to want to see Jesus -25th week thursday st. vincent de paul

Herod the tetrarch who had John the Baptist killed wanted to see Jesus.  His desire to do so was accompanied by fear and curiosity.  Fear because he heard that Jesus was John the Baptist risen from the dead.  

Herod was also curious to see Jesus for he wanted to verify, he wanted to see for himself, if indeed the miracles of Jesus were true.  He was amused that a wonder worker was in his realm.

St. Vincent de Paul also wanted to see Jesus but it was not because of fear or curiosity, it was not to assuage his fears or to satisfy his inquisitiveness.  It was because of his love for Jesus that he wanted to see him and rightly he looked for him and found him in his work for the poor, the needy, the prisoners.

And knowing that Jesus is encountered in a special way in the sacraments performed by priests, he also dedicated himself to the formation of priests, the formation of good, holy and faithful priests.

For Herod, Jesus was just a curiosity, a novelty he wanted to see. For St. Vincent De Paul, Jesus is Word made flesh who reveals himself, who is encountered, in the sacraments and in the poor and needy he helped and served.  May we seek to see Jesus in the manner of St. Vincent de Paul.