From: richarra@gmail.com

On Resisting Temptation  [4]

   He who only declines them outwardly, and does not pluck out the
root, will profit little: nay, temptations will sooner return to him,
and he will find himself in a worse condition. By degrees, and by
patience, with longanimity, thou shalt, by God's grace, better
overcome them, than by harshness and thine own importunity.
In temptation, often take counsel, and deal not roughly with one that
is tempted: but comfort him, as thou wouldst wish to be done to
thyself.
--Thomas à Kempis --Imitation of Christ Bk 1, Ch 13

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September 7th - Blessed Frederic Ozanam
(1813-1853 )

Feast September 8th or 9th on some Calendars
Blessed Frederic Ozanam was the Founder of the Vincent de Paul
Society. A scholar during his time, Frederic was inspired by the
plight of the poor, seeing service to those in need as the duty of all
good Christians. Not content to simply help the poor in their time of
need, he sought to radically change the lives of the downtrodden. To
help achieve his goal, Frederic founded the Vincent de Paul Society—an
active organization today with over one million members in 32
countries.

Frederic Antoine Ozanam was born in Milan, Italy, one of four (out of
14) children who survived infancy. His parents were pious French
Catholics of middle class, and fled to Lyon, France when Milan was
captured by the invading Austrians in 1815.

Frederic demonstrated both a love of the Lord and an aptitude for
scholarly endeavors from an early age. He enrolled at the Royal
College of Lyons where he excelled at his studies and was appointed
editor of the college journal. Distraught by a revolutionary age that
appeared to be renouncing Christianity, Frederic and his fellow
students organized conferences of literature, history, and philosophy—desiring to support each other in the faith. During one of
these conferences, Frederic was challenged by a young socialist
student who said, “The Church is hypocrisy. What are you doing for the poor?” Inspired, this conversation eventually led to the establishment
of the Conference of Charity—an organization not only to defend the
faith, but also to encourage students to engage in active works of
charity and put their faith into action. Frederic invited his friends
to join his cause saying to them, "If we are too young to intervene in
the social struggle, are we then to remain passive in the middle of a
world which is suffering and groaning? No, a preparatory path is open
to us. Before doing public good, we can try to do good to a few.
Before regenerating France, we can give relief to a few of her poor."

In 1835, the Conference of Charity was officially named the Society of
Saint Vincent De Paul, and the members placed themselves under his
patronage as their mission was to walk in his steps: praying,
reflecting, and acting. Early on, they sought guidance in how to best
help the poor, and were inspired by a Daughter of Charity, Sister
Rosalie Rendu, who was active in serving the community. She told them,
“Be kind and love, for love is your first gift to the poor. They will appreciate your kindness and your love more than anything else you can
bring them." Under her guidance, the society worked to reach out and
meet those in need, where they were - in their homes. They brought
them bread and clothing, friendship and care. They were not only a
hand, but a presence of the love and kindness of Christ.

Frederic earned his Doctorate in Law and Literature from the Sorbonne
in 1939. He married two years later, and together the couple produced
a daughter. A loving husband and devoted father, Frederic went on to
achieve great success as a gifted scholar, dedicated teacher, generous Christian, and gentle reformer. True to the example of Saint Vincent
de Paul, he creatively sought to respond to the needy with sensitive
charity and to replace class struggle with relationships. Frederic
recognized the responsibility and the potential of the Church to be a
true leavening force within society. He called his associates to works
of charity and justice.

In his final years, Frederic oversaw the expansion of the society to
Italy and then additional countries. He pioneered a newspaper, The New
Era, dedicated to securing justice for the poor and the working
classes. Fellow Catholics were often unhappy with what Frederick
wrote. Referring to the poor man as "the nation’s priest," Frederick
said that the hunger and sweat of the poor formed a sacrifice that
could redeem the people’s humanity.

Blessed Frederic Ozanam died peacefully at the young age of 40, after
a protracted illness. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II, and is
celebrated today as one of the only married beatified. His commitment
to the plight of those in need, and social justice for all, inspires
us to look around our communities today—outside our safety zones—and activate the Christian virtues of charity that we are all called to by
the life of Jesus.
--by Jacob


Quotations of Blessed Frederic Ozanam

“We must do what is most agreeable to God. Therefore, we must do what
our Lord Jesus Christ did when preaching the Gospel. Let us go to the
poor.”

“Yours must be a work of love, of kindness, you must give your time,
your talents, yourselves. The poor person is a unique person of God’s fashioning with an inalienable right to respect. You must not be
content with tiding the poor over the poverty crisis; You must study
their condition and the injustices which brought about such poverty,
with the aim of a long term improvement.”
--Blessed Frederic Ozanam

"I would like to embrace the whole world in a network of charity."

"In my life I want to become better and do a little good."
--Blessed Frederic Ozanam

Bible Quote:
Fulfil ye my joy, that you be of one mind, having the same charity,
being of one accord, agreeing in sentiment.  Let nothing be done
through contention: neither by vain glory. But in humility, let each
esteem others better than themselves:Each one not considering the
things that are his own, but those that are other men's. [Philippians
2:2-4] DRB


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Lord, we thank you for inspiring Blessed Frederic Ozanam
to establish the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Help us to follow his dream of 'embracing the
whole world in a network of love'
by bringing support and friendship to those we visit:
by helping them achieve self sufficiency and in solidarity
 to advocate and work for the changes required to
create a more just and caring society.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: www.darkrealms.ca (1:229/2)