Abstract
This homily celebrates the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul in the United States. In it, Terry Steib explores the paradox of God as it applies to Vincentians. God is both “beyond limits and beyond knowing” and “more intimate to us than we are to ourselves.” Christians are always left “mystified but hopeful.” Vincentians in particular are mystified by injustice shown to the poor and by the love of God, which led him to create us with free will even though we might then commit injustice. Other mysteries are that God shows himself in persons who are poor and chooses humans, with all their weaknesses, to do his work. Hope lies in the fact that the work is accomplished. Suffering matters to God, and our service to the poor is part of his plan.
Recommended Citation
Steib, Terry J. S.V.D.
(1996)
"Homily for the 150th Anniversary of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul,"
Vincentian Heritage Journal: Vol. 17:
Iss.
1, Article 1.
Available at:
https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol17/iss1/1