Daily Reflection Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest

Out of curiosity I watched the movie, A Good Person, because there are several scenes filmed at the Loyola Jesuit Center.  However, I became involved with the characters who struggle with their chemical addictions, personal guilt, and juggling their interpersonal relationships. I thought of these individuals when I was praying over the reading from Ezra today. Although Ezra admits the shame of people in their idolatrous lifestyle, he also recognizes the mercy of God in saving the people from their self-made sin.

    The characters in the movie, A Good Person, illustrate how our good intentions, without prudence and wisdom, can jettison us into depression and addiction. Relying solely on our weaknesses, we become discouraged and fail. Begging for the mercy of God, as Ezra does and cooperating with this grace, we find the courage to peel off the negativity and despair from our eyes. We are never alone, though we may feel lonely because of our weakness. Once we open our arms, God lifts us up.

    Today Luke tells us that Jesus sends out the Twelve to preach the Good News. He instructs them to take nothing for the journey:  no overnight bag, no comfortable pillow, not even money for a lunch break. No, Jesus requires of us total dependence on God. In our own daily prayer, we are reminded of the gifts and fruits that the Holy Spirit has given us through the sacraments. Jesus doesn’t ask us to stand at the train station or bus stop and verbally preach to the commuters. But he does ask us to monitor how we speak to people. Jesus also asks us to keep our hearts open to receive and accommodate new people in our lives, new outlooks, creative ways to solve problems, generosity in sharing.

    We are also remembering St. Vincent DePaul today. His vocation as a priest extended far beyond the perimeter of his parish. Not only did he nourish the poor with the sacraments, he helped them find work and assisted them in obtaining the necessities of life. He counseled people in prudence: refrain from name calling and judgments. In one of his sermons, St. Vincent encouraged respect for all people. 

“In actual practice this virtue (prudence) is about choosing the right way to do things. We should make it a sacred principle, then, admitting no exceptions, that since we are working for God, we will always choose God-related ways for carrying out our work, and see and judge things from Christ’s point of view and not from a worldly-wise one; and not according to the feeble reasoning of our own mind.”

    As we pray today with Jesus, Ezra, and St. Vincent de Paul, let us inventory if we reverence ourselves with respect and dignity because of the gifts given to us by God. Then let us reach out to family, friends, co-workers, the homeless—all those who need the personal and professional gifts that we have received.