Marylebone Ordinariate Group: St Vincent de Paul, pray for us

Tuesday 27 September 2011

St Vincent de Paul, pray for us

Today we commemorate St Vincent de Paul, a saint famed for his early seventeenth work as a missionary and for his works for the poor.

Many continue to support his work today through the Society of St Vincent de Paul, a charity that is "dedicated to tackling poverty and disadvantage by providing direct practical assistance to anyone in need." You can read about the activities of the St James's Conference of the Society of St Vincent de Paul on this webpage. At St James's, there is also a good number of people who are active in the Order of Malta.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that "God blesses those who come to the aid of the poor and rebukes those who turn away from them", and that, of the Corporal Works of Mercy, "Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God."

Might today be a good opportunity to consider a donation of time or money to a charity such as the Society of St Vincent de Paul?

St Vincent de Paul was also involved in what we know was equally important work in mission to the poor. This well known extract from the Messiah contains text from the Epistle to the Romans that is very suitable for one such as he :

"How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things."

Saint Vincent de Paul, pray for us.

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Blessed John Henry Newman on the hope for Reunion

… I gather up and bear in memory those familiar affectionate companions and counsellors, who in Oxford were given to me, one after another, to be my daily solace and relief; and all those others, of great name and high example, who were my thorough friends, and showed me true attachment in times long past….

And I earnestly pray for this whole company, with a hope against hope, that all of us, who once were so united, and so happy in our union, may even now be brought at length, by the Power of the Divine Will, into One Fold and under One Shepherd.

Apologia pro Vita Sua

Blessed John Henry Newman's Prayer for Unity

O Lord Jesus Christ, who when Thou wast about to suffer didst pray for Thy disciples to the end of time that they might all be one, as Thou art in the Father and the Father in Thee, look down in pity on the manifold divisions among those who profess Thy faith and heal the many wounds which the pride of man and the craft of Satan have inflicted on Thy people.

Break down the walls of separation which divide one party and denomination of Christians from another. Look with compassion on the souls who have been born in one or other of these communions, which not Thou, but man, hath made.

Set free the prisoners from these unauthorised forms of worship, and bring them all to the one communion which Thou didst set up at the beginning – the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Teach all men that the See of Peter, the Holy Church of Rome, is the foundation, centre, and instrument of Unity. Open their hearts to the long forgotten truth that the Holy Father, the Pope, is Thy Vicar and representative; and that in obeying him in matters of religion they are obeying Thee, so that as there is but one company in heaven above, so likewise there may be one communion, confessing and glorifying Thy holy Name, here below. Amen

Fr Ignatius Harrison, the former Provost of the London Oratory, on Unity

Another of the Holy Father’s outstanding achievements is his inspiring work for Christian Unity in setting-up the Ordinariates for former Anglicans. What a brilliant way of cutting through the plethora of mealy-mouthed verbiage and foggy thinking that has characterized so much ecumenical activity in recent decades, verbiage and fogginess which may indeed have had the very best of intentions, but which nevertheless achieved so little in real terms.

Let us also pray with all our heart and mind and strength that our vitally important ecumenical journey with our Greek and Russian Orthodox brethren will continue apace, that our charitable and respectful dialogue with them will bear much fruit, so that the universal Church might once again breathe with two whole lungs, and so that soon there may be but one flock and one shepherd. Domine, ut sit!

Tuesday 27 September 2011

St Vincent de Paul, pray for us

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