SAINT JUNÍPERO SERRA, PRIEST (OPTIONAL MEMORIAL)

Let justice surge like water.

Paris in the 1830s was rife with poverty and homelessness, but through the work of one young man, justice and kindness began to “surge like water” through the city (Amos 5:24).   The man was a university student named Frédéric Ozanam (1813–1853).   A devout Catholic, Ozanam had organized a debate among fellow students to discuss the value of the Church.   But one student in the crowd called out, “What is your Church doing for the poor?   Show us your works and we will believe you!”

With these words, the “dam” of mild indifference in Frédéric’s heart began crumbling.   Guided by a local nun, he and a few friends started visiting the slums of Paris.   They spent time with the people living there: listening, serving, and sharing love in whatever simple ways they could.   That’s when justice began to flow.

Together, Frédéric and his companions founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul as a way to promote acts of charity and spiritual renewal among Catholics.   New chapters quickly opened, and they soon spread beyond the borders of France.   What began as a trickle eventually swelled into a network of thousands of streams flowing around the globe.

Right now, try to imagine Jesus’ love for everyone who is suffering.   Let that love soften your heart and break down any barriers of comfort and indifference within you.   Picture Jesus’ mercy flowing like a gentle stream toward the homeless woman living under a nearby bridge or a local couple grieving a miscarriage.

If you don’t know how to help, just be present.   Listen more than you speak.   Then see where it leads.   Even small acts of mercy can grow into something powerful.   Frédéric believed that when we sit with the poor, feel the same cold that pierces them, and listen, justice will surge like water within our hearts.

“Lord, let your love for the poor surge within me.”

Psalm 50:7-13, 16-17
Matthew 8:28-34