Subj : September 27th - Saint Vincent De Paul To : All From : rich Date : Thu Sep 26 2019 09:31:23 From: rich September 27th - Saint Vincent De Paul Founder of the Lazarist Fathers and the Daughters of Charity Saint Vincent was born in 1576 near Dax, south of Bordeaux, of a poor family which survived by means of their labor. It seemed that =E2=80=9Cmerc= y was born with him.=E2=80=9D When sent by his father to the mill to procure flour, if he met a poor man coming home, he would open the sack and give him handfuls of flour when he had nothing else. His Christian father was not angry; seeing his good dispositions, he was sure his son should become a priest, and placed him as a boarding student with a group of religious priests in Dax. Vincent made rapid progress, and after 7 years of studying theology at Toulouse and in Saragossa, Spain, was ordained a priest in 1600. He always concealed his learning and followed the counsel of Saint Paul who said, =E2=80=9CI have wanted to know nothing in your midst but Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ crucified.=E2=80=9D Soon after his ordination, he was captured by corsairs and sold as a slave in Tunisia. He converted his renegade master, and escaped with him to France. Then, after a time of study in Rome, he returned to Paris and took for his spiritual director Abb=C3=A9 de Berulle, a famous director of souls. This servant of God saw in him a priest called to render outstanding service to the Church, and to found a community of priests who would labor for its benefit. He told Saint Vincent this, that he might prepare himself insofar as was humanly possible. When Saint Vincent was appointed chaplain-general of the galleys of France, his tender charity brought hope into those prisons where hitherto despair had reigned. When a mother mourned her imprisoned son, Vincent put on his chains and took his place at the oar, and gave him to his mother. His charity embraced the poor, the young and the aged, the provinces desolated by civil war, Christians enslaved by the infidels. The poor man, ignorant and degraded, was to him the image of Him who became as =E2=80=9Ca leper and no man.=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9CTurn the medal,=E2=80=9D he = said, =E2=80=9Cand you will see Jesus Christ.=E2=80=9D He went through the streets of Paris at night, seeki= ng the infants and children left there to die =E2=80=94 three or four hundred every year. Once robbers rushed upon him, thinking he carried a treasure, but when he opened his cloak, they recognized him and his burden, an abandoned infant, and fell at his feet. Not only was Saint Vincent the providence of the poor, but also of the rich, for he taught them to undertake works of mercy. When in 1648 the work of the foundlings was in danger of failure for want of funds, he assembled the ladies of the Association of Charity, and said, =E2=80=9CCompassion and charity have made you adopt these little creatures as your children. You have been their mothers according to grace, when their own mothers abandoned them. Will you now cease to be their mothers? Their life and death are in your hands. I shall take your votes; it is time to pronounce sentence.=E2=80=9D The tears of the assembly were his only answer= , and the work was continued. The Priests of the Mission or Lazarists, as they are called, and thousands of the Daughters of Charity still comfort the afflicted with the charity of their holy Founder. It has been said of him that no one has ever verified more perfectly than Saint Vincent, the words of Our Lord: =E2=80=9CHe who humbles himself shall be exalted...=E2=80=9D The more= he strove to abase himself in the eyes of all, the more God took pleasure in elevating him and bestowing His blessings on him and on all his works. He died in 1660, in an old age made truly golden by his unceasing good works. Reflection: Most people who profess piety ask advice of directors about their prayers and spiritual exercises. Few inquire whether they are not in danger of damnation from neglect of works of charity. Let us never forget the terrible foretold words of the Final Judge: =E2=80=9CDepart from me, workers of iniquity; I was hungry, and you did not feed Me; I was without shelter, you did not take Me in...; I was sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me, etc.=E2=80=9D (Cf. Matt. 26:31-46) Sources: Les Petits Bollandistes: Vies des Saints, by Msgr. Paul Gu=C3=A9rin (Bloud et Barral: Paris, 1882) Saint Quote: You must ask God to give you power to fight against the sin of pride which is your greatest enemy--the root of all that is evil, and the failure of all that is good. For God resists the proud. --St. Vincent de Paul Bible Quote: ..... and that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God. .=C2 (Acts 14:21)=C2 DRB <><><><> We must always pray, and not faint.--Luke 18:1 5. A man of prayer is capable of everything; therefore, it is of great importance that missionaries should give themselves to this exercise with particular earnestness; and as without it they will gain little or no fruit, so with its help they will become much more able to move hearts and convert souls to their Creator, than by learning and oratorical skill. --St. Vincent de Paul St. Francis Borgia was a man of much prayer, in which he would remain, as if in ecstasy, sometimes for six hours in succession, which appeared to him but a moment; and the mere sight of him in the pulpit would rouse the people to compunction. St. Thomas, St. Bonaventure and the Blessed Albertus Magnus confessed that they gained their learning more by prayer than by study. We read of St. Thomas, in particular, that not being able to understand a text of Scripture, he had recourse to prayer, and while he was praying with great fervor there appeared to him the holy Apostles Peter and Paul and explained the difficulty in a voice so clear and distinct that it was heard by his companion Brother Reginald. (Taken from the book "A Year with the Saints".=C2 =C2 September: Praye= r) --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4) .