Serviens in spe, reads the Society’s motto, Serving in Hope. Hope can be a powerful feeling, a state of mind that keeps us going through great difficulties. It is a light at the end of the tunnel, the silver lining behind the cloud, and the gain we seek to receive from the pain of our efforts. But the hope in which Vincentians serve is much more than a feeling or a motivation – it is a virtue and a grace to be shared.

There is no doubt that the material support we offer to the neighbor is important. Sitting in darkness and heat with the electricity cut off in the middle of summer can lead to hopelessness, and hunger and thirst can lead to despair. As Bl. Frédéric cautioned, we must “beware of despair most of all, for this is the death of the soul.” [42, to Falconnet, 1831] The money, the food, the furniture and the clothing – all the things we can provide to offer some small relief for the neighbor’s suffering is vital. As St. James reminds us, if all we do is wish the poor well, but “do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

Yet, as important as these works are, they are not enough by themselves; works without faith are no less empty than faith without works, and “Vincentians visit not merely to drop off groceries or pay a bill, but to form relationships based on trust and friendship.” [Manual, 20] Our visiting, our encouragement, and our prayers serve most importantly to bring true hope.

We work tirelessly not only to help the poor, but to help them move out of poverty. At the same time, we recognize that the hope in which we serve must not be so limited that it is restricted to a hope that the lights will be turned back on, or the rent will be paid, but is instead “the great hope that cannot be destroyed.” [Spe Salvi, 35] It is the hope that is the light of the world, the hope that fills our hearts, the hope that transcends all worldly cares; it is a hope that grows from the love of a God who holds each of us precious in His sight, and does not abandon us in our despair.

It is important to eat, but it leaves you hungry again later. It is important to pay the rent, but the bill comes due again next month. God’s love is eternal, and our first responsibility in serving the poor is to do so for love alone, in the hope that through our caring “the poor may catch a glimpse of God’s great love for them.” [Rule, Part I, 2.1]

Life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Those things are consumed in an instant and then we need them again, which sometimes leads us to worry too much, or to store up more than we need, but “the one who has hope lives differently.” [Spe Salvi, 2]

Contemplate

In relieving the neighbor’s suffering, do I also offer hope?

By Timothy Williams,
Senior Director of Formation & Leadership Development
Society of St. Vicent de Paul USA.