“I had not yet learned of the situation at the house [hospital] of the poor. But my God, my dear Sister, who is going to live there and what will happen to the work of the Ladies of Charity, if their patients are obliged to go to the hospital? You will see that the bashful poor will be deprived ofthe help they receive from cooked food and medicines. The small sum of money they will be given will not be used for their needs. We must do all in our power to prevent this from happening by very humble and charitable remonstrances.” (l. 497).
Louise de Marillac, Letter to Sister Barbara Angiboust asking her to lead, from Bernay, several communities.
Reflection:
- The Ladies of Charity (AIC), established in Bernay, a major city in northern France, in Normandy, called for Daughters of Charity to run a girls’ school, give catechesis to women and care for the poor. In the mind of Louise de Marillac, recalling her situation before being Daughter of Charity, was attending to the bashful poor (less fortunate people). The Daughters of Charity would be under the orders of the Ladies and the Ladies thought on building a hospital to welcome the sick.
- Louise de Marillac objected for two reasons. One, because the Ladies of Charity would no longer personally visit the sick in their homes, where catechesis could be given easily to them and the family, losing the human contact. Visiting the sick they could see the poverty of the family and help with money. And two, because the situation and the conditions of the hospitals were so calamitous that only the poor went to them. The rich had their doctor at home or asked him to come. For this reason, the bashful poor would never go to a hospital.
- Louise felt that the Vincentian Family was obliged, not only to remedy the needs of the poor, but also to be a model before the world of what should be done and how charity should be done: the poor must be treated with all the dignity of their social status and of human beings, children of the Father redeemed by Jesus Christ and our brothers.
- But St. Louise directs the Vincentian Family not only to do good, but also to prevent something done or decreed that would cause harm to the poor; and this we usually forget.
Questions for dialogue:
- Are we forgetting personal help to the poor with the excuse that there are many frauds and that it should be organized? Is it for convenience or for organizing it? Do we get results? Do we usually abandon in our institutions the aid to the needy?
- The Vincentian Family must keep in mind that the needy prefer to be given work rather than alms. How do we help them find a job or start a business?
- How do you interpret the gospel: I was hungry and gave me … who welcomes them, welcomes me … or the parable of the Good Samaritan?
Benito Martínez, C.M.
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