9/27/22 - +Vincent de Paul

Tuesday, 26th Week in Ordinary Time / + Vincent de Paul

Late in his life Don Bosco made a fundraising tour of France, where he was hailed as the “New de Paul.” As St. Vincent had worked so hard for the poor a century and a half before, Don Bosco dedicated himself to working with the young trapped by poverty.

A difference between the two was that Don Bosco seemed to know from childhood that he was called to evangelize the young. Vincent, on the other hand, seemed like he was led to the places he needed to be by Providence just at the time he needed to be there. In other words, there was no master plan, he simply followed the prompts of the Spirit. 

I read a biography of him years ago, and the impression I got, (which is just my impression; I've never heard anyone else put this way, so I could be wrong) is that Vincent started out as a fairly mediocre priest. I felt like he became a cleric because it was a way of social advancement out of the peasant class. It was his experience working with prisoners forced to row on galley ships, tending to the poor in a village where he was pastor and, seeing the great need for a well formed clergy, that changed him into the zealous apostle for the poor that he was. It didn't come in a flash, but he allowed the Lord to wear him down until he surrendered all to Him.

In 2016 I helped chaperone a pilgrimage to World Youth Day in Poland. On the way we stopped in Lourdes. In the afternoon they had Eucharistic adoration in the underground Pius X Basilica. I got there in time for benediction. Around the parameter of the rather stark structure is a ramp that leads you to the floor. There are large images of saints and blesseds that hang between the pillars. Like the basilica itself, they are nothing fancy; oversized posters with images one might find on any holy card. Most of the saints are French, but others like Don Bosco were there as well. As I walked down the ramp, past the images I caught sight of St. Vincent. I was transfixed. It was an image of de Paul I had seen hundreds of times before, but somehow this times his eyes seemed to look into mine. I heard an inver voice say to me "work for the poor." All these years later I can't remember if these were the exact words, but that was the message. 

When I got back to the parish we began organizing, in a more deliberate way, the social outreach that had begun during the Year of Mercy. Today my successor has expanded the work we started. Here in Port Chester part of my responsibility is to help out at the Don Bosco Community Center. There the hungry are fed, those who need clothing get what they need, and day laborers are connected with scrupulous employers. To work with the poor is not easy, and it should not be romanticized. The poor are not saints just because they are poor. We don't do this work because we or the recipients are worthy, but because we can not do otherwise and still call Jesus Lord.