Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest
He was born on April 24, 1581 in Pouy near Dax in southern France to the family of Jean and Bertrande de Moras de Paul. He was ordained priest on September 23, 1600 in Châteaux l'Évêque (dioc. Périgueux). Vincent died on September 27, 1660. His beatification took place on August 13, 1729, canonization was performed by Pope Clement XII on June 16, 1737 and appointed his feast day on July 19. Currently, this holiday is celebrated on the anniversary of death - September 27. Pope Leo XIII in 1885 proclaimed him the patron of all works of Christian charity.
In today’s writing let us focus on the Message of Saint Vincent
Concern for holiness lasts a lifetime. Vincent was ordained a priest at the age of 19. In the first years, he tried to secure a dignified place in society and decent living conditions. Later, he surrendered to God's grace and cared only for God's glory and the good of his neighbors, especially the poorest. Pope John Paul II, recalling his life, said: Man is not born a saint. He becomes it by following the path of difficult conversion and systematic purification. Becoming a saint means a difficult commitment that lasts a lifetime.
Vincent often repeated that we should love God and that this must be done with the effort of our hands and the sweat of our forehead. He added: “Our heart must belong to God; our will must be His will and we must devote all our time to His service”. He was aware, however, that in each of our actions the initiative belongs to God and that is why he used to say: “God is love and the only way to Him is the way of love”. The hand of God cannot be forced into anything. Quoting the sentence of St. Francis de Sales: “I would not be able to go to God if God had not come to me, he explained: A heart truly lit with love knows what love for God is; he knows that he could not open himself to God if God did not come out to meet him and attract him with His grace”. In this area, nothing can be achieved by one's own efforts or by human efforts. When God wants to draw a man, He does it with gentleness and tenderness without any force. He knew that there is a long way to holiness, and he said: “Perfection cannot be attained immediately. It is acquired slowly, step by step. It takes patience. A long road leads to it, which is taken in small steps”.
The foundation of holiness is being conformed to Christ. Saint Vincent used to say: “Out of concern for one's own perfection, one must put on the Spirit of Jesus Christ”. This means that instead of taking your own actions, you should let the Holy Spirit act, who dwells in the hearts of the righteous. Therefore, you must submit to the Spirit of Our Lord. He himself will mark you with his seal and imprint his own character in your souls. Referring to the teachings of St. Paul, said: “Remember that we live and die in Jesus Christ and therefore our life must be hidden in Jesus so that He may be fully revealed in us. Therefore, we need to conform our lives to his life so that we can die like him”.
Being like Christ requires doing God's will. God caused Vincent to endure the painful experiences of slavery and the unfair accusation of theft, as well as burdensome temptations against faith. Later, he was the Queen's almoner, he was the parish priest in Clichy, the chaplain of the de Gondi family and the parish priest in Châtillon-les-Dombes. In all these situations he encountered poor people and their spiritual and material needs. At every stage of his life, he saw the signs of the times and tried to read them properly. He learned that true perfection does not lie in having ecstatic visions, but in acting in accordance with God's will in everything.
In a letter to Louise de Marillac, he wrote: “It takes little to achieve sanctity. It is enough to do everything according to God's will. For the things of God come true by themselves. True wisdom is to follow God's providence step by step. You have to hurry slowly”. In these sentences, Vincent included all his life experience and all his knowledge of true spirituality.
Doing God's will requires a life of love. Vincent's transformation took place in a meeting with the poor. His dedication to the poor took place in a spirit of faith. He was convinced that they were the sacrament of Jesus Christ, that the living Christ was revealed in their lives; by serving the poor, you serve Christ. Therefore, he considered them to be lords and masters to all who, in their persons, want to serve Christ. Showing love by exercising mercy became the basic principle of the life of Vincent and those who followed him. He used to say: “Love is the highest principle and all rules apply to it. She is the "great lady" and whatever she demands must be done. If God's love is fire, zeal to serve the poor is its flame; if God's love is the sun, this zeal is its ray. It is what is most pure in God's love”.
In his eyes, the spiritual and material poverty of the people he encountered were two inseparable aspects of poverty. That is why he repeatedly said: “The needs of the poor must be addressed, both in body and in spirit. We must do it ourselves and encourage others to do so. Such actions were to restore the poor to their human dignity”. Therefore, it was not enough to work for the poor, but to work with them for their human promotion. Mercy cannot be limited to giving alms and providing social assistance. Actions must be taken to change social conditions, to create situations in which the poor are able to change their unfortunate fate. Serving the poor must take into account their personal dignity. We have to notice their personal dramas and learn about the problems they have to solve. Service, therefore, must be competent and must be done with respect, patience, and kindness.
Vincent's whole life and his initiatives for the poor are a testimony that love must be revealing and infinite. It could not be otherwise, after all, his entire activity was a mirror reflecting God's love; the love he himself experienced in prayer. This allowed him to repeat: Give me a man of prayer and he will be able to do anything.
In Vincent we admire a man of contemplation and action, organization and imagination, authority and humility, a man in the past and today (John Paul II). He was a human being, like all of us. However, unlike us, he had the courage to act, he knew how to give and give himself. He was a man who encouraged others with his holiness. Today, too, he is a model for everyone who works for the poor and with the poor, who want to strive for the true liberation of man.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george