Grumpy? No Worries!

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Christianity, grace, listen, poor, saints, spiritual needs, St. Vincent de Paul, temperament, tender, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, touch the heart, willingness

There’s hope for all of us! I was just reading a synopsis of St. Vincent de Paul’s life (1580 – 1660), one of the most well known saints of Christianity for his care for the poor. Vincent, the account says, “had become a priest with little more ambition than to have a comfortable life,” but had been changed by the deathbed confession of a dying servant that “opened his eyes to the crying spiritual needs of the peasantry in France.” There’s lots of evidence of his good works, commonly known, but it was a small paragraph toward the end of the account that gave me pause – and actually made me smile.

Most remarkably, it notes, Vincent was by temperament a very irascible person – even his friends admitted it. He said that except for the grace of God he would have been “hard and repulsive, rough and cross.” But he became a tender and affectionate man, very sensitive to the needs of others. 

What is it that is able to touch the heart – or the will – to soften us in such a way: the plight of others? attention to our own blessings? However it happens, it seems we ought to believe it is possible for all of us to be touched by grace and to decide for God. Perhaps it all might start, as it did for Vincent, with a willingness to listen to someone in need – and maybe the offer of a smile to invite the conversation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope for Grumpy People!

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affectionate, cheerful, Daughters of Charity, kind, moments of grace, poor, repulsive, St. Vincent de Paul, struggle, temperament, tender, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Vincentian priests

Two things about St. Vincent de Paul’s life (1580-1660) were surprising to me as I read his brief biography at http://www.franciscanmedia.org this morning. First I learned that he had no burning zeal for the poor early in his life. As a matter of fact, he “became a priest whose ambition was to have a comfortable life.” Called to hear the confession of a dying servant of the Countess de Gondi, his life began to change. The Countess had convinced her husband to give a large amount of money to help the poor in their area and she finally persuaded Vincent to be in charge of the effort. It was then that he found his true calling, caring for the less fortunate, becoming founder of the Vincentian order of priests and spiritual father to the Daughters of Charity, led by Louise de Marillac.

The second comment of Fr. Don Miller in the biography was even more startling as we usually think of our saints as models of good behavior. Fr. Miller writes that Vincent was by temperament a very irascible person – even his friends admitted it. He said that, except for the grace of God, he would have been “hard and repulsive, rough and cross” but he became tender and affectionate, sensitive to others’ needs. So it seems there is hope for all of us who struggle to be kind and cheerful!

Perhaps the morale of this story is that “it’s never over till it’s over.” Experiences in life can take us places we never imagined going and we can be changed in ways we never thought possible. So we can all take heart and be on the alert for moments of grace that might be offered to us at any time!

The Rest of the Story

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aging, destiny, feed my lambs, feed my sheep, future, Jesus, John, love, Peter, tender, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, wisdom

On Friday I had a conversation with a friend about aging and the unexpected shifts in relationships that are occasioned by the fact that people are living longer now. It was one of those times when we could have said, “If I knew then what I know now…” as we mused on the choices that life had presented us. As it was not a deeply serious exchange, however, we were rather commenting on the idiosyncrasies that we notice both in ourselves and in our loved ones that didn’t appear (or weren’t there!) earlier in our lives. Our conclusion was that love covers a multitude and we’re both lucky to have people who love us!

Today’s gospel offers two choices for reflection on the same text that I mentioned yesterday – the one I like to call “breakfast on the beach.” Presiders may take chapter 21 of John to verse 19 or, if this seems too long a story for the faithful, may stop at verse 14 when breakfast is served. I find it unfortunate for that to happen if the only hearing of this tract is in church this morning because verses 15 to 19 tell of Jesus asking Peter three times if Peter loves him. I can imagine myself as Peter in that situation wondering first why Jesus was asking at all but then remembering the horrific story of my denial on the evening of his arrest. By the time he got to the third repetition, however, I would probably be frustrated and wondering why he was humiliating me that way since it was not at all like him!

What point was Jesus trying to make in that moment? Precisely, I think, that we do not know what is to come later in life and occasionally we do need to assess what has been happening and recommit to whatever the future may bring to us. I feel Jesus as very tender in that moment, loving Peter more than he could ask or imagine and wanting Peter to know how special he was. The charge he gives him (“Feed my lambs; feed my sheep”) is not an easy destiny. Peter, the impulsive one who loved so much, would need to remember this moment in the most dangerous and difficult situations in the future. And he would prove himself equal to the task.

Perhaps today is a day to hear that question of Jesus: “Lois, do you love me?” (not just once but three times for emphasis). Looking back and looking forward, may we all echo Peter who said with total certainty, “Yes, Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you.” And in that answer, may we again walk confidently into life.