Dear Participants,

On this third day, you are already familiar with the meditation layout. Did you notice that we showcase contemporary saints? We focus on saints from the XIXth and XXth century: while a few are renowned, many are still unknown, yet they are so close to us, they lived in a world so similar to ours! We hope that you appreciate discovering new saints and that you find their stories both humbling and empowering. 

Today, we will meditate on the following Work of Mercy: to clothe the naked

From the Old Testament:

"If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, you shall return it to him before sunset; for this is his only covering; it is the cloak for his body. What will he sleep in? If he cries out to me, I will listen; for I am compassionate." Exodus 22, 25-26

"If a man is just - if he does what is right, [...] [if he] clothes the naked, if he walks by my statutes and is careful to observe my ordinances, that man is just - he shall surely live - oracle of the Lord God." Ezekiel 18, 5;7;9

"I will rejoice heartily in the Lord, my being exults in my God; for he has clothed me with garments of salvation, and wrapped me in a robe of justice. Like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." Isaiah 61, 10

From the New Testament:

"His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.' But his father ordered his servants, 'Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.' " Luke 15, 21-24

From the Saints' life:

Frédéric Ozanam: at the age of twenty, Frédéric was stung by a taunt. As a consequence, he, along with seven companions, founded the Conference of Charity, which was to be renamed later the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Here is his story in his own words:

"You see before you one of the eight students, who twenty years ago, in May 1833, grouped themselves under the protection of St. Vincent de Paul. We were then deluged by philosophical and heterodox theories which made a great noise in the world, and we felt the need to strengthen our faith in the midst of the attacks made against it by false science. Some of our student companions were materialists, other disciples of Saint-Simon, others of Fourier, others again deists. When we Catholics spoke to these stray sheep of the marvels of Christianity, they all replied to us: "You are right if you speak of the past: Christianity formerly worked wonders, but today Christianity is dead. You who boast of being Catholics, what do you do? Where are the works that once prove your faith, and will make us respect and receive it?" They were right: their objection was not without some foundation. Then it was we said to ourselves: come! Let us go to work! Let our acts be brought into accordance with our beliefs!... Let us help our neighbor as our Lord did, and let us place our faith under the protection or charity!"

Pier Giorgio Frassati: despite his family enormous wealth and power, young Giorgio stayed humble. He loved so much the poor that he spent afternoons serving the hungry, and had to hastily run home after giving away his bus money. His father frequently scolded him for returning without his coat, which he didn't lose, but gave away. When a friend asked him why he rode third class on the train when he could afford better, his answer was "because there's no fourth class."

When this gentle soul died of poliomyelitis aged 24, his family expected the city's elite and political figures to attend the funerals. They also hoped to find his friends. To their surprise, the city's streets were lined with thousands of mourners who came to pay their respects as the funeral procession passed by. These were all the poor people that Pier Giorgio helped during his short life. The same people petitioned the Archbishop of Turin to begin the cause for canonization. 

Louis and Zélie Martin: Céline Martin described the love her parents Louis and Zélie had for the poor: "At home, frugality prevailed. But when it came to helping the poor, my parents did not count. We actively sought them; they were urged to enter our home. There, they were fed, clothed, exhorted to be of good behavior. We were once walking in the countryside when we met a poor, unhappy old man. Thérèse gave him alms and conversed with him, while my mother asked him to follow us home. She cooked a good dinner for him, gave him clothes and a pair of shoes."