Because of the ministry of the active members of the Society’s conferences and councils, we know the social reality of the many humble people that we visit in their homes. We know their suffering and their anxieties, their financial needs, their virtues and their defects. We are “in the homes of the poor” and our charity is truly effective because we do not confuse charity with philanthropy.

The reality of many of the people whom we serve is quite dramatic. Many are unemployed, have no access to quality education and have to wait on long lines in order to obtain medical attention. At the same time, these individuals are vulnerable to urban violence and government excess that complicates life in the peripheral neighborhoods.

These harsh realities sadden the hearts of the members of the Society and the Vincentian Family. This situation causes tears to well-up on the faces of our members who often find themselves powerless in the face of so many difficulties. Furthermore, in many cases there is a total absence of a religious environment within the family … and that situation creates another challenge for the process of evangelization.

We cannot, however, lose hope that the situation will improve … improve for the families and improve for civil society in general. Hope is one of the theological virtues that softens the hearts of the faithful who believe in God, the Father, and who believe in Jesus Christ, our Savior. That divine hope is the key to our joy because without hope there is no courage or strength to live. Being positive and optimistic in the midst of a selfish, consumer society can make a tremendous difference at the time of a home visit

We, as members of the Society, are to be “heralds of hope,” always encouraging something better and helping those whom we serve “to look ahead” and to seek alternatives that will enable them to overcome the difficulties, sufferings and discomforts caused by the unjust society in which we live … a society in which a few have much and many have very little.

A biblical passage that is quite clear about the definition (and the practical application) of the concept of hope in the day-to-day life of the believer, a concept that we should practice in our ministry on behalf of those in need is found in the writings of Saint Paul: We boast in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us (Romans 5:2-5.).

This message that endurance produces proven character and proven character produces hope must be proclaimed by members of the Society when engaged in the ministry of home visitation. In that way families, if they have faith and charity and hope, can be confident that God can do everything and that nothing is impossible for God. Let us not be discouraged by the present reality, because with hope, we shall indeed overcome.

Written by: Renato Lima de Oliveira
16th General President of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul

Translated: Charles T. Plock, CM
Eastern Province, USA