Vincentian Day of Prayer and Fast – June 10, 2014

Dear Vincentian Brothers and sisters: We continue to pray for one another and so many people around the world facing tragedies, losing hope and even losing their faith. Pray for all around us. Especially pray for those who seem mean and angry. God can create joy and happiness in everyone, even the worst offenders. Remember always smile, it is the universal prayer. You may even get a smile in return. There is so much to pray for in so many places, in my heart are the girls of Nigeria, Canadian aboriginal girls missing, Nicaragua for peace, Ukraine and Russia and I know there are many more. Peace begins with each one of us and maybe it will spread around the world. God hear us and let your love shine on those in turmoil. Amen Alleluia.

Behind the Scenes – Cherish all Vincentians who are not on the front line. They are generally the people doing the banking or books, keeping records and quietly cleaning and stocking our shelves, in larders, stores and offices. In our SSVP the behind the scenes people are many. They say yes and do the job. Of special note is our phone co-ordinators. They busily take the calls and some information to pass on to the home visitor. They are the first friendly voice of Christ to those in need.  Mary truly worked behind the scenes in the name of Jesus, her Son. She prays each one of us will do our jobs in the name of Jesus. Do the best even when there is no audience. Even though we may not have a light on us, we do have the light of Christ. We collect our bags of food as beggars for those in need of our food and goods. We are collecting for Christ. Each donor of money and goods is Christ giving us a hand. Remember those behind the scenes, we have all been there. Just doing God’s will with love, respect, justice and joy.

Sounds of Silence – Sometimes we are in a deafening garble of noise. All around us, horns honking, music blaring, so many people talking, phones ringing and television blaring with anything and everything. Make it stop! We need time to hear God and ourselves, our inner selves. This brings me to retreats. We have a silent retreat each year for SSVP held in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It is in the dead of winter, but still we brave the cold to see the outdoor Stations of the Cross or the majesty of creation. The sounds you hear are mostly at dinner. Sounds like people swallowing, celery crunching and the odd silverware or dish clanging, a sneeze, a cough, but mostly silence and smiles are our conversations. My other retreat is to our summer place in the mountains of BC, right by a lake. Many who visit us say it is a retreat and are called to prayer. There is no electricity, no running water, and no cable TV. However, we have solar power, the deafening sound of birds and some animals, the ducks, geese and fish jumping in the water, or kids splashing and playing. We do have the sound of guitars and singing by the campfire. When our children were young and even when our grandchildren were young, it was an electronic free zone. We have lightened up as the teenagers love their phones, but use is restricted. We play board games, instead of computer games. Our prayers seem more meaningful and our time together is filled with love and a closeness no one can explain. God is always there in every moment, sound and sight.

Believe – Do you believe? Paul asks, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” (Acts 19:2). Do you believe the Father always there and always loves us? Really! We often say we do, but sometimes our actions tell a different story. “Do you really believe?” We say we do, but our actions reveal the truth. Sometimes we act as if God has abandoned us. We take matters into our own hands as if God doesn’t care or doesn’t have the power or desire to help. (John 16:31). At the Eucharist we gather as the body of believers. I just love this feeling, sitting at Mass with this body of believer, knowing we pray together and for one another. In our community of believers, God speaks to us, in quiet reflection and through the Priest. We are not individuals but a body of believers in our Vincentian Spirituality.

Advocate – God always speaks to us. The Holy Spirit is our advocate and often carries the message. Our job is to listen. We know he speaks as community, but also as individuals. The advice helps us to live our life as Vincentian servants. God will always help us with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Our goal is to listen, to serve and to follow the Way, the Truth and the Life and live as a servant of the Trinity, serving all in need who God puts before us.

Blessings,

Lynn

Lynn L’Heureux is Special needs co-coordinator & Advisor of the Society of St Vincent de Paul Calgary Alberta Canada.

Her newsletter is translated into 3 languages, hopefully soon to be 4. They have a group which brings the prayer into China and it is translated into Mandarin and other Chinese dialects.

Subscribe to her weekly newsletter Vincentian Day of Prayer and Fast (English and Spanish) by sending an email to calgaryssvpadm@gmail.com