Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul. Although not the actual founder of the Society which bears his name, St. Vincent provided the inspiration for a more generous outreach to all who stand in need of food, clothing, and loving care. He still inspires us today to ask for the grace to overcome the temptation to judge and categorize. In his public life as a priest, he always preached against what we might call may the “nest” mentality, that of jealously guarding ourselves in the small group of those who consider themselves good.
Both his words and his deeds proclaimed far and wide that the Church can never become a place of separation nor ever do anything against a spirit of common union (or “communion”). He promoted openness and a spirit of welcome – where there is a place for everyone.
St. Vincent was tireless in fostering a spirituality that emphasized how necessary it is to “walk together, without prejudice and without fear, placing ourselves next to those who are most vulnerable: prisoners, refugees, the hungry, and the abandoned.” St. Vincent de Paul Conferences around the world, like our own here at Holy Cross, continue to build an increasingly inclusive world that excludes no one and cares for everyone.
Let us pray. “Saint Vincent de Paul, may your life of humility, zeal, mercy, and self-sacrifice continue to inspire us. We gratefully remember your charitable work, especially on behalf of the materially poor. Through your intercession, may the Lord give us the grace which was bestowed on you: to relinquish the temptation of material things in our holy effort to minister to those living in poverty. Through the same Lord, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.”
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San Vicente de Paúl fue un sacerdote francés quien realizó una labor caritativa notable. Siempre trató de construir un mundo cada vez más inclusivo que no excluya a nadie. El tema regular de sus predicaciones fue la importancia de “caminar juntos sin prejuicios y sin miedos, situándonos junto a los más vulnerables: hambrientos, refugiados, desplazados, y abandonados.”
Oremos. “Dios todopoderoso y eterno, que llenaste de caridad el corazón de San Vicente de Paúl, escucha nuestra oración y danos tu amor. A ejemplo suyo, haznos descubrir y servir a Jesucristo, tu Hijo, en nuestros hermanos pobres y desdichados. Que en su escuela aprendamos a amarte a Ti con el sudor de nuestro rostro y la fuerza de nuestros brazos. Por sus oraciones, libra nuestras almas del odio y del egoísmo; haz que todos recordemos que un día seremos juzgados sobre el amor. Por Jesucristo nuestro Señor. Amén.”
Para leer más de su espiritualidad: https://www.aciprensa.com/recursos/espiritualidad-3397
