Saint Vincent de Paul on charity, zeal and prayer
“God is love and wants us to go to Him through love.“
Saint Vincent de Paul
“Let us continue to offer one another to God and to love each other in Our Lord, as he has loved us.“
“Charity is certainly greater than any rule. Moreover, all rules must lead to charity.“
“Let us love God, brothers, let us love God, but let it be with the strength of our arms and the sweat of our brows.“
“It is not sufficient for me to love God if I do not love my neighbor. I belong to God and to the poor.”
“We should help and support one another and strive for peace and union among ourselves. This is the wine that cheers and strengthens travelers along this narrow path of Jesus Christ.“
“If love of God is a fire, zeal is its flame; if love is a sun, zeal is its ray. Zeal is unconditional in the love of God.“
“Give me a man of prayer, and he‘ll be able to do anything.“
Saint Vincent de Paul on humility and acts of mercy
“You must ask God to give you power to fight against the sin of pride which is your greatest enemy – the root of all that is evil, and the failure of all that is good. For God resists the proud.“
Saint Vincent de Paul
“The reason why God is such a great lover of humility is that He is a great lover of truth. Humility is in fact truth, while pride is nothing but lying.“
“Make it a practice to judge persons and things in the most favorable light at all times and under all circumstances.“
“You should not open your mouth except to express gratitude for benefits you have received, and never to mention your discontent.“
“The poor have much to teach you. You have much to learn from them.“
“We should strive to keep our hearts open to the sufferings and wretchedness of other people, and pray continually that God may grant us that spirit of compassion which is truly the spirit of God.“
Saint Vincent de Paul on apostolic witnessing
“Our life must be hidden in Jesus Christ and filled with Jesus Christ.“
Saint Vincent de Paul
“Let us do our duty well; let us go straight to God; let us work to become very humble, very patient, very mortified, and very charitable.“
“If God is the center of your life, no words are necessary. Your mere presence will touch hearts.“
“The Father of the Poor“
The life story of Saint Vincent de Paul (1581-1660), often referred to as the “Apostle of Charity“ or “the Father of the Poor“, is quite mind-blowing. I read a short children‘s book on him. Where does one begin? I will not even attempt to paint the picture of his biography in an orderly way. I will begin at the end: his death.
In his last years, months, weeks, and days, Saint Vincent de Paul suffered a lot of pain. He could barely walk any more. Many decades ago, one of his deeds of charity had wounded his flesh so deeply that these wounds never healed and contributed to his condition at old age. But in his pain he would only say “My Jesus, my dear Jesus“, and when he died, his last words were “I trust“.
His life had been all about the corporal and spiritual works of mercy during difficult times of the Thirty Years‘ War (1618-1648) and several waves of the Bubonic plague. He evangelized many people all over France and sent missionaries to other countries; he established seminaries for the education of young priests and contributed a lot to the reform of the clergy; he visited prisoners; he ransomed Christian slaves in Northern Africa; he cared for the poor, the sick, and for abandoned and orphaned children; he fought against the heresy of Jansenism; and he founded the “Congregation of Priests of the Mission“ and, together with a widow by the name of Louise de Marillac, the “Daughters of Charity“. How many lives has this man lived in just one lifetime?
The blow of fate that humbled him for life
Saint Vincent de Paul grew up as a peasant boy in the countryside of France. He was the firstborn son of a devout family and supposed to become a priest. His father invested all he could in his education. The first ones that were schooling Saint Vincent were Franciscan friars who immediately saw a lot of potential in him.
All his life, Saint Vincent de Paul was a very hard-working man, a man working tirelessly from early sunrise till late evening. While he was studying for the priesthood, he was at the same time teaching and tutoring other young people to earn a bit of money for covering his living expenses.
He was successful in his undertaking and became a priest, wearing the black robe that can secure one the respect of others, at least back then. All expectations fulfilled and all ambitions rewarded. But then his life story took a turn almost like in the biblical story of Joseph in the book of Genesis: Taking a ship from Marseilles for a trip home to his family, he got kidnapped by pirates who sold him into slavery in North Africa…
“The pirates sailed to Africa where they sold the wounded priest as a slave to a fisherman. On his first day of fishing Father Vincent got so seasick that his master sold him back to the slavers. His next master was a scientist who soon realized that his new slave was kind hearted, honest and very intelligent. This master was a gentleman and treated his slaves better than most slave owners. He believed in God, but was not a Christian because he did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God. He taught his slaves his religion, and hoped that they would accept it. As a slave, Father Vincent had to work hard, but he never made any money. He wasn’t allowed to go home or write letters to his family. He had no freedom. He was very sad about not being able to serve God as a priest. Every day, in his mind, he begged Jesus’ mother, the Virgin Mary, whom he had a special fondness, to ask her son Jesus to free him. He would silently pray as he was working, ‘Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.‘ One warm day, as Fr. Vincent was working, his master said to him, ‘Your God has left you. You should believe in a different God.‘
Kimberley Varela: Saint Vincent. Friend of the Poor, Kindle E-book, p. 24-27
But Father Vincent patiently replied, ‘God has not left me. He is only testing my faith.‘
A year later, Fr. Vincent’s master, the scientist, died and he was sold again. This time he did backbreaking work all day in the fields under the blazing sun. Instead of complaining, he smiled and encouraged the other slaves. By his example, he led others to Jesus. Even his new master began to listen and believe his words. One hot day Vincent’s master told him that he was going to let him go free. After nine months his master kept his promise and the two of them sailed back to France in a small boat. It was a dangerous trip because of the pirates, but God protected them. When they finally reached France, his master gave Fr. Vincent his freedom.“
Saint Vincent de Paul found his life‘s mission while being a slave in Tunis: As he asked God for the gift of freedom, he made a promise to Him that, once free, he would dedicate his life to the service of the poor.
His “first miracle“
In 1612, at the age of 31, Saint Vincent de Paul pastors his first church in the town of Clichy. Arriving there, he finds the church in ruins and all houses locked. People are afraid of the Bubonic plague. They are convinced that one woman in their town has caught it. They have shut her into her house together with her daughter so that they may die alone and the contagion be contained and not spread. The young priest saves the daughter who is still alive, buries the woman who is already dead and who in fact did not have the plague, and begins the difficult work of softening people‘s hard hearts…
“God blessed Father Vincent with the gift of being able to touch people’s hearts with his words. He told the people, one day at mass, about a poor family outside of town that had no food. After mass when he was going to check on the family, the road was full of people bringing food to them. That night he decided to open a soup kitchen, a place where the poor could come and eat. He fed the poor every day with the help of some rich, kind people from Clichy and Paris. Within a year, the people of Clichy had completely changed their way of thinking and their hearts had softened. Father Vincent said, ‘I believe that not even the Pope is as lucky a priest as I. These people have such good hearts.‘“
Kimberley Varela: Saint Vincent. Friend of the Poor, Kindle E-book, p. 37
As if that was not miraculous enough, it is sometimes said that his “first miracle“ took place some years later, when Saint Vincent produced the longest line in front of the confessional imaginable… He was traveling around the countryside with the rich Madame de Gondi, whose boy he had tutored. Together they were helping the needy, and Saint Vincent was teaching the poor people about the kingdom of God.
“One snowy winter day in 1617, when Father Vincent was 35 years old, a miraculous, or incredible, thing happened. He was preaching at a church in a town called Folleville. The church was packed with people. He was telling them how important it was to confess, or tell, their sins to a priest.
Kimberley Varela: Saint Vincent. Friend of the Poor, Kindle E-book, p. 44-46
‘Brothers and Sisters, make your hearts clean. The kingdom of God is upon us. Confess your sins and be free!‘ Madame had asked him to preach about the importance of confession because she knew that most people did not go to confession. The reason that they did not confess was because the priests did not teach them. After mass was over, every person stayed for confession! The line of people waiting to confess their sins went out the church and down the street! The people did not care that it was freezing outside. ‘You cannot hear all of their confessions by yourself, Father!”, exclaimed Madame. ‘I will send for more priests.‘ When the priests came, they were shocked to see the long line of people. Nothing like this had ever happened before. The priests heard confessions all day long. When the people were finished, they went and told their friends and families, and they came to confess their sins too.“
Taking the place of a galley prisoner
In those days, there were prisoners – convicted criminals – who had a very miserable life. They were living in dark underground galley prisons, chained to the walls, and had to serve in rowing these big ships. One day, Saint Vincent de Paul began to visit them… He ended up taking the place of one of these galley prisoners…
“The prisoners were chained to their seats night and day and beaten by a whip if they stopped rowing. Many men died in their seats from weakness due to the heat and backbreaking work. When the prisoners were not rowing the ships, they lived in underground galley prisons. When Father Vincent went to visit the prison, he was let in by a guard called the keeper. The keeper led him down deep underground. It was so dark that the keeper had to light a torch to see. The deeper they went, the colder it got.
Kimberley Varela: Saint Vincent. Friend of the Poor, Kindle E-book, p. 48-55
‘I don’t know any of the prisoner’s names. We are not told who they are,‘ the keeper informed him. ‘Are you sure you want to do this? The smell is awful down here.‘ ‘Yes, let me in with them.‘
Father Vincent held his breath as the keeper unlocked the gate. To the innocent priest’s horror, the prisoners started yelling curses at him from the walls they were chained to. They could not sit or stand, but were forced to crouch with their necks, hands, and legs chained to the wall. The ones that were asleep were hanging from their chains. On the floor, rats were crawling around on the filthy straw. Father Vincent nearly fainted from shock. He had no idea that the galley prisoners were living like this. When he caught his breath again, he took out his crucifix, showed it to the prisoners and said, ‘This man, Jesus, knows what it means to suffer too. He died for our sins even though he was innocent.‘ ‘Let me see that!‘ one of the prisoners growled.
Carefully, Father Vincent put the crucifix close to a prisoner’s face so he could see Jesus on the cross. The crazy look in the prisoner’s eyes left him, and he started to cry. Each man wanted to see the crucifix, and all of them were moved to tears at the sight of it. ‘I will come again tomorrow, my dear brothers, and bring bread for you.‘ The faithful priest promised as he left.
The next day, Father Vincent did as he promised, and brought food for the hungry men. He spent the whole day with them, nursing their wounds and talking to them about God and his Son, Jesus. He wrote down their names and wrote letters for them, which he gave to their families. He came every day to the prison, and slowly the prisoners softened their hearts to him and to God. (…)
One of the prisoners who was rowing could not keep up with the others, so he was beaten to make him row faster. The sorrowful priest went down to him. He could see that the man was weak and old. He told the sailor with the whip to unchain the prisoner and to let him row for the sick old man. After the captain agreed, Father Vincent sat down with the other prisoners to row.
‘Put the chains on me!‘ Fr. Vincent barked at the captain.
The captain did not want to. ‘Father, you are not a prisoner,‘ the captain carefully explained.
‘I am taking the old man‘s place. I will not understand his suffering if I do not wear the chains like him. Put them on!‘ Fr. Vincent insisted.
The captain did so, shaking his head.
Fr. Vincent rowed all day long with the other prisoners. When he was unchained at the end of the day, his arms and back were on fire with pain. His ankles were raw and bleeding where the shackles had been. His skin was red and blistered from the sun. He came back the next day and did it all again. The loyal priest rowed for the old prisoner for months until the old man was well.
Father Vincent told everyone he knew about the galley prisoners, and many people were happy to give him food and other supplies that the prisoners needed. Many gave him money, so he went to work and had a hospital built for the prisoners of the galleys. Soon more wanted to help take care of the prisoners. The king of France found out what Father Vincent was doing and declared him the Royal Priest of the Galleys.“
And now you know how Saint Vincent de Paul got those permanent wounds that would cause him great amounts of suffering as an old man…
Five central virtues of the Vincentian spirituality are simplicity, humility, meekness, mortification, and zeal. For Saint Vincent de Paul, love of God and love of neighbor were the same thing, never to be separated.
By the way, I was happy when I read that the feast of the Most Holy Trinity was chosen by him as the main feast of the “Congregation of the Mission“ – because on this very feast day I received the sacrament of Holy Confirmation from a Vincentian priest, together with my cousin… Now, two years later, I have felt like it was finally time to get to know Saint Vincent de Paul better. He is remembered on the 19th July according to the old, and on the 27th September according to the current liturgical calendar.
Saint Vincent de Paul, pray for us!
Post scriptum: The apostles Saint John and Saint James the Just on the connection between love of God and fraternal love, on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, and the “Vincentian virtues“
“The one who says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in the darkness. The one who loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.“
1 John 2: 9-10
“It is clear who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil by this – anyone who does not act righteously or love his brother is not of God. For this is the message you have heard from the beginning – we should love one another.“
1 John 3: 10-11
“Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer – and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. We have come to know love by this – Yeshua laid down His life for us, and we also ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. But if someone has material possessions and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Children, let us not love with word or talk, but in deed and truth!“
1 John 3: 15-18
“If anyone says ‘I love God,‘ and hates his brother, he is a liar. For the one who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him: that the one who loves God should also love his brother.“
1 John 4: 20-21
“Jacob, a slave of God and of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah, to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora: Shalom!
James 1: 1-3
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.“
“Know this, my dear brothers and sisters: let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger – for human anger doesn‘t produce the righteousness of God.“
James 1: 19-20
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.“
James 1: 22
“Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.“
James 1: 27
“Listen, my dear brothers and sisters. Didn‘t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom that He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor person. Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? Don’t they blaspheme the good name by which you were called? If, however, you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,‘ you do well.“
James 2: 5-8
“If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in shalom, keep warm and well fed,‘ but you do not give them what the body needs, what good is that? So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.“
James 2: 15-17
“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, not hypocritical. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in shalom by those who make shalom.“
James 3: 17-18
“Therefore submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded! Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of ADONAI, and He shall lift you up. Do not speak evil against one another, brethren. The one who speaks against a brother or judges a brother, speaks evil agains the Torah and judges the Torah. But if you judge the Torah, you are not a doer of the Torah, but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge – the One who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you who judges your neighbor?“
James 4: 7-12
“As an example of suffering and patience, brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the outcome of ADONAI – that ADONAI is full of compassion and mercy.“
James 5: 10-11
“But let your ‘yes‘ be ‘yes,‘, and your ‘no‘ be ‘no‘ – so that you may not fall under judgment.“
James 5: 12
“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praises.“
James 5: 13
“So confess your offenses to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.“
James 5: 16
“My brothers and sisters, if any among you strays from the truth and someone turns him back, let him know that the one who turns a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.“
James 5: 19-20