Two weeks ago, I attended the national conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Baltimore as their national spiritual advisor.
I return every year, energized, grateful, and inspired by these remarkable Vincentians who live a deep Catholic spirituality as they act out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, going to the poor and suffering with the love of Christ.
The Society is one of the largest providers of housing in this country and a leader in effective and efficient disaster relief.
The quantity and quality of the good done by the Society in our country and around the world are beyond measure.
Beautiful work
Reflecting on my rich experiences with the St. Vincent de Paul Society led me to ponder the beautiful work of so many other Catholic organizations with which I am involved.
The Knights of Columbus, Catholic Charities USA, the Catholic Multicultural Center in Madison, and Catholic Relief Services come to mind.
Both the global and local impact of these five groups touches literally millions of lives in the areas of faith formation, service to the poor and marginalized, advocacy for justice, sustained development in regions of poverty, education of youth, and the simple compassionate love of the Lord.
And these are just four of 10s of thousands of initiatives, institutions, projects, organizations, offices, and volunteers who feed, house, educate, heal, and love people in the name of Jesus Christ and are inspired by the Catholic faith.
Many people love to bash the Church for the failures and sins of her leaders and members.
Some of this criticism is certainly deserved, as the Church here on earth is ever in need of reform and renewal.
But many people either do not know or choose to ignore the enormous amount of good the Church does in every nook and cranny of the world.
There is no other institution on the planet or in the history of the human race, which contributes more to human flourishing than the Catholic Church.
We should trumpet this inspiring fact from the housetops, not from an attitude of superiority or boasting, but to let everyone know how much the Church loves every human being, as created in the image and likeness of God.
Seeing our good works, may people give praise to the Father for all that is daily accomplished in the love of Jesus Christ, and may they join us in these heroic works of charity and justice.
The true needs of the world
Our world is in dire need of charity, mercy, compassion, and justice. A society which is merely materialistic, transactional, and devoid of unconditional regard for the other becomes a hell of self-absorption, indifference, and ultimately hatred.
If love ceases to be the guiding force of history and society, then the law of the jungle takes over, the survival of the fittest.
The competition for political, economic, and cultural power becomes the thread of the evening news, instead of the pursuit of the common good, the building of a humane and just society, and the triumph of goodness.
Pope Francis has spoken often about our “throw-away society and the culture of indifference,” the glorification of possessions and comfort at the expense of the poor and suffering.
When other people are simply objects in our peripheral vision or obstacles in our path to success, we fail to even understand the fundamental purpose of our existence as a call to love God and others, to be in solidarity with everyone around us, to seek the Kingdom of God.
The social teachings of the Catholic Church lay out a comprehensive and essential vision of fundamental principles which can guide any nation, society, or culture in truly realizing the common good and helping all people to truly flourish.
The dignity of the human person, our rights and responsibilities, the virtues of solidarity, subsidiarity, a preferential option for the poor, the centrality of marriage and family, the inherent dignity of work, and the stewardship of God’s creation are the organizing values which are absolutely necessary to build a civilization worthy of the human person, and a society of love, compassion, and justice for all.
I thank the thousands of people here in our diocese who contribute their time, talent, and treasure to the great works of charity and justice, which occur daily through the Catholic Church.
Anytime a disaster occurs somewhere in the world, a local need becomes acute, or assistance is requested, so many generous folks step forward to give, love, and serve.
We are most like the merciful Father when we pour ourselves out in compassion to our brothers and sisters.
Whenever we do so, God uses our actions, no matter how small or unnoticed, to unleash the mighty power of the death and resurrection of Christ.
For all that you do and are, I am profoundly grateful.