Crisis of Faith in the World Today

9 May 1983
Louvain, Belgium

Faith, as we tell our people, is a gift. If it is a gift, it is a grace. We know, too, from our theology that the economy of God's grace has its laws. There are some graces that only come to us when we ask for them. Incidentally, it was one of the points that Our Lady made clear to St. Catherine in the rue du Bac: the diamonds, from which no rays came forth, were those graces for which Our Lady had not been asked.

Because we are members of the Congregation, there are also graces which will only come to us through being full, active members of the Congregation. There are graces which will only come to us when we gather with Confreres, as we are today, to ask God as a body, for the graces which not only the Congregation needs, but which each one of us needs in his own particular ministry. It was St. Vincent's vision that men went forth from Community to preach the Gospel to the poor and his vision of Community was one in which men shared a life of prayer and drew from each other the strength that true community life can give. As our Constitutions put it: "The Vincentian Community is, therefore, organized to prepare its apostolic activity and to encourage and help it continually." (C.19).

What I am trying to say to you, my dear Confreres, is that, if we are not to be discouraged and disheartened by the religious indifference that surrounds us, our faith needs to be strong. Our faith can only be strong if we put ourselves in full contact with Christ Who has prayed that our faith will not fail. And we are only in full contact with Christ when we have more than a superficial contact with the Community which He has raised up through His servant, Vincent de Paul.

Yes, it is important that we do not lose faith in Christ, that is clear. It is important also that we do not lose faith in the Congregation which, as St. Vincent saw it, was the little ship in which we go to heaven. It is important that we do not forget that vow of stability by which we promised God that we would work for Him in and through the Congregation "toto vitae tempore." In a word, it is important that we do not break faith with God. "I am bound by the vows which I have made." (Ps. 56:13).

"To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of His call and may fulfill every good resolve and work of faith by His power, so that the name of Our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Thes 1:11-12).