Youth is Fleeting

September 27, 2008

Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, priest

Rejoice, O young man, while you are young and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart, the vision of your eyes; Yet understand that as regards all this God will bring you to judgment. Ward off grief from your heart and put away trouble from your presence, though the dawn of youth is fleeting. Ecclesiastes 11:9-10

“Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying. Luke 9:44-45

Piety

St. Vincent de Paul, apostle and witness of the charity of Christ, help us to abandon ourselves to God’s Providence, and faithfully discovering his action in all the events of our lives.
St. Vincent de Paul, servant of the poor, obtain for us a tender heart filled with compassion for the distress and suffering others.
St. Vincent de Paul, accompany us in our service so that in our work, our families, and in our parishes we become impassioned by his Gospel of love.
St. Vincent de Paul, remind us often of your motto so we always remember to “Let us love God; but at the price of our hands and sweat of our face.” Amen
(Adapted from Vincentian Reflections, 2008)

Study
http://www.usccb.org/nab/092708.shtml

There is a banner in our house made by a friend which reads, “The soul would have no rainbow had the eye no tear.” Today’s readings express a similar idea. When everything is going well, we have to be aware of the potential risks ahead. When we are young, everything seems bright…the future, our career prospects, and more. Yet consider what happened to the man whose life we remember today.

In his youth, St. Vincent de Paul was captured by pirates and sold into slavery. Eventually, he escaped and returned to his native France in 1607 (about the time the English colony of Jamestown was being settled in the “new world.”). The typical carefree years of his youth were stolen from young Vincent and he was enslaved to serve a master in a faraway land.

When he returned to France, he became a parish priest and then founded one religious order for men and another for women. According to the Catholic Culture web site, “He founded a religious Congregation under the title of Priests of the Mission or Lazarists (now known as Vincentians), and he bound them by a special way to undertake the apostolic work of charity; he sent them to preach missions, especially to the ignorant peasants of that time, and to establish seminaries.” Then, the short bio explains that in order to help poor girls, invalids, and the insane, sick and unemployed, he and St. Louise de Marillac founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity, now better known as the Sisters of St. Vincent.

St. Vincent’s name and the society that perpetuates his memory and work (The Society of St. Vincent De Paul) continue to help people who truly need assistance from “the haves.” They worked with the poor in spirit and the poor in resources, people with illnesses, people enslaved to various masters, people abandoned by society, community and culture, and those who are ignored. St. Vincent recognized the “tear” in society. The rainbow of youth is replaced by the tear of age. He worked to bring the rainbow back into the world.

Similarly, Jesus knew that his disciples were amazed at the signs he was performing so he wanted to warn them that the future also would bring problems. His warning echoed the first reading: “And the dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the life breath returns to God who gave it.” “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.”

We already know the warning about God’s ways being different from our ways. So we can see that there will be conflict coming when we hear these words from Jesus. However, in the middle of the wedding with the bridegroom present, the disciples sitting there with Jesus that day could not imagine life without him. They had no way to comprehend what was going to happen. With the rainbow crested across the blue sky, who among us can see the storm clouds brewing behind the tree line?

Action
St. Vincent worked to restore life in society. It is a call we share not just because of the Cursillo experience, but because of our shared Christian identity. Cursillo gives us tools to help us focus on what matters…reminding us daily to pursue piety, study and action. St. Vincent De Paul focused on actions that matter but not without knowing God and living in communion with God.

Learn more about the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Contact the Arlington Council at svdparlva@aol.com. Consider getting involved or supporting their work with the poor.