Awhile back, Facebook served up to me an ad for sarcastic coffee mugs, including one that read “No One Cares. Work Harder.” I recognized it right away as that strain of humor that laments how soft we have become, how prone we are to excuses and taking the easy way out of tough situations—but it didn’t seem funny. 

See, I tend to think I need to handle whatever comes my way in order to measure up. I don’t want to fail or let anyone down, and I struggle to say no or ask for help. Reading that mug felt like the world’s weight settling on my shoulders: I’ll never be caught up. I’ll never retire. I’ll never rest.

Doing good work well is a virtue, but when our efforts become a relentless slog to do more, something changes. An old friend tells me that BUSY means Burdened Under Satan’s Yoke—because, as you’ll recall, Jesus says to take up His yoke, and we will find rest.

Right now, St. Vincent de Paul is received 10+ calls a week look for assistance, with each request requiring a male-female pair of Vincentians to meet with the neighbor in need in person. We are a volunteer organization of parents and grandparents, not professional case workers, and this ministry isn’t easy. It takes a toll, and our families feel it.

We serve God through our families first. We are called to love our neighbor, but we need to remember that we have vocations as spouses and parents, providers, and protectors. The Rule of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul expresses this explicitly: 

2.6 A vocation for every moment of our lives
The Vincentian vocation affects all aspects of members’ daily lives, making them more sensitive and caring in their family, work, and leisure activities. Vincentians are available for work in the Conferences only after fulfilling their family and professional duties.

The zeal that many of us feel for helping the poor in our area is inspiring, but if we do not tend to our family and professional obligations and our own spiritual well-being, we will burn out. Paraphrasing The Soul of the Apostolate, we must make ourselves reservoirs of God’s love, not merely channels. If God’s love just passes through us, we will be left empty, but if we allow ourselves to be filled to the brim first, we can minister to others from the overflow and never run out.

Coaches tell athletes to dig deep. This is digging deep in the right way: not scraping away at the bottom of a great emptiness, but seeking the deep spring that will fill us and spill over to the world.

Please pray for our neighbors in need, and for all our local Vincentians, in gratitude for their willingness to serve and in petition that they have the wisdom and courage to say no when they need to. Please ask the Lord, as well, if he would like you to join our mission. For more information, email me.