September 27, 2010
Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, priest
Then Job began to tear his cloak and cut off his hair. He cast himself prostrate upon the ground, and said, “Naked I came forth from my mother's womb, and naked shall I go back again. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD!” Job 1:20-21
Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.” Luke 9:47-48
Piety
O Deus Ego Amo Te
O God, I love Thee, I love Thee —
Not out of hope of heaven for me
Nor fearing not to love and be
In the everlasting burning.
Thou, Thou, my Jesus, after me
Didst reach Thine arms out dying,
For my sake sufferedst nails and lance,
Mocked and marred countenance,
Sorrows passing number,
Sweat and care and cumber,
Yea and death, and this for me,
And Thou couldst see me sinning;
Then I, why should not I love Thee,
Jesus, so much in love with me?
Not for heaven’s sake; not to be
Out of hell by loving Thee;
Not for any gains I see;
But just the way that Thou didst me
I do love and I will love Thee:
What must I love Thee, Lord, for then?
For being my king and God. Amen.
St. Francis Xavier
Translated by Gerard Manley Hopkins
Study
Alexander had nothing on Job. Job was having a particularly terrible, horrible, very bad day. His oxen and donkeys were stolen by the Sabeans. Lightning wiped out the sheep and the shepherds. The Chaldeans, not to be outdone, stole his camels. Then, to top it off, a typhoon-like wind knocked over his house (uninsured) and killed his sons and daughters inside.
Yet not even on a day as bad as this, bearing the full wrath of Satan’s opposition to the Lord, did Job abandon, disrespect or blaspheme the Lord. “Naked I came forth from my mother's womb, and naked shall I go back again. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD!”
Job exemplifies the attitudes we studied last week which encouraged us to get distance between us and our material/worldly possessions. As we heard in Luke 8, “To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.” This is not referring to material wealth but instead refers to understanding and love of God. Those, like Job, who have a healthy respect and fear of God, will not bemoan the loss of possessions. After all, the losses experienced by Job did not deprive him of life. His pain, no matter how great, was still short of execution on the cross.
When Jesus instructed the disciples to “Take nothing for the journey,” Job exemplifies acceptance of this challenge. He recognizes that he came into the world with nothing and will depart with nothing. It, then, is easier for Job to accept the hardship at hand.
Therefore, when today, Jesus is challenged to select who is the greatest among all the disciples, Jesus selects the least powerful and persons with the least attachment to worldly good – the children – to underscore his point.
Action
The Gospel continues to challenge us to receive those who are the least as though we are accepting those who are the best.
Think of a time when you were treated like a VIP. Maybe you visited an office and they escorted you in, provided you with refreshments, and allowed you to speak to a group of employees about a cause that was close to your heart. Did you feel comfortable? Did you expect such treatment? Or are you more comfortable fending for yourself without the escort and the recognition?
Think of a time when you were not treated like a VIP. Maybe you bought a defective product and tried to get it fixed or returned to the seller. But you could not accomplish this task. Even though you might have been uneasy about accepting the VIP treatment, when common courtesies are withheld, we expect to be treated better.
The poor, the widows, the orphans, the ill, and the strangers never have to worry about getting the VIP treatment on earth. However, when they get to heaven, the roles will be reversed. St. Vincent de Paul tried to make this a reality on earth.
Who should you treat like a VIP today? Who is least of the people you will encounter today?
