Today January 22

Today is the feast of St. Vincent Pallotti (1795 - 1850). And since it's also the national day of penance for the violation of the dignity of human persons due to abortion, we are going to focus on the pro-life aspects of today's saint. Vincent was one of only four surviving children of his parents -- several of them died in infancy, a great loss, not a benefit -- oh, look, now they have more money and freedom as a couple. No, they loved and treasured each of their children, no matter how long they lived.

He wasn't a good student -- he struggled for a long time. But it was suggested to him to pray to the Holy Spirit, and after a fervent novena, he actually began to improve; he even took first place. He was devoted to the Holy Spirit; and so should we in the pro-life movement be. Mountains can be moved!

Vincent believed in material charity as fervently as he believed in spiritual education, and he gave freely to all. He saved part of his dinner for the poor; he even gave a beggar his shoes! Later in life, he formed guilds for poor workers; and agricultural schools and savings banks for small farmers and workers. He did simple acts and great organizational acts -- all for charity, and I think that's important. If you truly want to end abortion, you need to put your money where your mouth is and work to give poor women in trouble an alternative.

He wasn't a wealthy man; he was frugal. He used to save scraps of paper that weren't written on and put them in a basket. His young protege thought he was a little nuts. But later Vincent showed him the fruits of even a small act. He sold the basket of scraps for 10 cents, used the 10 cents to buy a box of crackers and went to the Hospital of the Holy Spirit. There was a very disturbed man there who used to curse in the most foul language whenever someone religious was about. Father Vincent approached him to give him a blessing. Before the man really got started, Vincent popped a cracker in his mouth. While he was chewing, the priest got a few more words in. This repeated for some time. Finally, the man broke down. He made an act of contrition and went to confession. Father Vincent gave him the Last Rites as the now penitent man cried out over and over, "My Jesus, mercy!" It was a beautiful scene. He died peacefully and Vincent said to the young priest, "There is a soul saved and gone to Purgatory . . . you see, my friend, of what use were those scraps of paper!"

We in pro-life work should not be ashamed of how little our actions are. It is, after all, not about us. We should have unbounded confidence in God, as did today's saint. And he was rewarded with many touching manifestations of God's aid. He was somehow aware of when people were dying -- inexplicably he'd take off down a certain street just as a desperate relative of a dying person would come out, calling for a priest. He was gifted with seeing the departing souls sometimes. He could read hearts; he was in two places at once on at least one occasion; he cast out demons; he converted even the most hardened criminals before their executions. He saw a lot in his life -- a lot of heartache, a lot of suffering -- but he never slowed down, he never gave up. The results of his simple and beautiful faith and "Catholic action" are incalculable. Even after death, he was a sign. There were six reported appearances of him after his death, all with a sweet fragrance attached to them. His room itself exuded a mysterious and pleasant fragrance. His body is incorrupt. He was canonized by John XXIII in 1963. St. Vincent Pallotti, pray for us.