Catechesis 5 - HOW TO SERVE TODAY IN THE VINCENTIAN CHARISM 

A study and reflection guide on the conference given by Sr. Maria Yonide, D.C. in the book “Opening the door of the third millennium”, pages 67-71. (August 11, 2000)

OBJECTIVE:

To discover, through the reading of the conference of Sr. Yonide, how to serve the poor today in the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul. 

1.  TO SERVE         

 Let us listen to the Word

(...) Having loved those who were his in the world, loved them to the end (...) Knowing that the Father had put everything into his hands and that he had come from God and was returning to God, he got up from table, removed his outer garments and, taking a towel, wrapped it round his waist; he then poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel he was wearing... (John 13:1-5).

We find here the perfect model of service:  the Son of God, knelt before man in order to wash his feet.  Our Lord manifests his glory in such a manner totally in contrary to our way of thinking:  he chooses to be among us as one who serves.  He loves us “to the end”:  genuine service is not the result of purely logical thinking or a conviction that something should be done.  That helps but genuine service is born out of love, of a commitment to mankind and his problems.  

To serve is not an activity but it refers to our “whole attitude”, which involves all aspects of our personality.  We are or are not servants... This depends on how we look at the world around us, especially how we look at other persons. 

“Anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mt.  20:26-28)

“Knowing how to serve” also means “knowing how to accept the service of others”.  Sometimes we think we are capable of saving the whole world on our own: what great hopes!  We need others, their help and their service, in the same way that our Lord accepted Simon of Cyrene’s assistance. 

2. THREE ATTITUDES 

Let us read what the three persons below have to say about their attitudes.  What do you think?  

Mr. A

Mr. B

Mr. C

Which attitude do you identify yourself with?  What comes to your mind upon reading Mr. C’s comments?  Do you sometimes think like him? ...

It is so easy to talk about service... to repeat over and over again that “others” should do something… words and initiatives that are never translated into action…Sometimes, this runs the risk of turning into a “well-organized” organization.

3. PARABLE OF THE ORGANIZED YOUNG MEN 

A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of bandits; they stripped him, beat him and then made off, leaving him half dead.  A group of organized young men on an excursion passed the same way and came upon him.  The young men decided to help him:  they returned to their homes and formed four committees (five members in each).  They prepared beautiful posters that said “Let us help the poor!” and organized a forum to present the case to all the inhabitants of the town.  Someone suggested applying for a subsidy from the European Union but a reasonable person noted that that would take much time.  So they decided not to go ahead with the subsidy request and started to solicit medicines and bandages from all the pharmacies in the city.  Finally everything was ready:  10 kilos of medicines and a beautiful van with loudspeakers, a “model project”.  The young men, together with the journalists, went in search of the man in need of help.  When they reached the place it was too late: the man was dead. 

4. GUIDE QUESTIONS FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION   

Ask yourselves these important questions, both at a personal level and as a JMV group: 

Our Lord does not ask of you to help all the poor people in the world nor to solve each and every problem of humanity:  he wants you to help that particular poor person you meet everyday – your neighbour, the elderly woman who is fearful to cross the street – these are YOUR poor. 

Do you know that it is also possible to help the poor in big cities, where egoism, the pursuit of efficiency, relativism and individualism prevail.  Before suggesting to others a “Christian service”, we should first ask ourselves whether our way of acting and thinking, our way of “looking at the world” is truly Christian.  From where do we draw our vision of the world?  Prayer, the Word of God or only from television, magazines...? 

“It is only in meeting Christ that you can present Him to the poor.  In the reverse, your service will neither be Christian nor Vincentian.” (M. Juana Elizondo, Opening the door of the third millennium, page 179)

After verifying that our viewpoint of life is similar to that of our Lord, let us now check whether our daily life follows those ideals:  let us not simply speak out against euthanasia but ask ourselves whether our neglected grandmother does not, at times, say:  “I wish I were dead!”  A person who is loved and accepted does not want to die. 

To conclude, let us look at the Servant par excellence of the Lord, our Blessed Mother Mary.  Her whole life is one of service: she goes to the help of Elizabeth, serves in the house at Nazareth, intercedes for the newlyweds in Cana, is present at the foot at the Cross… silently, without talking much.  SHE IS THERE with her hands ready to be of service.  With her big motherly heart, she understands the needs of others. 

5. PRAYER  

Oh Mary, you who understand our perplexity of the numerous difficulties we are faced with in our society today, teach us how to serve effectively and properly.  Help us so that our service may be a true imitation of your Son, Jesus, Servant of the Poor.  Oh Virgin of Silence, teach us not to seek the approval of others but the good of those who need us.  Help all JMV members in the world who wish to follow your example by responding to the signs of the times with our service and attention to the needs in our midst. 

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