Have the Same Attitude as Christ

Vincentian Appeal Homily for the 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sept. 27, 2020. Reading: Philippians 2:1-11.  Theme: Have the Same Attitude as Christ

Today is the feast of St. Vincent de Paul, the famous 17th century saint whose name has become synonymous with charity and service to the poor. A very curious and interesting fact about St. Vincent is that, while his body has turned to dust as one would expect after several centuries, his heart remains incorrupt. Perfectly preserved without any intervention of science and without any scientific explanation.  

Miracles are meant to make us stop and think and so we must ask, “Why would God do this?” It seems to me that one possible answer is quite obvious:  the heart is a universal symbol of love and Vincent had cultivated within himself the same kind of love that was in the Heart of Christ. I think that maybe God is directing us, through this miracle of St. Vincent’s incorrupt heart, to imitate his tremendous love for and service to those who are in need.

St. Vincent took seriously the words that we heard in today’s second reading where St. Paul says: “Humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others. Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus.” Vincent had that same attitude that was in Christ Jesus. The burning desire and motivation of St. Vincent’s whole ministry was to become the face and presence and touch of Jesus for all who were suffering in any way, In other words, he had a heart that was very much like the Heart of Christ Jesus.

St. Paul goes on to tell us that this humble attitude of Christ, moved God the Son to leave the glory of Heaven and become a human being, emptying himself of all power and loving us literally unto death.  This truth about Jesus inspired St. Vincent to give up a lucrative ladder-climbing position as chaplain to the French royalty.  He also emptied and humbled himself and became a slave, the servant of the poor, the sick, the suffering and the vulnerable. St. Vincent spent his life showing concrete mercy and tangible compassion to anyone in need. And ever since he died in 1660, there have been thousands of Catholics throughout the world who have caught a spark of that same fire from the Heart of Christ, from the heart of St. Vincent. They are called Vincentians, that is, members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.  

Several of them today are here among us today at St. Sebastian’s parish. As a matter of fact, we have been blessed to have had a group of Vincentians in our parish without interruption for that past 50 years, ministering to the poor and needy who live within our parish boundaries.  They meet together every month to pray and review the requests they receive for help from the needy.  They take turns going out in pairs to the homes of the poor so that they, like St. Vincent, can engage in direct personal service. 

Allow me to share with you some of the ways in which these Vincentians strive to love others with the Heart of Christ and the heart of St. Vincent. 

• They go to the elderly who in addition to being fearfully isolated in their homes these days, have to decide whether to buy food or medicine with their limited budget because they can’t afford both…Vincentians bring help with both food and medicine.

• They engage with families whose members take turns sleeping on the one mattress that they have in their tiny over-priced apartment…Vincentians bring help with furniture and bedding.

• They minister to the unemployed and the under-employed who are literally just dollars away from being homeless every single month and who have the stress of living constantly under this pressure…Vincentians bring help with rental supplement assistance.

• They bring help and consolation to the sick poor who have serious medical conditions and are often unable to pay for or arrange transportation for on-going medical care…Vincentians arrange transportation or even drive the people themselves if necessary.

These are all true scenarios from their Vincentian records and the good works I just described were all made possible only by your generous financial support. But right now, we are looking to the immediate future when the COVID restrictions end.  Our Vincentians will have a plethora of needy people who will have no clue as to how they will get by when several months-worth of back rent become due and delayed bills need to be paid. And I am not talking here about bills for frivolous things or recreational pleasures. I am talking heat, water, sanitation, childcare and medicine. For example, we actually just recently helped one poor woman, 101 years old, who had her garbage cans taken away and had to live with her trash because she was behind in her bill. Vincentians brought help by paying her bill.

Today is our once-a-year appeal from the pulpit for funds to finance these life-saving works of our Vincentians. The needs of the poor, sick and suffering within our parish boundaries can often require several thousand dollars a month. And amazingly, for 50 years and counting, our parish has always met the need because of your generosity. We have never had to say “no” to a genuine request for help. And I confident that your contributions will continue as the number and needs of the poor grows especially in the immediate post-COVID times. I realize that many of you are not prepared to donate to the Society today, but please take an envelope with you. You can find them out on the entrance table where there is also a basket to receive your donations. Makes check payable to St. Sebastian Society of St. Vincent de Paul. You can mail them in or drop them off at the parish office or bring them with you to Mass next Sunday. 

For the sake of the voiceless and the vulnerable, I pray that sparks from the Heart of Christ and the heart of St. Vincent will enkindle your own hearts, inspiring you to also become slaves of mercy and servants of compassion through your generous donations that make the relief of suffering possible. We honestly could not do it without you. God bless you!