Bearing Beams of Love in a World of Contrary Lights: the Challenge of Living Vincentian

Bearing Beams of Love in a World of Contrary Lights: The Challenge of Living Vincentian Values in Contemporary Western Society

Fr. G. Gregory Gay, C.M. Superior General Congregation of the Mission October 17, 2011 Vincentians in Partnership London, United Kingdom

“And we are put on this earth a little space, that we might learn to bear the beams of love” -William Blake 1757- 1827

I am honored to be among you today at this annual meeting of Vincentians in Partnership. I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you and to encounter a people and place who make real the charism of St Vincent de Paul in today’s world. As you know, last year we celebrated the 350th anniversary of the extraordinary lives of Saints Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac, whose legacy of service to the poor is an enduring gift to the Church and the world. Through your work in the United Kingdom and beyond, the ten partner organizations, along with thirteen other groups associated with Vincentians in Partnership; do fittingly attest to the far reach of Vincentian charism by your innovative and compassionate service to the poor and vulnerable.

Last year, at the General Assembly of the Congregation of the Mission, I was privileged to hear a presentation from Mark McGreevy, a representative of Depaul International, one of your partner organizations. Mark, a founding member of Depaul, addressed Vincentians from the world over. Along with my confreres, I marveled at how Depaul evolved from a small urban oasis of emergency assistance into an organic organization with a full range of services.

Depaul is just one of ten stories- or should I say twenty-three, counting your other thirteen groups- of the Vincentian charism in action today. However, I will respond to a request Mark made that day, as I believe would it also be yours. He asked us to help DePaul deepen an appreciation of our charism through collaboration with the Vincentian Family. Then and now, my answer is an excited “Yes!” Today, I reiterate my pledge to do all I can as Superior General to insure that all here receive ongoing formation in the Vincentian charism. The Congregation of the Mission, Daughters of Charity, St. Vincent de Paul Society, and all in the Vincentian Family must, in Mark’s words, “think long and think big” on how our charism can enrich and empower us.

When asked to speak on the challenge of living Vincentian values in contemporary western society, I took as my theme: “Bearing Beams of Love in a World of Contrary Lights”. This theme has two sources, one literary and one liturgical. The first is an excerpt from a poem by Englishman William Blake who wrote, “and we are put on earth a little space that we might learn to bear the beams of love’”. The second part is taken from the Collect, or opening prayer at Mass in the fifteen Sunday in ordinary time, imploring God to “guide us to your Kingdom in a world filled with lights contrary to your own.” I believe both poem and prayer capture the tension in living Vincentian values in today’s world.

Let me begin by sharing some thoughts on our contemporary milieu. At the outset, let me say that I am not a pessimist or naysayer to all that is part of living in our world today. We have great resources at our disposal that are used for the good of humanity. In the last few decades, there have been breath-taking advances in science, medicine, and technology. Our era is one of the most fortuitous in the history of the world. Today, we can communicate in “real time” and at warp speed. Thanks to the Internet, the once theoretical global village now comes to us on our desktop or laptop. We can instantly access information and communicate with those near and far.

With unparalleled access to information, the world is literally at our fingertips, with daily new and rapid developments. With the ability to communicate within the global village at any time, shouldn’t we affirm in the words of a global electronics brand that ‘Life is good’?

Well, not so fast! Last summer, as you will sadly recall, Great Britain endured nights of rioting, looting, injury, and death in cities and suburbs across this country. I am sure you have had extensive discussions on the causes and effects of such shocking and unnerving behavior. As you know, riots also occurred in other European countries. While visiting Madrid in August for World Youth Days, I saw this first hand. One night, our subway train ride was abruptly ended to avoid clashes with youthful demonstrators, who called themselves Indignatos or “angry ones”.

Is there a common thread one can draw from these riots and demonstrations besides the initial reaction of blaming them on social media and instant communication technology? Well, yes. A common factor in countries with riots and demonstrations by young people is a pervasive problem of unemployment. While unemployment the Euro-zone is at record levels, for youth ages 18-34, it is significantly higher. Let me share some sobering statistics.

According to figures released in August, unemployment in the United Kingdom was 7.7 percent, while youth unemployment was 20 percent. In Ireland, 28 percent of the 8.3 percent of those unemployed are youth. In the Euro-zone, the average national figure for unemployed youth is 22 percent, except in Spain, where youth unemployment is a whopping 44 percent. Is it any wonder the Indignatos motto is, “We are not goods in the hands of bankers and politicians!”

Daily media reports dire or disappointing aspects of the economy. Yet, economists say there is no quick fix. The constant civic clamor for austerity measures and new types of taxation bode badly for all, but especially for the poor, with little, if any resources. It is no coincidence the stark and steady rise of a homeless population in Europe has occurred during this same time.

However, let me be so bold as to say as bad as they appear, I believe today’s economic woes are indicative of a deeper level of unrest. To assign all blame to bankers, financiers, politicians and entrepreneurs for allowing what has been called “Casino Capitalism” that created the crisis is to deny a deeper social, societal, and spiritual malaise at work. I believe there are four dominant tenets in society today shaping the “Real, Cruel world” we must live in. They are:

· rampant consumerism;

· unhinged individualism;

· modern-day Darwinism;

· a world-weariness.

Allow me to reflect briefly on each of these categories. I suspect you all can add much from the rich store house of your own life experiences. Today, consumerism is a force to be reckoned with, as media and marketers seek to sell us things we don’t need. The continual cross between entertainment and retailing (slickly called “E-tailing” by advertisers) creates a false sense of need and emptiness when the goods are gone. It often results in a desire for more, be it fancy clothes and cars for the middle class, or tobacco and alcohol for poor people in developing nations. The result? People chase after illusionary “things” to no end, create enormous debt, develop health and family problems, and eventually lose sight of what matters most in life.

I titled the second term “unhinged individualism” deliberately, as I believe it is a by- product of rampant consumerism: what I feel is good for me must come first. I define my world primarily in terms of what now benefits me or those in my little circle. In the last few decades, philosophers, psychologists, sociologists, and theologians have written about a breakdown of community, of people no longer working toward a common goal. If life is defined solely in terms of “the self’, there is no common ground and little chance of success at creating or sustaining community, except in a superficial (recreational) or functional (political) manner.

From this unhinged individualism comes a contemporary adaption of 19th century social Darwinism, a modern ‘survival of the fittest”. Life becomes an arena where only the strong survive, a consequence of a ‘natural selection’ process borne of economic, political, or social policies. The poor are faceless, huddled masses who must learn to fend for themselves. The immigrant is a tax burden and possibly a threat to security. The elderly and disabled are a drain on resources, and the unborn exist or perish at the wishes of their human incubator. This may sound raw and unfiltered. But given the political, social, and economic policies proffered and adopted by the public and private sectors the last few decades, I believe it has made for newer, more lethal forms of “modern-day Darwinism” that have taken hold of our social ethos.

The end result of this unchecked consumerism, individualism, and breakdown of societal care and community results in what I call a ‘world-weariness’, a pervasive dissatisfaction with one’s life. It is more than boredom of a banal life. Left unchecked, it becomes a narrow, cynical world view, sustained by artificial means, usually drugs and alcohol to avoid life’s pain. One result of this ennui today is the record number of young people dealing with serious drug and alcohol problems. Thankfully, in recovery, they can overcome this social and spiritual languor.

Now that I have laid out the bad news, it’s time for some good news. To use a nautical analogy, after we’ve navigated in difficult waters, I bring you relief! I have a bright, shining light- house to guide you in choppy waters, and a safe port to welcome you home. I think you know where I’m going: the light house is the Vincentian charism; the safe port is Vincentians in Partnership. Yes, that’s right- the answers to today’s “real, cruel world” are in your midst. Our charism, bequeathed to us by Saints Vincent and Louise is a “Heritage of Hope”, which for centuries has inspired religious and laity such as Blessed Frederick Ozanam, founder of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, to serve the poor with humility, integrity, and compassion.

Just as I laid out four tenets that define today’s “real, cruel world”, I will share four touchstones of the Vincentian charism that bring healing and hope to today’s world. They are:

· reverence for the ‘other’;

· intentional community;

· caring, competent service;

· a graced future.

These touchstones not only provide a striking contrast to tenets of consumerism, individualism, Darwinism, and world-weariness. They were dynamic parts of the lives of Vincent and Louise, who integrated them into enduring foundations of religious and laity to serve the poor.

If one reads a few of St. Vincent de Paul’s writings, the first touchstone, “reverence for the other” needs little explication. St. Vincent was given the titled “Pater Indigentiam” (Father of the Poor) by the Church, not only for his great works for the poor, but because he loved them as dearly as a father loves his children. Despite the time he spent organizing and administering two religious communities and groups of laity serving the poor, Vincent never lost his concern or care for the poor. Listen to his instructions to the first Daughters of Charity:

“You serve Jesus Christ in the person of the poor. Ten times a day, you will go out to visit the sick, and ten times a day you will find God there. Visit poor galley slaves in chains, and you will find God there; take care of little children, and you will find God there. You go into households of the poor, but there you find God. How wonderful! God kindly accepts the service you render to them and considers it done to himself. - Conf. 24, Daughters of Charity, Vol. IX, pp. 242-253)

Therein lay the secret to Vincent’s reverent interactions with the poor: he saw them as an invitation, not a threat; a manifestation of God’s presence. Sometimes surly and ungrateful, not pleasing in appearances, the poor were a difficult group with which to cast one’s lot. But Vincent and Louise served the poor with tenderness, respect and love; believing that no matter how they appeared, they manifested God’s abiding presence among us. In St. Vincent’s writings, one cannot help but be impressed with images he invokes to humanize and to even exalt them as those who “took the place of the Son of God, who chose to be poor”.

Saint Vincent’s and Louise‘s reverence for the poor led them to form intentional communities committed to service. Vincent realized that for charity to be effective, it had to be organized and done with a community effort. He was among the first community organizers. Both Vincent and Louise were forward thinking people in their era, founding religious and lay movements with innovative rules to insure mobility. They also invested much time in instruction to insure their members had adequate formation.

In turn, these intentional communities - religious and lay – became an example to the poor of how to respect and honor one another. The poor saw in them an alternative to ruthless “rules of the road” that often governed their chaotic lives and learned tolerance and charity. In reverencing the poor and by forming communities, Vincent and Louise showed them a new way of life, planting seeds of hope to help them care for their families and respect their neighbor.

But the genius of Saints Vincent and Louise lay in their attention to detail, carefully constructing systems of service delivery that were both caring and competent. Daughters of Charity hearing this may quietly smile, recalling reading in their internal seminary days the extant writings of St. Louise with detailed instructions to the first Daughters on how to visit the poor, what to say and do, and which medicines and foods to bring. Vincent took great pains to instruct the Ladies and Confraternities of Charity specifically on how to serve the poor.

Both Saints kept copious records, and Vincent was a prodigious letter writer. His journals reveal a keen mind willing to engage the slightest or greatest of matters of concern in service to the poor. He told his confreres clearly what he expected: “It is our duty to prefer service of the poor to everything else and to offer it as quickly as possible.” The rapid growth of the Daughters of Charity in St. Louise’s lifetime was due to their reputation as competent and caring servants of the poor. Soon after, they became a renowned international community.