Happy Feast of St. Vincent de Paul!!
This year we celebrate the 350th anniversary of the deaths of St. Vincent and St. Louise de Marillac. They lived amazing lives seeking Christ in the most vulnerable of society. The icon above is good to take to prayer. I have had sharing with a small group after reflecting on it in prayer and it is something how we are each touched differently in prayer.
He is the patron saint of charities and a number of other things. He and St. Louise laid the ground work for our current social services programs. Vincent had a spectacular way with connecting those who were rich with the service of those who were poor. Vincent believed that he met Christ in serving those in need as Matthew 25 tells us.
In the Pope's homily for this past Sunday, as found at CNA, regarding charity as connected to the gospel for the day he spoke of St. Vincent:
Concluding, the Pope pointed to several saintly examples of charity. Recalling the "happy coincidence" of Monday's celebration of the Feast of the patron of Catholic charitable organizations, St. Vincent de Paul, and the 350th anniversary of his death, Pope Benedict said that this saint "touched with his own hand the strong contrast between the richest and the poorest."
He also remembered the influence of St. Louise of Marillac, with whom St. Vincent founded the "Daughters of Charity," the first women's congregation to live out their vocation outside of the convent and among the sick and needy of the world.
May St. Vincent bless us in Christ today as we seek to follow his good example in living a Catholic Christian life in challenging times. May we be creative, as he was, in creating solutions to seemingly impossible problems or bringing changes to to the status quo so ingrained into society.
This year we celebrate the 350th anniversary of the deaths of St. Vincent and St. Louise de Marillac. They lived amazing lives seeking Christ in the most vulnerable of society. The icon above is good to take to prayer. I have had sharing with a small group after reflecting on it in prayer and it is something how we are each touched differently in prayer.
He is the patron saint of charities and a number of other things. He and St. Louise laid the ground work for our current social services programs. Vincent had a spectacular way with connecting those who were rich with the service of those who were poor. Vincent believed that he met Christ in serving those in need as Matthew 25 tells us.
In the Pope's homily for this past Sunday, as found at CNA, regarding charity as connected to the gospel for the day he spoke of St. Vincent:
Concluding, the Pope pointed to several saintly examples of charity. Recalling the "happy coincidence" of Monday's celebration of the Feast of the patron of Catholic charitable organizations, St. Vincent de Paul, and the 350th anniversary of his death, Pope Benedict said that this saint "touched with his own hand the strong contrast between the richest and the poorest."
He also remembered the influence of St. Louise of Marillac, with whom St. Vincent founded the "Daughters of Charity," the first women's congregation to live out their vocation outside of the convent and among the sick and needy of the world.
May St. Vincent bless us in Christ today as we seek to follow his good example in living a Catholic Christian life in challenging times. May we be creative, as he was, in creating solutions to seemingly impossible problems or bringing changes to to the status quo so ingrained into society.
Happy Belated Feast Day to you as well. Beautiful icon!
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