Today we read about a true hero of the poor in the book In Caelo et in Terra. Frederic Ozanam struggled with doubts about his faith when he was a young man, but a mentor helped him through it. Which God then used for good because in law school Frederic was able to defend the faith against the lawyers in his school who attacked it. One day a friend challenged him by asking what he was DOING about his faith, or whether he just believed it and did nothing. He took this challenge to heart and remembered the words of Jesus, "Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for Me."
So he founded the St Vincent de Paul society, which made it a mission to help the poor. This society spread all over the world, and when Frederic died at the young age of only 40, he had begun something that still thrives today. You can read more about him here.
Many lessons to learn here, but one big one is that God uses every little thing in our lives for our good if we let Him. Even our doubt. If Frederic hadn't struggled with his faith, he might not have had the robust training he needed to defend the faith against its attackers. How can God use something you're struggling with today?
God, thanks for the great example of this exemplary man. Blessed Frederic Ozanam, pray for us.
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