Homily: Feast of St. Vincent DePaul

Feast of St. Vincent DePaul (Mt. 9:1-6) “Jesus in the Flesh”

The time of the Reformation was a period of great turmoil in Christianity. The Roman Catholic Church had become very corrupt from top to bottom. The church had come under the influence of secular powers. Much of the clergy was living in luxury and lacked the zeal to do evangelization. People questioned whether the church had any kind of spiritual guidance to offer. These were truly dark days.

Sometimes out of such sinful times great holiness emerges. We would have to say that some of the greatest saints came out of this time period. And these holy men and women renewed the church and made it relevant again.

We think of Saints like Ignatius Loyola who founded the Jesuits. Through his Spiritual Exercises he gave Catholics a guide to greater holiness. We also remember St. Francis Desales who was the first that said that no matter what our station in life we are called to holiness. The teachings on prayer gave people guidance in their spiritual life.

St. Vincent DePaul taught lay people another lesson. The example he gave was an example of charity. St. Vincent DePaul was born in 1581. He knew from a young age that he wanted to be a priest. He was educated by the Franciscans and the University of Toulouse. He was ordained at only nineteen years old. His goal in life was to live a comfortable life as a court chaplain.

There are several stories about his life that cannot be verified. One story says that he spent time in slavery in Tunisia. Another story had him imprisoned for theft. One thing is certain which is that as time went by his attitudes and goals in life changed. He eventually became a parish priest.

While serving his parishioners he became very attuned to the poverty they endured. He eventually started a religious order that served the poor called the Vincentians and later a lay organization began that had the same mission. It was called the Society of St. Vincent DePaul. St. Vincent inspired others to see Christ in the poor and he helped restore credibility to the church.

1.    Have I ever belonged to an organization that served the poor? What was it?

2.   Do I find it easy to see Christ in the poor? Did Jesus say this?

 Dear Parishioners,

           Time is growing short. The one man play starring Wayne Messmer is this Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Our raffle drawing will also occur Sunday afternoon. Have you got your tickets for these two events.

          St. Damien was the patron saint of our building project. He has done a great job interceding for us. His story is the story of a man who served God despite the many tragedies in his life. He struggled to be the best disciple he could be. He was not a plaster saint but was a man who struggled with authority and the humanity of the church.

          Come and learn about this great saint. You can still buy your tickets online and at our office. We will sell them until the time of the performance.

          May our St. Vincent DePaul and St. Damien the Leper pray for us,

          Fr. Mark