“The joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the (people) of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted in any way, are the joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well.   Nothing that is genuinely human fails to find an echo in their hearts.”

This opening of Gaudium et Spes from Vatican II speaks to the ongoing mission work of MISEVI in 18 different countries. As members of this Church, we are all called to be leaven in our own communities, sisters, priests, and lay people alike. MISEVI literally means Lay Vincentian Missionaries, and in the midst of such grief and anguish in our world, we are inspired by the joy and the hope that those who are poor bring to us as we tend to some of the needs presented.

It is inspiring to see that MISEVI continues to be at work in these countries:  Argentina, Brazil, Panama, El Salvador, Peru, Mexico, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Lebanon, Egypt, Spain, Slovakia, Poland, Ireland, and the United States.  And then to hear of groups in Chile, South Korea, and Italy that are hoping to form their own MISEVI communities.  The deep desire of lay people to respond to the grief and the anguish that is presented to them and to receive joy and hope is so reflective of what St. Vincent and St. Louise began more than 400 years ago.  This Vincentian charism, to evangelize so as to be evangelized, is core to the work of MISEVI.

Allow me to tell a story about our friend Ed. Our parish community serves lunch daily to those who are living on the streets of Denver.  Ed is one of those who regularly comes for lunch.  You can picture him, with threadbare jeans, fingers scarred from frostbite, shoes that are lined with cardboard to protect from the cold, ice hanging from his frozen beard. When we encounter Ed on Sunday mornings at mass, his face is radiant with joy, even after sleeping overnight on the street.  One Monday morning, we were carrying supplies into the kitchen for the sandwich line.  The weather had been particularly cold the weekend before (several degrees below freezing), and we thankfully saw Ed approaching us, wearing new jeans and a warmer coat.  I told him we were worried about him and wondered how he had survived the nights.  With a smile on his face, he said, “Well, I’m here!  And I was touched by an angel….a little bird, my sister Robin, gave me these new clothes.”

As I struggle with having too many things, I’m so aware of the simplicity of Ed and the very few things he has, and how free he is to recognize angels in his life.  To share in a bit of his anguish means that I also share in the joy and hope that he lives daily.

As MISEVI continues to grow, may we, lay missionaries, always be reminded that  “Nothing that is genuinely human fails to find an echo in (our) hearts.”