God's Love for the Poor in Action

Homily for the Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul

Like the Twelve, we are also commissioned by God to do his work of mercy in the world. We each have been given gifts and talents by God that can be used to help others find new life and freedom. There are many ways in which God has prepared us to show his mercy to others.

The book of the Hebrew Scriptures from which we read is named for the priest and scribe, Ezra. It is a mere ten chapters long, and surprisingly, the character of Ezra does not even appear until chapter 7. Originally this book of the Hebrew Scriptures was named for both Ezra and Nehemiah, but the original manuscript was eventually separated into two books. Scripture scholars hold up Ezra as the person who is responsible for the cohesion and spiritual unity which helped to prevent the disintegration of the small Jewish community settled in the province of Judah. Had it not been for the intransigence of Ezra and of those who adopted his ideal, it is doubtful that Judaism would have so effectively grown into an organized community after the Babylonian captivity.

The first reading for today’s liturgy finds Ezra at prayer. Like so many of the psalms, Ezra’s prayer begins as a lament which recalls the sins of his ancestors which led to the Babylonian captivity. However, the lament shifts to a tone of gratitude for the gift of God’s mercy. It is this to the lost children of Israel to which Jesus sends the Twelve to preach the Kingdom of God.

The saint whose memorial we celebrate today is St. Vincent de Paul. His early life is characterized by efforts to climb socially and economically after spending his youth as the son of farmers. He and his family thought of the priesthood in terms of a more comfortable life free from the land work of the farm. However, Vincent was so moved by the confession of a dying peasant that he began to understand his priesthood as a servant to the poor. This was not some idealistic dream but led to his organizing charitable works that attracted the help and resources of wealthy people. One woman, Louise de Marillac, joined him in his work and the two of them founded the daughters of charity who, unlike religious associations of women up to that time, were not cloistered but worked with the sick and the poor in the cities. Vincent’s concern to put the love of God into practice led to works for orphans, the sick, the mentally challenged prisoners, and slaves. His example still challenges us today to see that our love of God and neighbor has consequences in our lives that are often uncomfortable and demanding on our time and resources.

Our Eucharist today celebrates the memory of a man who put God’s mercy at the forefront of his life and directed his efforts to the least and poorest of our society. How better to put God’s love for us at the forefront of our lives?