Heart of Hope Leads to Insights About GodRead Time 10 min

With the issuing of the papal bull Spes Non Confundit (Hope Does Not Disappoint), Pope Francis declared 2025 a Year of Jubilee focusing on the theme of hope. The late Holy Father, echoing the documents of the Second Vatican Council, stated that the Church must read the signs of the times and interpret them in the light of the Good News of Jesus Christ. He encouraged us to recognize and engage in the desire for peace and enthusiasm for life as signs of hope, and to be signs of hope for the imprisoned, the sick, the young, the migrants, the elderly and the poor. (Spes Non Confundit, 8-15.)

Hope is a powerful virtue that can inspire change in individuals and spark a desire to work for change in a world that is troubled and suffering. Pope Leo XIV, in his “Message for the 9th World Day of the Poor,” writes, “Hope, sustained by God’s love poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (cf. Romans 5:5), turns human hearts into fertile soil where charity for the life of the world can blossom.”

It is not difficult to point out examples of individuals whose lives were redefined because of inspired change. For example, I personally know several priests who had left successful secular careers to enter the seminary and made their way to ordination. At some point in their lives, they recognized a call from God and discerned it was the right time to make a change.

I also have met people who worked for a long time in technical careers or in the hard sciences and came to the decision that they really wanted to work with people in a hands-on way, and either made career changes, or began to volunteer in activities that put them into deeper contact with humanity.

In life, if we allow the virtue of hope to inspire our hearts, we can gain new insights about God, about our fellow human beings and about the world — insights that shape our way of thinking and help us to see things in a new light, from a new perspective. Those insights help us to change our attitudes and direct our actions toward a way of life that will bring more meaning to ourselves and to those around us.

On Sept. 27, we will be celebrating the Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul — a person whose life and ministry were redefined by his being exposed to new insights. He was ordained a priest at a very young age — he was 22 years old. In the beginning, he did not seem to have any lofty ambitions. His life was rather comfortable. Vincent became chaplain to Queen Margaret of Valois, and he was also named abbot of a small abbey, which meant he enjoyed revenues of that monastery.

Eventually, Vincent visited Paris, and met Fr. Pierre de Bérulle, who later became a cardinal, and was the founder of the French Oratorians. He became Vincent’s spiritual director, and it was through the inspiration and guidance of Fr. Bérulle that Vincent began to see his priesthood, his ministry and his life in a new light. He decided to leave the comfort of his chaplaincy to become a pastor of a parish northwest of Paris.

Vincent returned to Paris at the invitation of Fr. Bérulle to become a chaplain of a family of wealth and means and a tutor to their children, and during that time had various interactions with peasants on the family estates that made him increasingly aware of their economic plight and the lack of evangelization among them. With heightened awareness, Vincent became a minister to ship galleys and began to visit the prisons. He relied on the help of his wealthy patron to begin his work among peasants who worked for wealthy landowners, and his ministry of alleviating the sufferings of prisoners and galley slaves.

Vincent became friends with St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal, who were tireless in their efforts to bring people to holiness, and whose religious sensibilities flowed from the perspective of a positive Christian humanism. Vincent himself was a strong opponent of the heresy of Jansenism, influential in many circles in his day, which emphasized, among other things, human depravity and predestination, and he focused on a more positive view of the human person.

Vincent began to organize several priests who were interested in working with the poor, and in 1626 he brought them into the religious congregation known as the Congregation of the Mission. He made his headquarters in St. Lazare in 1632, and so in France his group was called the Lazarists.

In 1632, he founded the Daughters of Charity with the help of Louise de Marillac. These sisters were dedicated to working with the poor. In 1658, Vincent finished writing the rules for his congregations. On Sept. 27, 1660, Vincent died. He was canonized in 1737.

Of course, Vincent’s works of charity inspired thousands of people to see their own lives in a new light. In 1883, Frederic Ozanam founded a society to work among the poor — the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Blessed Frederic Ozanam, who was born in 1812, wanted to study literature, but his father wanted him to be a lawyer, so he went to Paris to study law. At the University of Sorbonne, at a time when certain professors mocked Catholic teachings, Frederic defended the Church.

At the University, Frederic organized a discussion club where Catholics, atheists and agnostics could debate the issues of the day. Once, as Frederic spoke about the role of Christianity in civilization, a club member challenged him, asking, “What do you do besides talk to prove the faith you claim is in you?”

That question stung Frederic and sparked a turning point in his life. He realized that he needed to ground his words in action. He and a friend began to visit tenements and to aid the poor to the best of their ability. Soon a group of people formed around Frederic under the patronage of St. Vincent de Paul — a group dedicated to helping those in need.

Frederic earned a law degree and a doctorate in literature. He got married and taught at the University of Sorbonne. He remained active in leadership with the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which grew throughout Europe, and in Paris alone had 25 conferences. Frederic died in 1853 and was beatified in 1997.

Both St. Vincent de Paul and Bl. Frederic Ozanam had experiences in life that helped them to see things from a new and different perspective, and they shaped their lives around the things that were of most value to them, tending to the needs of the poor, the vulnerable and the marginalized.

St. Vincent de Paul, Bl. Frederic Ozanam and the St. Vincent de Paul Society are signs of hope for all of us, and especially for those who struggle in life. We ask God’s blessings on all who dedicate their lives to works of charity and assisting those in need.