Last Wednesday (27th) we celebrated the feast or anniversary of Vincent
de Paul, priest and founder of the Congregation of the Lazarists. He was
a man who put his faith into action and this is the challenge to the church
of today, to you, to me and to the world.
He was born at Ranquine in Gascony in 1581, was ordained priest in 1600.
It wasn't until he had an encounter with the Lord Jesus in 1609, that he
resolved to devote himself and all he owned to works of charity. Vincent
worked for the relief of galley slaves, convicts, victims of war, the poor,
the sick and all those in need. He founded many communities for men and
was influential in the founding of the Sisters of charity a women's order.
He died on the 27th of September 1660.
The parable of the Good Samaritan Luke 10: 25-37 and the life of Vincent
is a stark reminder to us that faith without action is meaningless and worthless
before God. It is no good saying to someone in need, the Lord bless you
and will meet all your needs, when all they want is practical help to alleviate
their suffering. The world is full of those who are less fortunate than
we are, some of whom are much closer to home than we would like.
"Poverty is the single greatest threat to the well-being of children in
the UK. More than one in four children lives in poverty. In some regions,
child poverty is even higher: rising to 54% in inner London. But the starkest
deprivation is found in tiny, almost hidden pockets: there are some wards
in the UK where over 90% of children live in poverty." (BBC News 25/7/2005)
When our Lord was talking about when He comes in glory and judgment Matthew
25: 31-46, he spoke of the separation to come on judgment day V33-34. Then
the righteous will answer him, 'Lord when did we see thee a stranger and
welcome thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? And when
did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? V37-38.
And the King will answer them 'Truly I say to you when you did it to one
of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' V40. You never know
when you will be entertaining or giving to angels Genesis 18:1-8.
The apostle James tells us ‘that faith by itself, if it has no works,
is dead’ James 2: 17. As a church we have decided to put our faith
into practice, to welcome and feed the hungry, water the thirsty in our
midst and beyond.
Once a month we will be taking a free will offering for those in need, and
the money will be sent monthly to different charities. This is not to be
taken out of your normal giving, but on top of it. I urge you to read the
article on poverty in this month’s magazine and let the cold facts
wash over you.
I urge you to read and study Matthew 25: 31-46 and James 2: 14-26. Let us learn to live out our faith in the spirit of the gospel and make our Saviour proud of us. As we begin to live out our faith with works of good deed, may Jesus Christ our Lord help us to be cheerful givers and bless each and everyone of you with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
In Dominie
Canon Ade
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