Help becomes honorable, because it may become mutual.

Help is humiliating when it appeals to men from below, taking heed only of their material wants. It humiliates when there is no reciprocity. When you give the poor man nothing but bread or clothes, there is no likelihood of his ever giving you in return.

But help honors when it appeals to him from above. It respects him when it deals with his soul, with his religious, moral and political education, and with all that emancipates him from his passions. Help honors when, to the bread that nourishes, it adds the visit that consoles, advice that enlightens, the friendly handshake that lifts up flagging courage. It esteems the poor man when it treats him with respect, not only as an equal but a superior, since he is capable of suffering what we perhaps are incapable of suffering. After all, he is the messenger of God to us, sent to prove our justice and our charity and to save us by our works.

Help then becomes honorable, because it may become mutual. Every man who gives a kind word, good advice, a consolation today, may tomorrow need a kind word, advice or consolation The hand that you clasp, clasps yours in return That indigent family whom you love, loves you in return and will have largely acquitted them­selves toward you when they shall have prayed for you.

Frederic Ozanam, 1848, "De l'Aumône" (On Almsgiving)

published in the newspaper L’Ère Nouvelle.

Quoted in Voices of the Saints by Bert Ghezzi

This is the heart of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. It can't be better expressed how we are benefitted by our neighbors while they are being helped by us. Truly, this is something of the Lord. It is also the heart of our founder, Frederic Ozanam. The more I read about him, the more I admire him.

My Patron Saint for 2024 — Blessed Frederic Ozanam

Frederic Ozanam
founder of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society

Choosing a special patron saint for a new year is an old custom that has found favor again in some spots. You can choose a saint who interests you or it can be a name drawn from a hat of potential saints (one is really leaning on divine inspiration at that point) or picked at random (try the saint's name generator). The idea is that one is being directed (with help) to become more aware of specific areas in life where special guidance might be necessary. 

I've done this, off and on, since 2006 and had every sort of saint from Vitus to Francis Xavier to Justina to J.R.R. Tolkien (not a saint, I know, but a devout Catholic whose writing I focused on that year).  The new Church year begins with Advent next Sunday so I have been giving some thought to who I'll be spending the year with.

This year I was intending to choose Saint Vincent de Paul. Looking him up on his saint day I was fascinated by the breadth of experiences he'd had, up to and including being kidnapped by pirates. However, Frederic Ozanam stepped in and nudged me into realizing that he's already influencing my life in small ways that make a big difference. First of all, I joined the Saint Vincent de Paul Society (SVdP) in May and began hearing about him. I didn't care much, to be truthful, because I didn't know much about any of the people associated with the society. And no one could seem to do more than relate a few quick stories of his life. I asked about books and no one knew of any. 

So I continued in careless ignorance until I was coming up with spiritual material for the team couples in a Beyond Cana retreat that we were helping get started. I was surprised to come across him in 30 Days with Married Saints which gave me a nice insight into his home life. More recently a fellow attendee at the Ozanam Orientation for SVdP brought up a collection of Ozanam's letters. I was really interested in how to get a copy and she pulled it out of her backpack, saying, "So you're the one I brought this for!" 

Reading the letters I've been struck by his gentle ways of giving advice, taking criticism, and his boundless enthusiasm. I began considering how I could act similarly since I have a tendency to rush in, all guns blazing. Truly, this description from the Catholic Encyclopedia has come across to me: During his life he was an active member and a zealous propagator of the society. With all his zeal, he was, however, tolerant. 

Reader, that's when I chose him for 2024! We got about a month's head start but that's what it took to make me sit up and pay attention. I'm looking forward to his guidance in the next year.