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Feast of St. Vincent de
Paul 2002
St. Peter's Church, Dublin
Celebrant/Homilist: Fr.
Michael McCullagh, CM
Homily.....
Launch of 'Let us Work with God'
by Fr. Kevin O'Shea, CM Provincial,
a CD of music and reflections
by the choirs, musicians
and friends of St. Peter's Phibsboro.
Read more about Let us Work with
God...
Guest Speaker:
Mr. Brian O'Reilly,
National President- Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Ireland
Read full text of address
More photo's
Homily by Fr. Michael McCullagh, CM
Jimmy was a
regular visitor to the parish priest, and, shall we say, he usually picked
his moments. This time it was Christmas eve and Jimmy had started his
celebrations a little early.
“A mug of
tea, father”;
“I’m busy,
Jimmy”
“Ah,
Father, it’s Christmas”.
The parish
priest’s heart softened.
“O.K.,
Jimmy, there’s your mug of tea”.
“What about
a slice of bread, Father”.
“I’m up to
my eyes, Jimmy”.
“Ah,
Father, did you not see the Vincent de Paul ad., “For God’s sake, give a
little, it would help a lot”.
The parish
priest came back with the bread and butter.
“Right,
Jimmy, I’m giving you that now for God’s sake”.
“Maybe, for
his son’s sake, Father, you would put a bit a jam on it”!
(Needless
to say, Jimmy, was on first name terms with the son.)
Life itself
and the people we meet are invitatons to a deeper love, that love which
never counts the cost.
Those who
are close to God, love with a purer and deeper love. Tonight God speaks
to Moses: “You have found favour with me and you are my intimate
friend”. If Moses is the intimate friend of God, can we not imagine the
purity of his love for his people.
The people
of Nazareth can see this deep love of God as they meet Jesus face to
face. He speaks of a love which will enter prison cells, sit alongside
those judged as public sinners, a love which leads us away from our
prejudices against others and gives us new sight.
Tonight in
the Eucharist we meet this love of Jesus of Nazareth face to face. It is
a love which does not count the cost. As St. John says: “This is the
love I mean: not our love for God, but God’s love for us when he sent His
Son to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away.
One time
St. Vincent met a man like Jimmy who said to him: “Do you know, they are
saying you are putting all the homeless people into institutions.” It was
not true and Vincent must have felt a little hurt. It was a moment too
when he realised that God’s love is far greater and deeper than our human
love can ever be.
Tonight,
tomorrow or this week, someone like Jimmy might challenge your charity or
patience. These are moments when we have to pray and think of that deeper
love, the love which Vincent brought to those he served, a love which
never counts the cost.
Fr. Michael McCullagh, CM
Feast of St. Vincent de Paul 2002 – St. Peter’s Church, Dublin, Ireland
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Feast of St. Vincent
DePaul 2002
 Address by Mr. Brian O’Reilly, National President Society of St. Vincent
de Paul – Ireland
It is indeed an honour to speak to you on the feast of our patron St.
Vincent de Paul
In a radio interview
last Sunday (22nd September, 2002) the interviewer was
intrigued with the fact that I was the first person from the North of
Ireland to be elected as National President of the Society. He wanted to
know what I would bring ‘as a Northerner’ to the job. I pointed out that I
would be bringing a Vincentian perspective to this position. That while
the North and South may have different economic and social conditions and
systems, “need is need” wherever you are located and “pain is
pain” whenever it’s felt, irrespective of which side of the border you
live.
There are three main
areas I would now wish to address
To many of the
disadvantaged and those living on the very edges of life the ‘Celtic
Tiger’ has not brought many of the promised joys. Many feel that we live
in a period of uncertainty and despair – a fragmented world of turmoil,
confusion, injustice and intolerance to others. In this world of
competition, aggression and dominating attitudes there is apparently no
room for the abandoned, the disadvantaged and marginalized. These are the
vulnerable and vulnerability has no place in a social system that lives of
the need to succeed and dominate. Life for many continues to be a
constant struggle to live and to live with dignity !
The Society of St.
Vincent de Paul is a caring organisation: we are NOT volunteer
Social Workers – we strive to live out the words – those words inscribed
beside the tomb of our principal founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam,
“Be as the
Samaritan of the Gospel. Walk in Charity and example of Christ”
Without the help,
dedication and compassion of the local Saint Vincent de Paul Conference
this would not be possible. Compassion means doing what we can to
alleviate immediate suffering and pain; compassion includes a personal
presence, hands-on assistance and a genuine concern for all those we
visit.
As a society we
should not be satisfied with just providing material help, so necessary
and often essential, to those who exist, often on the very margins of
life. We need to continue to speak out against social injustice – to give
a voice to the voiceless – to ensure that those in need receive what they
are entitled to, in justice, rather than in charity !
Martin Luther King
articulated this view when he said:
‘We must be the Good
Samaritan to those who have fallen along the way. This, however, is only
the beginning. Then, some day we will have to realise that the road to
Jericho must be made in such a way that men and women are not constantly
beaten and robbed while they are going along the paths of life’
Young people have a
great capacity to detect and react when faced with injustice and distress
that are all too prevalent in our country and elsewhere in the world.
Witness the young people who are out to save the planet and rainforests;
who save whales and dolphins; and who are deeply concerned with the
famines that periodically rage throughout Africa and Asia. And they do
this through action !
They collect money, cycle in India and China; work in Africa and South
America building homes and digging wells’ and they also protest; they want
their voice to be heard as they have something to say and that message is
one of social concern; social justice !
Turning social concern into action became one of the guiding principles of
Blessed Frederic Ozanam, the principal founder of the Society of St.
Vincent de Paul. And that same challenge I hope to put to the young
adults of today !
Direct your energy, your youthful enthusiasm, your creativity but most of
all your love for your neighbour into positive action. That is your
challenge !
The Society needs to reach out to the young adult, to offer them a
challenge. Some Conference members find it difficult to work with young
people – their ways seem different, they often ask challenging questions
and sometimes appear to lack the discipline and commitment that older
members expect from others. But we have to recognise that young people
hold the key to the future; they will be the Society of tomorrow. We need
to reach out to them and to involve them in every aspect of our work in
order to hand it over to them. That is our challenge !
And finally – I cannot close my few words without some reference to my
experience in Africa. I spent the first two weeks of September in Ghana
visiting and working with representatives from 11 African countries on our
Training and Training the Trainers’ Programme, which they have adopted.
The warmth of the welcome and hospitality that we received was only
matched by the warmth of the weather. The work of the Society and
supported by the priests often under difficult conditions and using very
limited resources is a living witness and testimony to those two great
commandments: Love God, Love your Neighbour.
My most memorable experience was in meeting a group of lepers – cured
lepers- even with all their disfigurements – many had no fingers or feet –
the love of Christ was visible in their faces as they welcomed us in
song. And for how long have I often used that quote from St. Vincent
without knowing its full significance:
‘Go to the poor and you will meet God’
But for me this was the first time I saw and was embraced the living
Christ !
The Mission Statement of the Society opens with a quote from Matthew’s
Gospel”I was hungry and you gave me to eat….’ There is no geographical
border around hunger. Hunger is hunger and the Society in Ireland must be
prepared to help fellow Vincentians in Africa or in Eastern Europe; I hope
to pursue with the National Council an active Twinning Strategy that will
seek to support in a very practical way the Society in Africa and Eastern
Europe ! Now there is a challenge for our young adults: there is work for
you to do in Africa as well as in Ireland !
I have always been impressed by the deep and very sincere concern for
others as expressed through the work of the local Conferences; this is a
love that is firmly rooted in a love of Christ’s teachings. The
commitment and the ability in doing your best and getting the job done,
sometimes under difficult circumstances, is but another hallmark of the
Vincentian. And I thank you.
May the Holy Spirit continue to guide and direct each of you as you
continue to live those two commandments I have already referred to:
Love God, Love Your Neighbour
Brian O’Reilly,
National President
Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Ireland.
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