In the midst of a bitterly fought election campaign, on issues such as wealth and poverty and "entitlement" reform, American Catholics and other Christians may wonder where to turn for guidance. One outstanding guide is Vincent de Paul (1581-1660), a saint whose feast day is Sept. 27. French priest, outspoken servant of the sick, of the poor, of the refugee and of the prisoner, he was a relentless critic of the arrogance and avarice of the wealthy 1 percent of his time. The 1947 film Monsieur Vincent won many accolades, including the Academy Award for best foreign film. It remains as pertinent as ever, and is an astonishingly poignant portrayal of a man whose total commitment to love of the deprived and the marginalized continues to inspire.
Vincent de Paul worked tirelessly to improve the lives of those scorned and exploited by the rich and powerful. Together with Louise de Marillac, he founded the Daughters of Charity, a congregation of sisters that was not to be cloistered but present in the world among the the most needy persons. Saint Vincent and Saint Louise met with plenty of opposition, especially from self-righteous elites who equated poverty with moral depravity, and elites who did not want to get their hands dirty in any sense. Such persons were adamantly opposed to charity for children abandoned by single mothers, for proper Parisians considered such children the offspring of sin. The Daughters of Charity focused their ministry on just such neglected persons, by creating orphanages and hospitals, and by making health care available irrespective of ability to pay. In the early nineteenth century, St. Elizabeth Seton founded an American branch known as the Sisters of Charity, and they have staffed hospitals as well as schools for some two centuries.
But Vincent de Paul did not only appeal for charity on the part of wealthy individuals. He also took his cause to the highest levels of the state, including to Armand Cardinal de Richelieu, first minister to Louis XIII, Anne of Austria, Queen Regent during the minority of Louis XIV, and Philippe-Emmanuel de Gondi, the overseer of royal galleys to which prisoners were sent for long periods of hard labor so exhausting that it would kill many of them. Once he had witnessed the inhumanity of the galleys, Vincent de Paul insisted that treatment of galley prisoners be improved, and it some improvement did indeed follow. Richelieu brought France into the Thirty Years' War (1618-48) between the Austrian Hapsburgs and a coalition of their opponents, France among them. The war brought not only battlefield deaths of soldiers, but civilian mortality as well, and frequent outbreaks of plague and other contagious diseases. Paris filled with desperate refugees, and Vincent de Paul became their advocate, as well as an advocate for peace.
What if St. Vincent de Paul were alive today, in 2012 America? He would be utterly appalled by the war on the poor waged by certain politicians, some of whom even call themselves Catholic, though they may be followers of atheist Ayn Rand, spokesperson for greed unlimited. Vincent de Paul would support a major increase in the minimum wage, and he would defend President Obama's Affordable Health Care Act, as at least a step in the right direction toward universal access to health care, however imperfect that Act may be. Vincent de Paul would surely praise those who support such access, and the taxes needed to make it possible, but he would denounce the rich who seek ever greater tax reductions they do not need, even as they campaign to cut Medicaid, to cut Medicare, to cut food stamps, to cut student loans and grants, and to create privatized social security, an oxymoron if ever there were one. He would be horrified by a nation that equates a person's value with how much money he or she has, for such a perspective makes a thorough mockery of the Catholic Church's teaching on the dignity of the human person. Vincent would find sadly familiar the dishonesty of those who like to pretend that the poor, and indeed anyone with modest resources, is lazy and lacking in the supposedly virtuous ways that make the rich somehow worthy of their wealth.
Some politicians speak of the need for entitlement reform, and by this they mean that those in need should be told to get a job or starve. But Vincent de Paul would work for authentic entitlement reform: a radical change in the self-satisfied, arrogant mentality of many well-off persons who consider themselves entitled to live in limitless luxury while others around them suffer in countless ways. Vincent would take up the cause of families struggling to keep a roof over their heads and food on their tables. He would take up the cause of refugees and immigrants, welcoming them and finding for them the assistance they need, regardless of their race or nationality.
Prisons in the United States are overflowing with the poor, the undereducated, and men and women often the victims of crime at least as much as much as it perpetrators. In many states prisoners are treated as but refuse to warehouse as cheaply and as inhumanely as possible. St. Vincent de Paul would take up the cause of prison reform, and work to give those imprisoned the dignity that is the right of every human being.
A Vincent de Paul today would be a prophetic voice, calling the greedy to immediate repentance and total reform. A Vincent de Paul today would be relentless in promoting the responsibility and moral obligation of those well off to assist those in need. He would support both church-sponsored efforts such as Catholic Relief Services and laws and state-sponsored programs that guarantee a decent standard of living. He would denounce the exaggerated individualism that infects so much of American life, and promote instead the Catholic ideal of the common good. In these difficult times, may St. Vincent de Paul pray for us, and may God not delay in sending us more saints like him.
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Furthermore the harangue about Ayn Rand is an ad hominem attack that has nothing to do with the issues at hand. This was not a high road article about dialogue and Catholic Faith but yet another attempt by the Catholic Left to justify support for those that promote many direct evils and make no attempt to compromise on the Pro-Life issues. The US bishops highlighted these concerns throughout the process and they were ignored. It is hardly a law of which a saint would approve .
He gives healthcare to the masses and tries to make life better for the middle class and poor. I can't believe these GOP call themselves Christians they stand for everything Jesus hated. Unbelievable!
Of course there is greed in the world (it is one of the 7 deadly sins) BUT is that a legislation issue OR one between God and the Greedy? Do not so readily castigate the rich, are they not the ones who start the businesses that hire, so as to give folks a sense of responsibility and pride concerning the care of their families. Plus, are they not the business owners who provide 'health insurance' as a perk for joining a company? If a company chose not to provide insurance they would make more profits! More importantly though, it is up the job seeker to decide if he wants to hire on sans insurance. FYI, SVdP is a non-profit organization who depend upon grants as well as donations to meet the needs of the poor. Frankly, our donations do not add up to 5% of what 'grants' bring in, and who provides those grants (capitalists).
I truly believe that the root of poverty starts with the formative years (up through the teens). If a child has not learned the basics of personal economics and self reliance by then and spends his time self absorbed instead of...enough said, you get the gist, you will most likely be looking at the next generation of those constantly with their 'Hand Out' rather than seeking a 'Hand Up'.
I would interested to know how many Catholics today actually know that caring for others is a Catholic ideal. Far too many that I know are voting Republican because of sex and gender issues, or because they "shouldn't have to pay for somebody else who can't be bothered to care for themselves."
I stopped going to mass in 2004, when the bishops went after John Kerry and tried to deny him the sacraments because of his egalitarian and highly appropriate (for a statesman) views on abortion. Today the archbishop of Newark has just gone there again. Who are Catholics today, really?
I also felt this article was to socialistic for my taste. I have been a member of a SVdP since we started a conference in our small community in 2000. As the good lord in his magnificence gave us 'free will' I believe, it is up to the individual (not he state) to care for his brother via Time, Talent or Treasure. FYI, this post is dual directed, both to you and the moderator's opinions.
Because of 'Free Will' I feel no sense of participation when the govt. uses my taxes to fund their programs because I do not have the option of directing my monies, but when I work or chose to donate locally, then I feel I have participated in the Christ's admonition to keep the welfare of our brothers in our minds (do for others...).
So, Mr. Fed, before you dig deeper into my pockets I see more appropriate ways to correct this issue of charity/giving; for instance, how about corrective legislation the would stimulate competition among Insurance Companies, let them compete in intrastate markets rather than by todays state's monopolies where other companies are blocked by law from set up shop where-ever they feel. See follow-on post
And even so, Jesus healed Romans and Samaritans and Syro-Phoenicians. Why can't a church that claims to be His do likewise?