HOMILY BY HIS EMINENCE RICARDO CARDINAL VIDAL, D.D.
Formal Opening of the Process for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of Msgr. Aloysius Schwartz
Metropolitan Cathedral, Manila, Philippines
December 10, 2003
Today, we sing the glory of God by taking the first step of raising Msgr. Aloysius to the honor of the altar. This is a joyful moment for all of us who have been witnesses to the spirit that was working in Msgr. Al when he was still with us. If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labor. But Msgr. Al has built his labors upon the Word of the Lord, and today we see his work bear much fruit in the lives of thousands of young men and women who have found hope through the institutes he founded.
Looking at his work today, we cannot but be amazed and awed by the breadth of his vision and the nobility of his spirit. Visiting the Boys and Girls Towns today, one can say that the hand of God is truly upon this man who didn't go for half-measures or mediocre steps--the footprints of Msgr. Schwartz reveal a man who walked in giant strides.
A compassionate heart, a profound faith in God's providence, and a practical mind combine to make this giant of a man. Compassion, faith and common sense--these are the virtues which mark the greatest of modern saints. Compassion gave Msgr. Schwartz the sensitivity to see what people need. Compassion made him act to supply the need that he saw. Faith gave him the courage to pursue what he wanted to do. Finally, common sense brought his dreams to concretion.
The combination of compassion, faith and common sense is rare in people. But when they do come together in generous measures, they combine to make a saint. Compassion is rather common among us today. There are those who preach kindness but do no more than to sympathize and commiserate.
Others become so touched by others misery they begin to rant and rave against systemic evils. Still others descend into despair. Not Msgr. Schwartz. Where others could simply sigh and throw up their hands, he believed that God does not will the poor to remain in their misery. He believed in the power of God and in the goodness of men. Here was a man who did not see the world in ideological terms. He did not see the world in terms of a conflict between rich and poor, it is not class enmity, but the lack of mechanism for one to help the poor. He believed that if a channel could be made to make the rich help the poor, the money would come pouring in.
Solidarity is innate in the human being, and given the chance and the assurance that all the resources would be put to good use, people would be more than willing to give.
It takes compassion to see the needs of the poor. It takes faith to see need of the rich. The poor lack resources to live a dignified life. The rich long for a way to live a life of dignity too, and all they need is a way to share their wealth with others. Msgr. Schwartz did not see persons as slaves to economic imperatives. Persons are spiritual beings whose basic moral intuition is "to do good and avoid evil". There is in every man a need to make life meaningful. Msgr. Schwartz was a weaver of meaning--he weaved together the hearts of the rich and the poor into a colorful tapestry of meaning.
There is another way in which Msgr. Schwartz can be said to have faith. He did not just believe in the goodness of persons, he believed in the absolute promise of God's providence. For entrepreneurs and capitalists, Msgr. Schwartz's methods would have been labeled as reckless. To spend so much money on something that had no assurance of immediate return, indeed, to build huge complexes for thousands of boys and girls without assurance of a steady means of support would have been irresponsible, to say the least. But Msgr. Schwartz made God responsible from the very beginning, and therein lies the difference between the merely reckless and the truly faithful.
Msgr. Schwartz did not only want his boys and girls to get good education; he wanted them to get the kind of education children of rich people are getting. He did not only plan for a handful of boys and girls to get the best education there is; he planned for thousands. They did not just come to school on school days; they were housed, clothed and fed for four years at a time in buildings bigger than most government institutions and grander than many private schools. And all for free. How Msgr. Schwartz conceived his sisters and brothers to sustain these institutions is truly a daily miracle that defies common sense.
Yet, if there was anyone more common sensical in all these endeavors, it could only be Msgr. Schwartz. Common sense is not only limited to an appreciation of the possible, it is above all the understanding of how something can be possible. If a little orphanage is sustainable by a handful of benefactors, why not an institution that cares for thousands? It is after all, the same compassion, the same generosity, the same God who provides. If God can provide for the birds and the flowers, why can he not provide for little boys and girls? Msgr. Schwartz stretched the limits of the possible because he combined common sense with faith.
The faith, which Msgr. Schwartz so abundantly possessed did not die with him. It continues to live in the Sisters of Mary of Banneux and the Brothers of Christ. In proposing Msgr. Schwartz to the honors of the altar, his sisters and brothers are offering to share with the universal Church the faith of their founder. If it pleases the Lord to glorify his servant, our joy will be shared by many others who will discover in the life of Msgr. Schwartz the inspiration to stretch the limits of their own possibilities.
May Mary of Banneux, Mother of the Poor and Consoler of the Afflicted, bless all our efforts and bring to completion the work we have begun. Amen.
Posted Online from The Sisters of Mary Newsletter: January 2004
Photo Credits: Fr. Al's Children Foundation, Inc. (FACFI) Office
Formal Opening of the Process for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of Msgr. Aloysius Schwartz
Metropolitan Cathedral, Manila, Philippines
December 10, 2003
Looking at his work today, we cannot but be amazed and awed by the breadth of his vision and the nobility of his spirit. Visiting the Boys and Girls Towns today, one can say that the hand of God is truly upon this man who didn't go for half-measures or mediocre steps--the footprints of Msgr. Schwartz reveal a man who walked in giant strides.
A compassionate heart, a profound faith in God's providence, and a practical mind combine to make this giant of a man. Compassion, faith and common sense--these are the virtues which mark the greatest of modern saints. Compassion gave Msgr. Schwartz the sensitivity to see what people need. Compassion made him act to supply the need that he saw. Faith gave him the courage to pursue what he wanted to do. Finally, common sense brought his dreams to concretion.
The combination of compassion, faith and common sense is rare in people. But when they do come together in generous measures, they combine to make a saint. Compassion is rather common among us today. There are those who preach kindness but do no more than to sympathize and commiserate.
Others become so touched by others misery they begin to rant and rave against systemic evils. Still others descend into despair. Not Msgr. Schwartz. Where others could simply sigh and throw up their hands, he believed that God does not will the poor to remain in their misery. He believed in the power of God and in the goodness of men. Here was a man who did not see the world in ideological terms. He did not see the world in terms of a conflict between rich and poor, it is not class enmity, but the lack of mechanism for one to help the poor. He believed that if a channel could be made to make the rich help the poor, the money would come pouring in.
Solidarity is innate in the human being, and given the chance and the assurance that all the resources would be put to good use, people would be more than willing to give.
It takes compassion to see the needs of the poor. It takes faith to see need of the rich. The poor lack resources to live a dignified life. The rich long for a way to live a life of dignity too, and all they need is a way to share their wealth with others. Msgr. Schwartz did not see persons as slaves to economic imperatives. Persons are spiritual beings whose basic moral intuition is "to do good and avoid evil". There is in every man a need to make life meaningful. Msgr. Schwartz was a weaver of meaning--he weaved together the hearts of the rich and the poor into a colorful tapestry of meaning.
There is another way in which Msgr. Schwartz can be said to have faith. He did not just believe in the goodness of persons, he believed in the absolute promise of God's providence. For entrepreneurs and capitalists, Msgr. Schwartz's methods would have been labeled as reckless. To spend so much money on something that had no assurance of immediate return, indeed, to build huge complexes for thousands of boys and girls without assurance of a steady means of support would have been irresponsible, to say the least. But Msgr. Schwartz made God responsible from the very beginning, and therein lies the difference between the merely reckless and the truly faithful.
Msgr. Schwartz did not only want his boys and girls to get good education; he wanted them to get the kind of education children of rich people are getting. He did not only plan for a handful of boys and girls to get the best education there is; he planned for thousands. They did not just come to school on school days; they were housed, clothed and fed for four years at a time in buildings bigger than most government institutions and grander than many private schools. And all for free. How Msgr. Schwartz conceived his sisters and brothers to sustain these institutions is truly a daily miracle that defies common sense.
Yet, if there was anyone more common sensical in all these endeavors, it could only be Msgr. Schwartz. Common sense is not only limited to an appreciation of the possible, it is above all the understanding of how something can be possible. If a little orphanage is sustainable by a handful of benefactors, why not an institution that cares for thousands? It is after all, the same compassion, the same generosity, the same God who provides. If God can provide for the birds and the flowers, why can he not provide for little boys and girls? Msgr. Schwartz stretched the limits of the possible because he combined common sense with faith.
The faith, which Msgr. Schwartz so abundantly possessed did not die with him. It continues to live in the Sisters of Mary of Banneux and the Brothers of Christ. In proposing Msgr. Schwartz to the honors of the altar, his sisters and brothers are offering to share with the universal Church the faith of their founder. If it pleases the Lord to glorify his servant, our joy will be shared by many others who will discover in the life of Msgr. Schwartz the inspiration to stretch the limits of their own possibilities.
May Mary of Banneux, Mother of the Poor and Consoler of the Afflicted, bless all our efforts and bring to completion the work we have begun. Amen.
Posted Online from The Sisters of Mary Newsletter: January 2004
Photo Credits: Fr. Al's Children Foundation, Inc. (FACFI) Office
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| Fr. Aloysius Schwartz with His Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, DD |
