THE WORD BECAME FLESH

Monday of 26^th week in Ordinary Time

Zec 8:1-8

Ps 102

Luke 9:46-50

Memorial of St Vincent de Paul

Whoever receives this child

Dear friends in Christ, today we celebrate one of the icons of charity in Christendom—St Vincent de Paul. He was a Parish Priest in Paris who dedicated his whole life to the service of the poor and the less privileged. He saw it as an honour to be given the chance to serve the poor and invested his whole self into it, he called them ‘Masters.’ He also inspired many others to follow his example, by starting the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians) to work for the formation of the clergy and to help the poor. With St Louise de Marillac, he founded the Daughters of Charity. In almost every parish today, we have the Society of St. Vincent de Paul doing the diligent work of helping the poor. It is not just about the rich and well to do helping those who are poor but also the poor helping those who are poor. No one is too poor to help a fellow human being in need. No one should wait till he is comfortable before he can help. Do what you can with what you have already. We seize this occasion to thank members of our parish who have been volunteering in serving the needy in our communities in the name St Vincent de Paul.

In this morning’s gospel reading, Jesus identifies himself with the least, in response to the disciples’ argument as to which of them was the greatest. He identifies himself with a child, and children in that culture were regarded as among the least, in that they were without status or power or influence. They had none of the qualities that the disciples were chasing after in their dispute as to which of them was the greatest. The Lord identifies in a special way with what the world does not consider important. He is saying to his disciples and to us that we meet him above all in the weak, the vulnerable; we meet him in the ordinary, in those who are struggling, in those who seem to have least to offer. Because we meet him in these very ordinary ways, it is easy to miss him. 

There can be a truly sacred dimension to our dealings with others without our being aware of it. Yes, we meet the Lord in a special way in the Eucharist, but our meeting with him in the Eucharist alerts us to the many ordinary, day-to-day, ways in which we meet him and he meets us.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, your grace knows no bounds. You give freely to the humble of heart and you grant us freedom to love and serve others selflessly. May my love for you express itself in an eagerness to do good for others.

+Remain blessed