around us, take the pilgrimage with light and fidelity at our side. Trust him in the deepest levels of our heart. And recognize that He has already made the ultimate sacrifice to show us the way.

One we can know and love by partaking of his presence this morning in the Eucharist.

Let us aspire to sainthood, not for the glory of ourselves, but to set bar as high as we can make it. Like St. Vincent we can have that moment with God alone, basking in his glorious presence, in those moments when we know he has touched us deeply.

THE DAILY GOSPEL AND READINGS 27 SEPTEMBER 2013

/ Michael J. Cunningham / Leave a comment
Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest
Lectionary: 453

Reading 1 Hg 2:1-9

In the second year of King Darius,
on the twenty-first day of the seventh month,
the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai:
Tell this to the governor of Judah,
Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel,
and to the high priest Joshua, son of Jehozadak,
and to the remnant of the people:
Who is left among you
that saw this house in its former glory?
And how do you see it now?
Does it not seem like nothing in your eyes?
But now take courage, Zerubbabel, says the LORD,
and take courage, Joshua, high priest, son of Jehozadak,
And take courage, all you people of the land,
says the LORD, and work!
For I am with you, says the LORD of hosts.
This is the pact that I made with you
when you came out of Egypt,
And my spirit continues in your midst;
do not fear!
For thus says the LORD of hosts:
One moment yet, a little while,
and I will shake the heavens and the earth,
the sea and the dry land.
I will shake all the nations,
and the treasures of all the nations will come in,
And I will fill this house with glory,
says the LORD of hosts.
Mine is the silver and mine the gold,
says the LORD of hosts.
Greater will be the future glory of this house
than the former, says the LORD of hosts;
And in this place I will give you peace,
says the LORD of hosts!

Responsorial Psalm PS 43:1, 2, 3, 4

R. (5) Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
Do me justice, O God, and fight my fight
against a faithless people;
from the deceitful and impious man rescue me.
R. Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
For you, O God, are my strength.
Why do you keep me so far away?
Why must I go about in mourning,
with the enemy oppressing me?
R. Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
Send forth your light and your fidelity;
they shall lead me on
And bring me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling place.
R. Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
Then will I go in to the altar of God,
the God of my gladness and joy;
Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,
O God, my God!
R. Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.

Gospel Lk 9:18-22

Once when Jesus was praying in solitude,
and the disciples were with him,
he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah;
still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’”
Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.”
He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.
He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

THE DAILY GOSPEL AND READINGS 27 SEPTEMBER 2012

/ Michael J. Cunningham / Leave a comment
Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, priest
Lectionary: 452

Reading 1 Eccl 1:2-11

Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,
vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!
What profit has man from all the labor
which he toils at under the sun?
One generation passes and another comes,
but the world forever stays.
The sun rises and the sun goes down;
then it presses on to the place where it rises.
Blowing now toward the south, then toward the north,
the wind turns again and again, resuming its rounds.
All rivers go to the sea,
yet never does the sea become full.
To the place where they go,
the rivers keep on going.
All speech is labored;
there is nothing one can say.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing
nor is the ear satisfied with hearing.
What has been, that will be;
what has been done, that will be done.
Nothing is new under the sun.
Even the thing of which we say, “See, this is new!”
has already existed in the ages that preceded us.
There is no remembrance of the men of old;
nor of those to come will there be any remembrance
among those who come after them.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17bc

R. (1) In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
You make an end of them in their sleep;
the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
Prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

Gospel Lk 9:7-9

Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening,
and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying,
“John has been raised from the dead”;
others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”;
still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.”
But Herod said, “John I beheaded.
Who then is this about whom I hear such things?”
And he kept trying to see him.

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.