The Society of St Vincent de Paul Bluffton, South Carolina

07/14/2024

Our next St. Vincent de Paul meeting will be:
When: July 20, 2024
Where: Parish Life Center, 32 St. Gregory the Great Drive, Bluffton, SC 29909

07/14/2024

June 2024 spiritual meditation:

Reading​ Mark 12:28 – 33

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other comandment greater than these.” The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

Reflection

People tend to boil today's Gospel down into the phrase “love God and love your neighbor.” It seems like such a simple formula. But perhaps the phrase loses some of the power behind it if we don't have a true understanding of love. Love is not simply respect or admiration, or even romantic feelings. The Gospel tells us that love is committing our whole selves: heart, soul, mind, and strength. Each of these must be oriented toward God so that we can comprehand the love that he has for us. Then we must turn and give that same love, the gift of our whole selves to our neighbors.

06/04/2023

June Spiritual Meditation:

“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40

Who is that “least brother?” It’s interesting that Jesus specifically points to the
person considered the least, as opposed to a more general statement that includes
all people. Why not say, “Whatever you do to others…?” This would include all
whom we serve. But instead Jesus pointed to the least brother. Perhaps this should
be seen, especially, as the most sinful person, the weakest, the most gravely ill, the
incapacitated, the hungry and the homeless, and all those who have pronounced
needs in this life.

The most beautiful and touching part about this statement is that Jesus identifies
Himself with the person in need, the “least” of all. By serving those in special
need, we are serving Jesus. But for Him to be able to say that, He has to be
intimately united with these people. And by showing such an intimate connection
to them, Jesus reveals their infinite dignity as persons.

Reflect, today, upon the dignity of each and every person. Try to call to mind
anyone you may fail to look at with perfect respect. Who is it you look down upon
and roll your eyes at? Who is it you judge or disdain? It is within this person,
more than any other, that Jesus waits for you. He waits to meet you and to have
you love Him in the weak and the sinner. Reflect upon their dignity. Identify the
person who fits this description the most in your life and commit yourself to love
and serve them. For in them you will love and serve our Lord.

Dear Lord, I do understand and believe that You are present, in hidden form, in the
weakest of the weak, the poorest of the poor and in the sinner in our midst. Help
me to diligently seek You out in each and every person I encounter, especially those
in most need. As I find You, may I love You and serve You with my whole heart.
Jesus, I trust in You.

---My Catholic Life

06/04/2023

April Spiritual Meditation:

EARTH DAY REFLECTION

Can we celebrate Earth Day today without reflecting on how the earth came to be?
And, necessarily, its place in the Universe? The sacred authors of Genesis tell us that
on the 3 rd day, after day was separated from night, and the sky was created apart from
the waters, God said “Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin so
that the dry land may appear.”… “ And God called the dry land ‘the earth.’”
Scientists today figure that this happened about 4.5 billion years ago when gravity
pulled swirling gas and dust into a spherical shape, about 8000 miles in diameter in a
spot 93 million miles from a star we call the sun. Along with 7 other planets it is a part
of the solar system whose farthest planet, Neptune, is 2.8 trillion miles from the sun.
So this solar system must be at least 5.6 trillion miles from end to end. And this solar
system is just a part of the Milky Way Galaxy. The Milky Way is but one of maybe
millions of galaxies which the Hubble telescope confirmed are out there. Can we wrap
our minds around such vastness? Can we comprehend infinity? Can we understand
God?
No, we can’t know or understand God but, in considering that our earth is but a speck
that we can and do know in the vastness of the universe we can appreciate Him. And
we can wonder. And we can be thankful that from all this vastness He has chosen to
bestow on our humble speck of a planet, Earth, the gift of bountiful life. Life of all sorts
–from plants, and insects, reptiles, fish, birds, mammals, to humans. And he even
sent His Son to experience this life on our small piece of the Universe, So, on Earth
Day as we contemplate the Majesty which created Earth we look also at the universe,
the heavens, and say as Thomas did in last Sunday’s Gospel when he realized the
Majesty before him: “My Lord and my God!”

Kathleen Panepinto

03/15/2023

Hello Friends, we have a brand new website, please check it out!

Next Meeting When: Saturday, April 1st, 2023 from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Where: Parish Life Center, 32 St. Gregory the Great Drive, Bluffton, SC 29909 March Spiritual Meditation After Vatican II, with its emphasis more on spirit than rules, people put down some rules immediately. Fasting for obvious reason...

03/15/2023

Our next St. Vincent de Paul meeting will be:
When: April 8, 2023
Where: Parish Life Center, 32 St. Gregory the Great Drive, Bluffton, SC 29909

03/15/2023

March Spiritual Meditation:

After Vatican II, with its emphasis more on spirit than rules, people put down some rules immediately. Fasting for obvious reasons was one of them. When fasting was no longer defined as a "mortal sin", it (seemed to) disappear overnight.

The 1983 peace pastoral of the US bishops conference, "The Challenge of Peace", called on Catholics to return to the Friday fast as an act of penance for peace. "Every Friday should be a day significantly devoted to prayer penance, and almsgiving for peace."

How do we explain the meaning of fasting in our own times? The fact is that the values of fasting strike to the heart of a person, sharpen the soul to the presence of God, and energize the spirit in a way engorgement never can.

Fasting calls a person to authenticity. It empties us, literally, of all the non-essentials in our lives so we can have room for God. Fasting confronts our consumer mentality with a reminder of what it is to be dependent on God. It reminds us that we are not here simply to pamper ourselves. We are, indeed, expected to be our brother and sister's keeper.

Fasting opens us to the truth. It makes space in us to hear others, to as the right questions, to ingest the answers we have been too comfortable to care about for far too long.

Fasting requires us to develop a sense of limits. No, we may not have it all, do it all, and demand it all.

Fasting teaches to say no to ourselves in small things so that we may have the strength to say no to those people and systems and governments who want to use us to shore up their own power and profit and the kind of engorgement that renders the rest of the world destitute.

Fasting puts us in touch with the Creator. It puts us in touch with ourselves. It puts us in touch with the prophet Jesus, who, fasting in the desert, gave up power, wealth, comfort, and self-centeredness. It puts us in touch with the rest of the creation whose needs now cry out in our own.

Excerpts from Awakening by Joan Chittister

02/04/2023

February Spiritual Meditation:

This prayer is attributed to St. Thomas More. Grant me, Oh Lord good digestion, and also something to digest.

Grant me, Oh Lord good digestion, and also something to digest.

Grant me a healthy body, and the necessary good humor to maintain it.

Grant me a simple soul that knows to treasure all that is good and that doesn't frighten easily at the sight of evil, but rather finds the means to put things back in their place.

Give me a soul that knows not boredom, grumbling, sighs and laments, nor excess of stress, because of that obstructing thing called, "I".

Grant me, O'Lord, a sense of good humor.

Allow me the grace to be able to take a joke and to discover in life a bit of joy and to be able to share it with others.

01/29/2023

Our Next St. Vincent de Paul Society Meeting will be:

When: Saturday, February 4th, 2023 from 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Where: Parish Life Center, 32 St. Gregory the Great Drive, Bluffton, SC 29909

All ARE WELCOME!

01/29/2023

January Spiritual Meditation

On this the feast day of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, who had much and sacrificed much, this is my reflection. When St. Elizabeth Seton looked at the children of the poor, she said what John had said, "Behold, the Lamb of God." Maybe not literally, but she knew that to serve and care for the most vulnerable and in need is to know and encounter God. Easier said than done, right? Take some time to pray about and ponder who the most poor and vulnerable are in your community. Are there ways you are serving them so that they can show you the heart of God? Can you be like the disciples and follow the Lamb of God?

11/16/2022

💗💗💗

10/08/2022

October Spiritual Meditation:

A life of service really is a thing that you should treasure
For you will make a difference to this world that lasts forever.
For those who are around someone whose life has good intent
Will always and forever be affected by their scent.

Whilst you may humbly fail to see the permeating heat
That comes from all your kindness to the people that you meet,
Yet others do appreciate the blessing that you bring.
It adds a glow to life, just as the sunshine does in spring.

You may not ever notice it. You may not ever know
The beauty of your life’s work, when humbly put on show.
So, never feel resentment; guard your heart as if it’s gold.
Just wear the belt of righteousness, and let God’s truth unfold.

And don’t rely on gratitude for all the things you do,
But ask the Lord for grace and love to help you see them through.
Enjoy your special role and know the privilege is yours:
God chooses workers carefully to compliment His cause.

And be assured that many of the seeds you sow will root
And in your absence will go on to flourish and bear fruit.
So live in humble servitude, content that God above
Is watching with a father’s pride, to shower you with love.

By Angela Yardy

05/07/2022

May Spiritual Meditation:

God of love, show us our place in this world as channels of your love for all the creatures of this earth, for not one of them are forgotten in your sight. Enlighten those who possess power and money that they may avoid the sin of indifference, that they may love the common good, advance the weak, and care for the world in which we live. The poor and the earth are crying out. O Lord. Seize us with your power and light, help us to protect all life, to prepare for a better future, for the coming of your Kingdom of justice, peace, love, and beauty. Praise be to you.

Pope Francis

04/04/2022

April Spiritual Meditation:

Lord Jesus,
You teach us in your parable that there are two kinds of people—those who bend down to help and those who look the other way.
Which kind of people will be?
We say, “Yes, Lord, I will love you and love my neighbor.”
But then we ask:
The migrant…is she my neighbor?
Those in poverty…are they my neighbors?
Victims of war across the world…are they neighbors?
One who faces racism…is he my neighbor?
Those disabled or elderly…are they my neighbors?
You remind us: Yes. All of us neighbors.
Show us how to love, Lord.
May we open our eyes.
May we emerge from our comfortable isolation.
May we build a world of compassion and dignity.
Lord Jesus, who was neighbor to all,
Help us to persevere in love.
Help us to restore dignity to the suffering.
Help us to build a society based not on exclusion, but on community.

Amen.

3rd Encyclical of Pope Francis on Fraternity & Social Friendship)

03/17/2022

“…Being a Vincentian allows us to put into practice on a regular basis the lessons which Jesus teaches us from His time in the desert. Our greatness does not lie in the trophies which this world offers us. Power, wealth, possessions, popularity, and comfort will all slip away from us, but what we do and who we become in the Lord and for the poor and suffering will endure forever. Treasure put at the service of love blesses the Church and the world. Time given to the poor will endure in the heart of God forever. Energy spent in the proclamation of Jesus’ saving Gospel produces eternal fruit.
How blessed we are to be in the Saint Vincent de Paul Society! We are a band of disciples, gathered in the vision of Saint Vincent and Saint Louise, formed by the thought of Blessed Frederic Ozanam, led by the Holy Spirit to put the Gospel into saving action. Every time we choose to love another person, especially those in most need of our time and attention, God powerfully uses us to unleash the glory of the Paschal Mystery, the wonder of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
We may feel tempted at times to give up hope, when our charitable efforts seem to bear no fruit or are not appreciated, or when our work for justice and social transformation seems painfully slow. We bear in mind the Parable of the Sower, who lavishly casts seed even on the rough and barren ground, wanting to give every possibility for vibrant life and renewed hope. Remember that no sacrificial gift, act of charity or merciful word goes unnoticed by the Lord. It is for Him and the Kingdom of God that we set out in the service of God’s poor and suffering.
Thank you for your radiant witness to the power and love of the risen Christ, the One who turned away from comfort and glory to wash the feet of the disciples, to give Himself to us in the humility of the Eucharist and to die on the cross for our sins. We give witness to and extend all that He has done. Have a blessed Lent!

Sincerely,
Bishop Donald J. Hying National Episcopal Advisor

03/05/2022

03/05/2022

March Spiritual Meditation:

Dear God,
In this season of Lent, we're reminded of our own difficulties and struggles. Sometimes the way has seemed too dark. Sometimes we feel like our lives have been marked by such grief and pain, we don't see how our circumstances can ever change. But in the midst of our weakness, we ask that you would be strong on our behalf. Lord, rise up within us, let your Spirit shine out of every broken place we've walked through. Allow your power to be manifest through our own weakness, so that others will recognize it is.
You who is at work on our behalf. We ask that you would trade the ashes of our lives for the beauty of your Presence. Trade our mourning and grief for the oil of joy and gladness from your Spirit. Trade our despair for hope and praise. We choose to give you thanks today and believe that this season of darkness will fade away. Thank you that you are with us in whatever we face and that you are greater than this trial. We know and recognize that you are Sovereign, we thank you for the victory that is ours because of Christ Jesus, and we are confident that you have good still in store for our future. We thank you that you are at work right now, trading our ashes for greater beauty. We praise you, for you make all things new. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

03/05/2022

Spiritual Meditation:

God, Lord of all creation, lover of life and
of everything, please help us to love in
our very small way what You love infinitely
and everywhere. We thank You that we
can offer just this one prayer and that will
be more than enough, because in reality
every thing and every one is connected,
and nothing stands alone. To pray for one
part if really to pray for the whole, and so
we do. Help us each day to stand for love,
for healing, for the good, for the
diverse unity of the Body of Christ and all
creation, because we know this is what
You desire: as Jesus prayed, that all may
be one. We offer our prayer together with
all the holy names of God, we offer our
prayer together with Christ, our Lord.
Amen.

By Father Rohr

03/05/2022

Spiritual Meditation:

Go, be justice to God's people;
Teach the hardened heart to learn.
Break the bread of true communion,
Pour the cup of true concern.

Feed the hungry, house the homeless,
Catch the tyrants in their lies;
Be the Lord's anointed servant
So God's justice never dies.

Go, be healing to God's people;
Seek and share the saving call.
Be the touch of Christ for others,
Be the voice of Christ for all.

Lives are broken all around you,
And Christ has no hands but yours;
Hold in them the ones who suffer
So Christ's healing love endures.

Go, be mercy to God's people
In forgiveness freely shown;
Find the stranger, call her kindred,
Find the exile, call him home.

Age to age God's mercy welcomes
With a love that will not cease;
Go, be Christ-light to God's people,
Be an instrument of peace.

By Martin Willett

11/07/2021

November Spiritual Meditation:

The Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” (Luke 17:5)
Faith is powerful. That’s why Jesus said that even the tiniest seed of faith could uproot a mulberry tree (Luke 17:6). Yet few of us think we have that kind of faith. So today, let’s join the apostles in praying for more faith and believe that, even though our faith may be lacking, Jesus will answer our prayer.
Increase my faith, Lord, in the power of your cross to defeat the sinful tendencies in my life. Through your cross and resurrection, you have set me free. Help me to believe that I am truly free and that sin no longer has power over me.
Increase my faith, Lord in the grace that enables me to forgive those who have hurt or offended me. Only you can soften my hardened heart.
Increase my faith, Lord and the power of your sacraments. Let me experience your abundant mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. May I always believe that you truly pardon my every sin. Open my eyes to your presence in the Eucharist and to the grace you bestow on me every time I receive your Body and Blood.
Increase my faith, Lord and the power of the Scriptures to speak to me, to convict me, to guide me, inspire me. Let me cling to your word each day, knowing that through it, you are speaking words of love and truth to me.
Increase my faith, Lord in your power to heal. Help me to believe that when I pray for someone, your hand stretches out to restore that person, body, and soul.
Increase my faith, Lord, so that I can trust that you care for my every need. Help me to pray persistently even when I doubt that you are listening. Help my faith to remain strong even when I don’t see my prayers being answered in the way I desire. May I always believe that your plan for my life is bigger and better than mine.
Lord, you know that my faith is often week. But I trust that when I exercise the faith I do have, he will make that small mustard seed inside of me grow, flourish, and glorify you.
“Jesus, I do believe, help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)

11/05/2021

First face to face meeting since the pandemic started on November 6th, 2021 at St. Andrews in the Pinckney Room at 9:30 a.m. All are welcome. PLEASE WEAR A MASK 😷.

09/27/2021

September 27th:
In honor of the Feast Day of St. Vincent de Paul

For Vincent, love is always very concrete, very practical. It is love in practice. “Let us love God, my brothers and sisters,” he urges, “let us love God, but let it be with the strength of our arms and the sweat of our brows.” We are called to follow Christ as servants of the poor. Servants get their hands dirty. They labor long and hard. They engage in difficult tasks, visiting the sick and elderly in their homes, feeding street-people, serving the hungry, helping the widow and orphan. They are on the front lines ministering to the poor. As St. Vincent says, we must first do and then teach.

09/12/2021

September Spiritual Meditation:

Anniversary Prayer for 9/11
Holy God,
Creator of all people and all nations,
It is with sorrow and apprehension we remember the tragic events
That occurred on this day.

We lift to You in prayer all those who died
In the Twin Towers, at the Pentagon, and on United Airlines Flight 93
In Shankesville, Pennsylvania.

We entrust them to Your loving care.
Console their families, friends, and all who mourn this loss
In the hope that all who trust in You find peace and rest in Your Kingdom.

We pray for those who courageously responded to provide aid and comfort to the afflicted.
May their painful memories of that day
Be healed and transformed into strength and positive resolution.

We also pray for ourselves as we seek Your strength and guidance.
We live in the aftermath of this tragedy and under the shadow of future acts of aggression;
We stand in need of Your assistance.

Enable us, Dear God, to put an end to fear:
By resolving to live lives that are based on respect for one another;
By resolving to abide in a peaceful manner
and never settle disagreements in our lives in a violent way;
By resolving not to fall into the trap of blaming entire ethnic groups, races, or religions
in response to acts of hostility;
By resolving that justice, not revenge, prevail in our world.

Let us resolve that in the face of hatred, we will show love;
That in times of despair, we will be voices of hope
And creators of new dreams;
That in times of darkness, we will be sources of light.

Let us resolve that we never regard forgiveness as weakness,
But rather as a source of strength in our lives and in our world.

And, let us honor the memory of nearly 3,000 individuals who died on September 11, 2001
By resolving, with Your help Almighty God,
To truly live this way so You may be glorified and Your love made known to others through us.

Amen.

- Bro. Darrell Burns, S.J.

08/01/2021

July Spiritual Meditation:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 23.

That line from Psalm 23 sounds comforting, but I sometimes wonder if I really believe it. Do I truly trust that I want for nothing if God is guiding my life as carefully as a shepherd tends the flock? On some days, yes, when everything goes smoothly and my days feel like a happy sailboat on the lake of life. But then, there are the times when I do not even consider for a moment that I have a divine shepherd. I’m too busy wanting things—not particularly material items. Most of what I want has to do with getting life to go the way I think it ought to go. When it doesn’t proceed accordingly, I feel disappointed and out of sorts. This tells me I have not yet fully accepted this shepherding of God. Abiding faith is about believing every day, no matter what happens, that God has my back, leading and guiding me even when things don’t turn out to my satisfaction.

Sr. Joyce Rupp, O.S.M.

06/29/2021

June Spiritual Meditation:

“Love one another as I love you”

The greatest commandment in the law is to love God with one’s whole heart and one’s neighbor as oneself. Christ made this commandment of love of neighbor his own and enriched it with a new meaning. For he wanted to equate himself with his brethren as the object of this love when he said, As long as you did it for one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it for me (Mt 25:40). Assuming human nature, he bound the whole human race to himself as a family through a certain supernatural solidarity and established charity as the mark of his disciples, saying, By this will all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (Jn 13:35).

Apostolicam Actuositatem