Students from the UC Davis Newman Center and The Vincentians of the Arc Youth Conference at the Food Distribution
The saying, “God places people on your path for a purpose,” couldn’t be more true, especially in our vocation as Vincentians. Recently, I attended the SEEK 2026 Conference in Columbus, Ohio, where I met three Young Adults from UC Davis who were eager to involve their Newman Center more in service. At the same time, my SVdP Youth Conference in San Ramon, California, we were searching for our next service project. Recognizing this shared mission, we partnered to organize a meal distribution at UC Davis, bringing our communities together in service!
By staying connected through calls, texts, and a shared planning document, we could delegate responsibilities leading up to the service project. My Youth Conference, the Vincentians of the Arc (VOTA) took the lead in providing most of the meal supplies, including ingredients for turkey sandwiches, pastries, and containers. Meanwhile, the UC Davis Newman Center advertised the distribution in their local community, coordinated the assembly and distribution site, and offered guidance rooted in their knowledge of the local area. With lots of coordinating (and praying!), everything came together smoothly, and we were confident in our plan.
When the day of the project arrived, our plan was put into action. After gathering at the Newman Center to assemble sandwiches and prepare the meals, we transported everything to a local park, where we handed out over 80 meals to our neighbors in the Davis community! By collaborating, we could live out our shared mission to serve Christ in those in need. Every meal, thoughtfully prepared with a hand-written prayer card, reflected the Vincentian spirit within us, and we engaged in hands-on service rooted in love, friendship, and prayer.
So many beautiful blessings came from this partnership. As Vincentians, we understand how essential partnerships are because by collaborating with others, we increase our ability to effectively serve our neighbors in need and share our mission of spreading hope and love. Working together not only enabled us to serve so many of our neighbors in need, but it also truly connected us as one family in Christ. This service project proves that young people in action, driven by a love for Christ and neighbor, can do incredible things. It also reminded me how God can use a small, unlikely interaction like Californians meeting at a conference in Ohio, and create something incredible out of it. So may we remain open and attentive to those God places in our lives, recognizing that even the smallest connections can help build His kingdom and strengthen our shared mission to love and serve.
On this Third Sunday of Lent, we see Jesus preaching to a crowd in the gospel of Luke. In the gospel reading, Jesus has us reflect on two very crucial themes; repentance and bearing fruit in our lives.
In the first part of this reading, Jesus’ message is very clear: “If you do not repent, you will perish as they did” (Luke 13: 30). In the bible, to repent is to have a change of heart and mind towards God and part of this is to turn away from sin and ask for forgiveness. Jesus is calling us to transform ourselves and dedicate our lives to God, taking a closer look into our own hearts.
In the last part of this weekend’s gospel, Jesus tells us a parable about a barren fig tree. In this parable, a person planted a fig tree, but for three years, it didn’t bear any fruit. He says to his gardener to cut down the tree so that the soil could rest but the gardener says in response: “Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down” (Luke 13: 8-9). This parable presents to us a story message about the patience and mercy of God to those who haven’t repented yet. Sometimes we can be like this barren fig tree when we turn away from God and turn to sin, however, instead of cutting us down, God is merciful and gives us a chance to grow, to bear fruit and to be the people he created us to be. He’s calling us to become better versions of ourselves!
So how does this apply to us as Vincentians? We are always called by God to repent and renew our hearts. We’re called to use our gifts and talents to bear fruit and one way we do this is by serving our neighbors in need!
One phrase you might’ve heard is “See the face of Christ, Be the Face of Christ.” It’s a very powerful and meaningful message that drives how we serve our neighbors in need. To “See the Face of Christ” is to recognize that Christ truly is present in all of us; even in the people who we serve. Jesus says in the gospel of Matthew, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25: 40). We need to remember we’re all made in the image and likeness of God and although we all have our shortcomings, that doesn’t make us any less of a person.
Now let’s focus on the second part of this message: “Be the Face of Christ.” To be the face of Christ is to follow the example of Christ and be like Him to those around us. This gospel shows that God is patient and merciful towards all of us, and we should show that same patience and mercy to those around us! Sometimes when we serve our neighbors in need, we can become impatient and harden our hearts to others, but we’re all called to be like the gardener ,who symbolizes Christ, in this parable. We need to help cultivate and foster those in need and allow them to grow and bear fruits of their own!
Let us pray: Lord, help us transform ourselves and continue to grow closer to you. We thank you for giving us a chance to grow and to bear fruit. Continue to open our hearts and allow us to show your love, mercy, and patience to those around us this Lent and throughout our lives. Amen.
