Manual of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the United States
Appointment of a Conference Spiritual Advisor
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- Bu səhifədəki naviqasiya:
- Appointment of a Council Spiritual Advisor
- Essential Elements
- Friendship
Appointment of a Conference Spiritual AdvisorThe president of the Conference, in consultation with the pastor, appoints the Conference Spiritual Advisor. That person should be dedicated to his or her spiritual life and should understand, or be willing to learn, the meaning and essential features of Vincentian Spirituality. The Conference president may appoint an Associate Spiritual Advisor as necessary. Appointment of a Council Spiritual AdvisorThe selection of a Spiritual Advisor for the District Council should be determined by the prayerful deliberation of the Council members. An incoming District President may reappoint a Spiritual Advisor. In the case of an (Arch)Diocesan Council, the approval of the local Bishop should be sought. It is wise to have at least two names for his consideration. The Bishop himself may wish to be designated Spiritual Advisor, in which case an Associate Spiritual Advisor should be named who can assume the full functions of the role when the Bishop is unable to participate as actively as necessary. An incoming (Arch)Diocesan President may reappoint a Spiritual Advisor. In other situations, the highest Council in a Diocese approaches the Bishop as described above. The National Episcopal Spiritual Advisor Following protocol, the President of the National Council arranges for a member of the hierarchy to serve as the Society’s National Episcopal Spiritual Advisor. The Episcopal Advisor attends meetings, participates in discussions, and provides the necessary guidance to the Councils and its members on spiritual matters. For the Annual Meetings, he addresses the Society membership on matters of spiritual formation. He also addresses the meeting of Council and Conference Spiritual Advisors, encouraging and animating them in their ministry of spiritual formation of the Society’s membership.
The Essential Elements of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul were established by Emmanuel Bailly together with the founding members: Spirituality:To bear witness to Christ and to his Church by showing that the faith of Christians inspires them to work for the good of humanity;Friendship:To bring together people of good will and to assist them by mutual example and true friendship in drawing nearer to the Divine Model by fulfilling his essential precept, namely, the love of God in the person of others;Service:To establish a personal contact between its members and those who suffer and to bring to the latter the most efficacious and charitable aid possible.
A Mission Statement answers the who and what of an organization. It states in precise and concise language the composition and chief purposes of a group. The following is the Mission Statement of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the United States: Inspired by Gospel values, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic lay organization, leads women and men to join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering in the tradition of its founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam, and patron, St. Vincent de Paul. As a reflection of the whole family of God, Members, who are known as Vincentians, are drawn from every ethnic and cultural background, age group, and economic level. Vincentians are united in an international society of charity by their spirit of poverty, humility and sharing, which is nourished by prayer and reflection, mutually supportive gatherings and adherence to a basic Rule. Organized locally, Vincentians witness God’s love by embracing all works of charity and justice. The Society collaborates with other people of good will in relieving need and addressing its causes, making no distinction in those served because, in them, Vincentians see the face of Christ.
The vision of Blessed Frederic Ozanam was: “To establish a network of charity and social justice to encircle the world.”
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul adheres to a group of values which are the principles central to its creed and ministry. The values have been organized into the following: Core Values of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Holiness of Life Growth in intimacy with Jesus is a life-long process. Prayer is essential, personal and communal.
The dignity of the human person. The preferential option for the poor. The identification of Jesus with the poor. Humility The virtue of humility, personal and corporate. Poverty in spirit is the primary Beatitude.
The virtue of simplicity. Jesus is the Evangelizer and Servant of the Poor. Divine Providence. Charity The Society is concerned with charity and justice. The virtue of charity within and outside of the Society. Solidarity. Community of Faith Friendship. Community.
The Church calls all men and women to holiness because Jesus does. He says: “Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt 5:48) St. Paul says it very clearly: “This is the will of God, your holiness.” (I Thess 4:3) The Society of St. Vincent de Paul calls its members to holiness; such was the intent of its founders in 1833 and such is its intent today. The Church teaches that “all the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity. In order that the faithful may reach this perfection, they must use their strength according as they have received it, as a gift from Christ. In this way they can follow in his footsteps and mold themselves in his image, seeking the will of the Father in all things, devoting themselves with all their being to the glory of God and the service of their neighbor.” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, # 40) Several months before his death, Blessed Frederic told members of the Society in Livorno, Italy: “Never has the Society mingled in politics; party spirit is absolutely excluded from it, and thanks be to God, it has always stayed away from civil discord. It has only one purpose: to sanctify its members in the exercise of charity and to help the poor in their corporal and spiritual needs.” (May 1, 1853) Blessed Frederic says: “Ordinary Catholics are plentiful enough, everywhere; but we need saints. How to make saints without being ourselves holy? How to preach to unhappy people about virtues, in which they are richer than we? We must indeed admit with St. Vincent de Paul that, in that, they are our superiors. ‘The poor of Jesus Christ are our lords and masters, said the saint, and we are unworthy to render them our poor service.’” In the mind of St. Vincent, the person who deals with holy things has to be holy. As Vincentians deal with holy things, the poor, we are called to be holy. Pope John Paul II said that the call to holiness is the essential vocation of all Christians. St. Vincent de Paul teaches us that holiness is “the withdrawal and distancing of ourselves from worldly matters and at the same time being intent on God and uniting ourselves with the divine will. That, in my opinion is what holiness means.” (XII, 300) St. Vincent also said: “Perfection does not lie in ecstasies, but in doing well the will of God…. Who, of all men, is the most perfect? He whose will is most in accord with the will of God, since perfection lies in so complete a uniting of our will with God’s that his will and ours are really simply the same will; and the more man excels on this point, the more perfect will he be.” (XI, 317) Frederic repeated this prayer unceasingly: “O God, I will what you will, when you will, in whatever way you will, because you will.” Vincentians are called to holiness by striving to conform ourselves to Jesus, doing God’s will, and devoting ourselves to the service of God’s suffering and poor. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is composed of women and men who seek personal holiness by works of charity. In this essential way, the Society differs from charitable associations or agencies whose principal objective is not the spiritual advancement of their members but the doing of good for others. President-General Adolphe Baudon, in his Circular Letter of January 1, 1877, wrote: “It is laid down in our Rule, and it has been always understood among us, that in uniting to serve our masters the poor, as St. Vincent de Paul expresses it, our object is not only to relieve material misery, a very laudable purpose in itself, but to aspire, especially, through the practice of that most sublime of virtues – charity – to render ourselves better and more fervent Christians, and to make our poor enter on the same path, if we have the happiness of succeeding.” In his Circular Letter of December 12, 1915, President-General Vicomte D’Hendecourt wrote: “The Society has two aims: to do a great deal of spiritual good to its members through the exercise of charity, and to do a little spiritual and temporal good to a few poor families in the name of Jesus Christ. If it did not continually seek to combine these two aims, it would lose its reason for being. If it were to seek only the holiness of its members through pious exercises, there is no lack of Confraternities and Third Orders to meet that need. If, on the other hand, it were to seek only the relief of the temporal miseries of the poor, it would only add one more to the list of public and private institutions founded for that purpose.” Our Vincentian ministry is a means for achieving holiness. Serving those who are poor increases our holiness, because, when we attend to them in the spirit of St. Vincent, we minister to Jesus Christ himself. On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the canonization of St. Vincent de Paul, Pope John Paul II quoted the remarks of the famous historian of Christian spirituality, Henri Bremond, regarding Vincent: “It was not love for men that led Vincent to sanctity; rather, it was sanctity that made him truly and effectively charitable; it was not the poor that gave him to God, but, on the contrary, God who gave him to the poor.” God acts in the same way in the lives of all Vincentians. Holiness makes us truly and effectively charitable. It is God who gives us to the poor.
Blessed Frederic Ozanam, in discussing the newly founded Society of St. Vincent de Paul, said: “The humanity of our day seems comparable to the traveler of whom the Gospel speaks…. In our turn, weak Samaritans, worldly and people of little faith that we are, let us dare nonetheless to approach this great sick one. Perhaps it will not be frightened of us. Let us try to probe its wounds and pour in oil, soothing its ear with words of consolation and peace…. That is what is proposed to us, the sublime vocation God has given us. Would that we were a little bit worthy of it and bent easily to its burden.” (Letter #90) It’s not for everyone, nor for just anyone, but being a member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul – being a Vincentian – is for some. It is a special calling by God. St. Vincent de Paul said over and over again, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” It was his way of saying, “Imitate Jesus.” Vincent echoed the thought of St. Paul: “Your attitude must be that of Christ” (Phil 2:5). A Vincentian attempts to put on the attitude of Jesus, who “did not come to be served but to serve.” (Mk 10:45) The Church says: “The followers of Christ are called by God, not according to their accomplishments, but according to his own purpose and grace.” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, # 40) As members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, we put our faith into action. The Vincentian vocation is the intimate desire to participate personally and directly in helping the needy by person-to-person contact and by the gift of one’s heart and friendship, doing so within the communal spirit of a Conference of lay persons each inspired by the same vocation. Briefly, the Vincentian vocation is the call of personal service to those in need. This vocation may be expressed in many ways and with different shades of meaning. Practical translation of faith into action, meditating upon it and adapting it to our changing world, is the very life of every Vincentian, the very life of the Society. As members of the Society, we seek to bring personally, in a truly brotherly or sisterly and selfless spirit, some moral and material help to all in affliction, whether from destitution, sickness, unemployment, or imprisonment. No difference of religion, nationality, race, or political opinion matters when one is in need. For Vincentians, every person in need is a brother or sister, and an image of the suffering Jesus. “‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison?...’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’” (Mt 25: 44-45) In an audience with Vincentians, Pope Paul VI praised our ministry as “a great testimony of living Catholicism. You give witness to Christ in the Church of the Poor. The critic from outside is impressed. If he wants to understand you, he must look for that mysterious religious vitality which animates your silent work of love. And those others, too, see you living the Gospel, those to whom you direct your steps, and whom you do not call by the name of the poor, but by that of friend and brother.” St. Vincent de Paul tells us: “It is our vocation … to set people’s hearts ablaze, to do what the Son of God did, who came to light a fire on the earth in order to set it aflame with his love. It is not enough for me to love God if my neighbor does not love him. I must love my neighbor as the image of God and the object of his love ... I must act in such a way that people love their Creator and each other in mutual charity for the love of God who loved them so much that he delivered up his own Son to death for them.”
The Church was founded to spread the kingdom of Christ throughout the world and to make all people partakers in the redemption and salvation. All activities of the Society converge on extending the Reign of God, whether these activities relate to the spiritual growth and formation of the individual Vincentian through spiritual means, or to the corporate body of the Society as such, or to the acts of mercy and justice performed in the name of Jesus Christ. Members of the Society are distinguished by loyalty to their Christian faith and to the discipline of Catholic life. Vincentians are faithful to the Church and to its leadership. This fidelity manifests itself in the readiness and willingness of the Society to apply itself to any work recommended by members of church leadership which alleviates the needs of those who are poor and suffering. Vincentians always give witness to their faith and to Christ. Pope John Paul II reminded Vincentians that “your association is a constant reminder to the Church of her vocation to show Christ’s preferential love for the poor.” By tradition, the President-General pays his respects to the Holy Father and reaffirms the Society’s loyalty by letter at the beginning of each New Year. When the poor are in need, the Society responds in loyalty to them. And the Society remains a Christian brotherhood and sisterhood, a family loyal to its members, reaching out to other families.
The adoption of St. Vincent de Paul as patron of the Conference of Charity is highly significant. From the very beginning, Blessed Frederic Ozanam promoted fidelity to the primitive spirit of the Society, which he saw as the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul himself: a spirit of humility, simplicity and cordiality. Humility is one of the distinguishing traditions of the Society. It is an essential component of the spiritual life and of authentic Christian ministry. Humility does not weaken but strengthens. It curbs vanity and self-love, preserving practices that prevent their unruly growth. Vincentians have a habit of remaining in the shadows. We refrain from seeking recognition or taking credit for what we do. We flee the limelight. Humility inspires a spirit of selflessness, dissipates hurt feelings and oversensitivity, and discourages the seeking of accolades and the acceptance of offices as honors rather than responsibilities. The Society shuns collective pride, exclusivity, and jealousy. It is ready to collaborate with others when a need arises. Simplicity was St. Vincent’s favorite virtue, and it remains rooted in the primitive spirit of the Society. In simplicity Vincentians acknowledge God alone as the author of all good. They recognize that they are His instruments and that He is the Source of their talents, skills, good will, and commitment. That first group of seven young charter members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul accomplished so much because of their simplicity. They avoided complexity. Their approach was simple and adaptable. They faced the facts of any situation without prejudice and with openness of mind and heart. Frank cordiality characterizes Vincentians. It springs from the friendship that united the founders of the Society and remains traditional in the Councils and Conferences. Members manifest mutual respect and affection. Cordiality springs not from blood relation or mandate, but from a spiritual bond. Christian friendship and cordiality, of which Blessed Frederic was such an avid advocate, animates all meetings of Vincentian brothers and sisters. Wherever in the world Vincentians attend a gathering of the Society, they find a welcoming, familial atmosphere. This primitive spirit of humility, simplicity and cordiality is one to foster and preserve. 3.2 VINCENTIAN SPIRITUALITY “As he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” (I Peter 1:15-16) Pope John Paul II told us that “spirituality means a mode or form of life in keeping with Christian demands. Spirituality is ‘life in Christ’ and ‘in the Spirit,’ which is accepted in faith, expressed in love, and inspired by hope…. By spirituality … we mean not a part of life, but the whole of life guided by the Holy Spirit.” (The Church in America, #29) The Holy Father also said: “Life according to the Spirit, whose fruit is holiness (cf. Rom 6:22; Gal 5:22), stirs up every baptized person and requires each to follow and imitate Jesus Christ, in embracing the Beatitudes, in listening and meditating on the Word of God, in conscious and active participation in the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church, in personal prayer, in family or in community, in the hunger and thirst for justice, in the practice of the commandment of love in all circumstances of life and service to the brethren, especially the least, the poor, and the suffering.” (The Lay Members of Christ’s Faithful People, #16) A specific spirituality underpins our Vincentian vocation: Vincentian spirituality, so named for our patron, St. Vincent de Paul. It is his legacy to the Church and to all who pursue his spirit. This spirituality gives life, color, and meaning to who we are and what we do. Vincentian spirituality is the foundation of our vocation, endowing it with credibility, veracity, and integrity. God’s grace strengthens, supports, and energizes the practice of this specific spirituality. The Mystery of the Incarnation Central to an understanding of Vincentian spirituality is the Mystery of the Incarnation, the mystery and grace that God became human. Every Sunday, we profess our faith in the words of the Nicene creed: “…for our salvation God came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.” In God’s unfathomable love for humankind, the Word of God becomes flesh: divinity and humanity meet in a wondrous reality. St. Vincent de Paul promoted the Mystery of the Incarnation among his followers. He said: “Honor the Incarnation, a mystery beyond words.” Vincent taught: “Since Christ willed to be born poor … he made himself the servant of the poor and shared their poverty. He went so far as to say that he would consider every deed which either helps or harms the poor as done for or against himself.” While St. Vincent de Paul sees the historical Jesus in the persons of the poor and suffering, Blessed Frederic Ozanam sees the risen, scarred Jesus in them. He based his incarnational spirituality on the 20th Chapter of St. John’s Gospel: “Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.’ Thomas answered and said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.’” (John 20:26-29) Frederic wrote: “Both men and the poor we see with eyes of the flesh; they are there and we can put finger and hand in their wounds, and scars of the crown of thorns are visible on their foreheads; and at this point incredulity no longer has place and we should fall at their feet and say with the Apostle, ‘Tu est Dominus et Deus meus.’ You are our masters, and we will be your servants.” (Letter #137, November 13, 1836). The Mystery of the Incarnation, so loved by St. Vincent de Paul and Blessed Frederic Ozanam, is, therefore, a doctrine not just to be believed but to be put into practice by the corporal and spiritual acts of mercy. Vincentians who minister to the least of their brothers and sisters find in them the person of Jesus, the Incarnated Jesus. And this encounter with Jesus, this interaction, transforms us. Vincentians grow spiritually through their person-to-person service. We do what we do for the person of Jesus, who is, in truth, the flesh-and-blood poor person before us. Every human being is a word of God become flesh. Vincentians expect God in the unexpected: in unexpected people, times, ways, and places. God wears a human face. When we see Jesus in others and try to be Jesus for others, the Mystery of the Incarnation comes alive for us. Jesus, Evangelizer and Servant of the Poor Vincentian spirituality can be defined as “a conscious effort to become and act more like the Jesus of Vincent and Frederic – Jesus seen by them as the Evangelizer and Servant of the Poor.” This entails a constant, daily conversion of our vision and our treatment of others, so that we become more like Jesus every day in everything we think, do, and say. Jesus was the driving force in St. Vincent’s life, the center of his life and activity. Vincent found what he considered the distinctive image of Jesus in the gospel of Luke, where Christ is sent by the Father to preach the Good News to the poor: Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to bring the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free…” (Luke 4:16-21) Vincent’s life revolved around this relationship with Jesus as “the Evangelizer and Servant of the Poor.” In his writings, Vincent urged his followers to concentrate on this same image of Jesus, because “Jesus described himself as the Evangelizer of the poor: ‘To preach the good news to the poor he has sent me.’” Vincent often invoked St. Paul’s concept: “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 13:14) Vincentians are not the center of things, but the ones who center things on the Lord Jesus Christ. For followers of St. Vincent de Paul, spirituality involves a growing relationship with Jesus. Vincent says: “Let us walk with assurance on the royal road on which Jesus Christ will be our guide and leader.” Vincentians strive to grow in intimacy with their Lord and Savior, coming to know what He knows and love as He loves. In the course of his life and ministry, Vincent came to see that his charism – the gift given him by the Holy Spirit to use for building up the Church – was to preach the good news to the poor and to make the love of God a reality in the lives of the poor. The love Vincent experienced in his relationship with Jesus moved him to do all the great and small things he did during his sixty years as a priest. For Vincent, ministry was a response to God’s grace. Vincentian spirituality is rooted in the words of Jesus and exemplified in the lives and ministry of St. Vincent de Paul, St. Louise de Marillac, Blessed Frederic Ozanam, and Blessed Rosalie Rendu. Vincentian spirituality was created in the friendship and mutuality of these holy men and holy women who combined their masculine and feminine gifts. Vincentian spirituality is gentle and strong, nurturing and guiding, loving and creative, compassionate and merciful. Vincentian spirituality is indeed rooted in charity and justice. Vincentian spirituality is validated in the lives and ministry of the countless men and women who have pursued the spirit and spirituality of Vincent and Frederic as members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Vincentian spirituality works; it helps make us holy. Men and women who were once active members of the Society and are now canonized and beatified by the Church confirm this, as do the inspiring lives of so many committed members of the Society living today.
Pope John Paul II taught that spirituality concerns the whole of life, or, as he often put it, “the unity of life.” He said to the laity: “There cannot be two parallel lives in your existence as lay men and women: on the one hand, the so-called ‘spiritual’ life, with its values and demands; and on the other, the so-called ‘secular’ life, that is, life in a family, at work, social relationships, in the responsibilities of public life and in culture. The branch, engrafted to the vine which is Christ, bears its fruit in every sphere of existence and activity. Every activity, every situation, every precise responsibility … is the occasion ordained by Providence for a ‘continuous exercise of faith, hope, and charity.” (idem, #59) By constitution, composition, and administration, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is primarily a lay association. The spirituality proper to it is a lay spirituality, and the Church reminds the laity: “This lay spirituality should take its particular character from the circumstances of one’s state in life (married and family life, celibacy, widowhood), from one’s state of health, and from one’s professional and social activity. All should not cease to develop earnestly the qualities and talents bestowed on them in accord with these conditions of life and should make use of the gifts which they have received from the Holy Spirit.” (Decree on Apostolate of the Laity, # 4) Although Vincentians look to their patron, St. Vincent de Paul, for his teaching and mentoring, for a role model Vincentians look primarily to their founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam: layperson, husband, and father. He is one of us. Frederic was like us in all things. We can admire and imitate his person, spirit, and spirituality. Vincentian spirituality applies to lay persons of varying vocations and professions, social and economic status, and talents and skills. The genius of Vincentian spirituality is that it transcends age, gender, language, culture, color, and generations. 3.3 SACRED SCRIPTURE Among the various passages from Sacred Scripture that could be considered foundational for Vincentian spirituality, some are exemplary. Vincentian spirituality is grounded in them. St. Vincent quoted scripture in his talks and letters, as did Blessed Frederic. These passages incarnate the spirit and spirituality of our patron and founder, providing the lay members of the Society clear guidelines and effective means for obtaining our goal: holiness of life.
“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers or sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matt. 25:31-46) If Jesus stands at the center of Vincentian spirituality, the poor stand next to him. Jesus’ words, “You will always have the poor with you,” are the reason for Vincentian existence. Vincentian spirituality is horizontal, incarnational, rooted in the enfleshed humanity of Jesus. St. Vincent grounded this teaching in the Gospel according to St. Matthew: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me” Vincent echoed Jesus when he said, “in serving the poor, we serve Jesus Christ.” And again: “We serve Jesus Christ in the person of the poor. And that is as true as our being here.” Vincent added that the poor “have been given to us as our lords and masters.” Without neglecting the needs of others, the Church maintains a preferential option for the poor. Pope John Paul II said: “Taking up the Lord’s mission as her own, the Church proclaims the Gospel to every man and woman, committing herself to their integral salvation. But with special attention, in a true ‘preferential option,’ she turns to those who are in situations of greater weakness, and therefore in greater need. ‘The poor,’ in varied states of affliction, are the oppressed, those on the margin of society, the elderly, the sick, the young, any and all who are considered and treated as the ‘least.’” (The Consecrated Life, # 82) The Holy Father also asked this question: “If we recall that Jesus came to ‘preach the good news to the poor’ (Mt 11:5; Lk 7:22), how can we fail to lay greater emphasis on the church’s preferential option for the poor and the outcast?” (John Paul II, Tertio Millennio Adveniente, # 51) Jesus tells us that “the poor you will always have with you,” and this is what he taught and practiced during his public ministry. Indeed, the poor were always with Jesus; his ministry was to heal the sick, comfort the sorrowful, welcome strangers, care for the needy, forgive the sinner, and bring hope to the hopeless. Blessed Frederic said: “Sons of Saint Vincent de Paul, let us learn of him to forget ourselves, to devote ourselves to the service of God and the good of all. Let us learn of him that holy preference which shows most love to those who suffer most.” Indeed like the Church, Vincentians are concerned about all of God’s people because all are created in His image and likeness, but Vincentians too have a preferential option for the poor. In this, we imitate our founder and patron.
“Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:29-37) Vincentians are weak Samaritans, wounded ourselves, struggling to serve a wounded humanity in the persons of our brothers and sisters – in reality, Christ in disguise. Indeed, Frederic saw Vincentians not as “good Samaritans,” but as “weak Samaritans.” He wrote: “As weak Samaritans … let us dare … to approach this great sick one. Perhaps he will not be frightened of us.” Frederic thought that wounded humanity would be more receptive, initially, to lay Vincentians than to the clergy. He continued: “Let us try to probe its wounds and pour in oil, soothing its ear with words of consolation and peace; then, when its eyes are opened, we will place it in the hands of those whom God has constituted as the guardians and doctors of souls, who are also, in a way, our innkeepers on our pilgrimage here below…” (Letter, # 90) Pope John Paul II instructed us: “We are not allowed to ‘pass by on the other side’ indifferently; we must ‘stop’ beside him. Everyone who stops beside the suffering of another person, whatever form it may take, is a Good Samaritan. This stopping does not mean curiosity but availability. It is like the opening of a certain interior disposition of the heart…. The name ‘Good Samaritan’ fits every individual who is sensitive to the sufferings of others, who ‘is moved’ by the misfortune of another…This kind of voluntary ‘Good Samaritan’ can be called an apostolate, when it is undertaken for clearly evangelical motives, especially if this is in connection with the Church….” (On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering, #28 and #29) Frederic understood the mutuality of ministry. Frederic discovered that ministry was a two-way street: when he ministered to the poor, the poor ministered to him. There was a mutuality of ministry. Frederic wrote in an article: “Help becomes honorable, because it may become mutual, because every man who gives a kind word, a good advice, a consolation today, may tomorrow stand himself in need of a kind word, an advice, or a consolation; because the hand that you clasp clasps yours in return; because the indigent family whom you love loves you in return, and will have largely acquitted themselves toward you when the old man, the mother, the little children shall have prayed for you.” (October 21, 1848) Blessed Frederic Ozanam told the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Florence, Italy shortly before his death in 1853: “How often has it not happened that being weighed down by some interior trouble, uneasy as to my poor state of health, I entered the home of the poor confided to my care; there, face to face with so many miserable poor, who had so much more to complain of, I felt reproached for my depression, I felt better able to bear sorrow, and I gave thanks to that unhappy one, the contemplation of whose sufferings had consoled and fortified me! How could I avoid henceforward loving him the more!”
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:25-28) Blessed Frederic Ozanam established the Conference of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul to empower its members not simply to work for the poor, but to work with the poor. Vincentians minister to the poor not merely from a sense of compassion, but from a sense of affinity, of solidarity, with them. For Vincent and Frederic, there is only one love. The love of God and the love of neighbor are one and the same. This is the teaching of Jesus: the two loves are ultimately one. The two commandments are inseparable. There is no single commandment greater than these two. Our love is a response to God’s love for us. Since our loving God cannot be seen but must be experienced through loving people, anyone who sees others without loving cannot love or even know God. For Vincent and Frederic, as for Jesus, love is neither sentiment nor affection nor theory, but a practical willing of another’s best interests and a consequent striving to advance those interests. Love, in this true sense, is what motivates Vincentians. We set out to practice and exercise the virtue of charity. “Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, # 1822) Vincent and Frederic related charity to zeal and fire, echoing Jesus: “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Lk 12:49) Frederic said: “The world has grown cold; it is for us Catholics to rekindle the vital fire which has been extinguished. It is for us to inaugurate the great work of regeneration….” (Letter, #90) Blessed Frederic wrote that charity “is a fire that dies without being fed, and good works are the food of charity.” (Letter, #82) Vincent said: “If the love of God is a fire, then zeal is its flame; if that love is a sun, zeal is its ray. Zeal is that which makes our love of God purer.” (Conf. #211) The original Rule of the Society (1835) said: “The very essence of the Conference of Charity is love of our neighbor and zeal for the salvation of souls. He who is not animated by this twofold sentiment, which, with the Christian, forms but one feeling, should not become a member.” (Explanatory Notes #3) As Pope John Paul II observed, “Solidarity is undoubtedly a Christian virtue … it has been possible to identify many points of contact between solidarity and charity, which is the distinguishing mark of Christ’s disciples (cf., Jn 13:35). One’s neighbor is …the living image of God the Father, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ and placed under the permanent action of the Holy Spirit. One’s neighbor must therefore be loved, even if an enemy, with the same love with which the Lord loves him or her; and for that person’s sake one must be ready for sacrifice, even the ultimate one: to lay down one’s life for the brethren (cf., 1 Jn 3:16).” (On Social Concern, #40) Pope John Paul II also stated: “Now is the time for a new ‘creativity’ in charity, not only by ensuring that help is effective but also by ‘getting close’ to those who suffer, so that the hand that helps is seen not as a humiliating handout but as a sharing between brothers and sisters.” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, # 50) Vincentians strive to practice solidarity by “getting close” to those they serve in their person-to-person, hands-on acts of charity, especially through home visits. This has been the Vincentian tradition since the foundation of the Society.
“I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” (John 13:34-35) Every work of Vincent and Frederic promoted recognition of and respect for the dignity of the poor. Vincent and Frederic cherished the virtues of charity and justice in their ministry, because they knew that the poor are sacraments of Christ, outward signs of his presence. Vincent said: “There is no charity that is not accompanied by justice, nor does it permit us to do more than we reasonably can.” Blessed Frederic said: “The order of society is based on two virtues: justice and charity. However, justice presupposes a lot of love already, for one needs to love a person a great deal in order to respect his rights that infringe on our rights, and his freedom that infringes on our freedom. Justice has its limits, whereas charity knows none.” At Frederic’s beatification ceremonies, Pope John Paul II told the world: “Blessed Frederic observed the real situation of the poor and sought to be more and more effective in helping them in their human development. He understood that charity must lead to efforts to remedy injustice. Charity and justice go together. He had the clear-sighted courage to seek a front-line social and political commitment in a troubled time in the life of his country, for no society can accept indigence as if it were simply a fatality without damaging its honor. So it is that we can see him a precursor of the social doctrine of the Church which Pope Leo XIII would develop some years later in the encyclical Rerum Novarum.” (August 22, 1997) Like Frederic, Vincentians know that the love of Christ impels us to the poor, whose rights demand our response.
Vincentians organize dining facilities. We collect food and distribute necessary provisions for the needy and their families. The poor have the right to health: Vincentians organize pharmacies and transport the sick poor to hospitals, clinics, and other medical facilities. The poor have the right to dignity and hope: Vincentians practice solidarity through domestic and international Twinning. We help the victims of disasters and provide reverential burial when needed. The poor in prison have the right to respect: Vincentians visit the incarcerated to bring them hope, solace, and support; we help the families of inmates as well. The poor have the right to shelter: Vincentians welcome strangers and the homeless, and provide temporary shelter. We build and administer housing, providing furnishings and household items. The poor have the right to care in their old age: Vincentians pay special attention to the elderly, particularly the lonely and shut-ins. We visit and help persons confined to nursing homes, as well as those who live on their own. The poor have the right to work: Vincentians help the unemployed find jobs and offer job training in fields such as computer programming. We tutor them in how to interview and apply for positions, and provide them appropriate clothing. The poor have the right to education: Vincentians provide adults and children with tuition and supplemental funding. We provide students with necessary textbooks, school materials and uniforms.
“Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:32-37) St. Vincent advised: “Deal with neighbors in a gentle, humble, and loving manner, even with the most hardened of sinners, and never employ a vehement accusation or reproaches or harsh language toward anyone whomsoever.” In August 1851, Jean-Jacques Ampere, Blessed Frederic’s closest friend, persuaded him and his wife, Amelie, to take a vacation. They were to see the Great Exhibition at the famous Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London. But Frederic was not as impressed with the exhibits as he was visibly shocked by the poverty of the poor Irish immigrants who lived in dilapidated tenement houses surrounding the great hall. Frederic had seen terrible poverty in his lifetime but this wrenched his heart. Instead of spending all of his time visiting the Great Exhibition and taking in the sights, Frederic visited the poor Irish with the assistance of the English Vincentians. Frederic was inspired by these Vincentians. He wrote to his brother Charles Ozanam on August 25-26, 1851 that the English Vincentians needed a lot of virtue and courage to personally help the shockingly poor, because, in aristocratic England, contact with the poor was thought to “dirty” and compromise a person. It took virtue and courage even to shake the hands of those poor. Yet our confreres of St. Vincent de Paul conquered the prejudices of their birth. They did much good, and Frederic considered it a joy to have spent the night in the midst of them. (Letter #1102) Vincentians transcend racial and national prejudices. We judge women and men strictly on their need, not on their color, nationality, education, or morality. We treat each person with the dignity that belongs to a human being. That dignity demands, at the very least, that we never judge another person to be useless, unnecessary, or totally bad. To judge and act that way is unjust. Therefore, Vincentians are nonjudgmental. A nonjudgmental attitude excludes assigning guilt or responsibility for a person’s needs or problems. Vincentians must and do make assessments of the facts, not to determine moral worth but to discern strengths and weaknesses. The people we serve will not reveal their true selves or deeper needs to someone prone to criticize them. When uncertain about the truthfulness of a story, Vincentians give the person telling it the benefit of the doubt. We do not reward deception, but try, by getting to know the person better, to get to the real problems beneath the surface.
“This is how you are to pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done…” (Matt. 6:9-13) Blessed Frederic Ozanam was a man of prayer. He understood it as the lifeline and foundation for who he was and what he did. Prayer nourished his life and ministry. After Frederic’s death, his wife, Amelie, said of him: “I never saw him wake up or fall asleep without making the sign of the cross and praying. In the morning he read the Bible, in Greek, on which he meditated about half an hour. In the last years of his life, he went to Mass every day for his support and consolation. He never did anything serious without praying. Before leaving for his classes, he always got on his knees to ask God for the grace of saying nothing which would attract public praise to himself, but of only speaking for the glory of God and the service of the truth.” St. Vincent said: “Give me a man of prayer, and he will be able to do all things; he can say with the Apostle, ‘I can do all things in him who strengthens me.’” For Vincent, prayer flows from and leads to action. Separated from ministry, prayer can turn escapist and create illusions of holiness. Separated from prayer, ministry can become superficial and compulsive. The Eucharist plays a major role in Vincentian spirituality. This is seen in the lives of St. Vincent de Paul and Blessed Frederic Ozanam. St.Vincent spent one hour each morning before the Blessed Sacrament before celebrating Mass. Vincent visited the Blessed Sacrament before and after his meals, and he would frequently make short visits to the chapel before leaving and upon returning from his responsibilities. Blessed Frederic received his First Communion on May 11, 1826 in the Church of Saint-Pierre, Lyon, France; he was thirteen years old. For the rest of his life, Frederic considered that day a milestone in his spiritual development. From his teens, Frederic attended Mass daily whenever possible and received Holy Communion frequently – an unusual practice for that time. Not a day went by when Frederic would not make a short visit to the Blessed Sacrament in one of the churches in Paris as he made his way to an appointment. Both Vincent and Frederic discovered what the Church teaches today: the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. It augmented their union with Jesus, strengthened their charity, and committed them to the poor.
“So do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.” (Matthew 6:25-34) One of the primary characteristics of Vincentian spirituality is belief in and reliance on Divine Providence. For Vincent, nothing—absolutely nothing—in life happened by chance. He found the providence of God in all events and in the people who touched his life. Frederic saw God’s plan operative everywhere. He trusted that God was providing for him, always acting in his life and in the lives of others. To Amelie, he wrote: “Providence led you into my path, and I offered you the sharing of a life poor, for long and perhaps ever obscure, but sanctified, ennobled by the cultivation of all that is beautiful; I offered you solitude far from all belonging to you, but with the tenderness of a heart which had never belonged to anyone but you.” (Letter, #515) Blessed Frederic advised a friend: “Let us walk simply in the path where a merciful Providence leads us, content to see the stone wherever we are to place our foot, without desiring to see the length or the windings of the way.” (Baunard, p. 131)
“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:19-20) The sacrament of marriage was a powerful means of holiness for Frederic and Amelie Ozanam, as it is and has been for countless Vincentians. Years before his own wedding, Frederic displayed his in-depth understanding of the sacrament in a letter to a friend about to be married: “When two or three are gathered together in my name,” says the Savior, “there am I in the midst of them.” It is in that divine name that you will prepare to unite yourself to a wise and pious wife: the promise will be accomplished in you both…. Love possesses something of the divine nature, which gives itself without diminishing, which shares itself without division, which multiplies itself, which is present in many places at once, and whose intensity is increased in the measure that it gains in extension. In your wife you will first love God, whose admirable and precious work she is, and then humanity…. You will draw comfort from her tenderness on bad days, you will find courage in her example in perilous times, you will be her guardian angel, she will be yours.… You will never be alone again, your virtue will be shared in legitimate hope, the alliance you are about to contract will be an immortal alliance: what God joins together, what he has insisted no man separate, he will not himself separate, and in heaven he will invest with the same glory those who here below were companions in the same exile. (Letter, # 107)
“O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you.” For Vincentians, authentic Marian spirituality must be nourished from a personal and genuine encounter with Mary in the Gospel, in the spirit of St. Vincent and Blessed Frederic. From the establishment of the first Confraternity of Charity at Chatillon-les-Dombes in 1617, Vincent de Paul proposed Mary as the patroness and protector of the work. Vincent suggested Mary as “model”: being obedient to the will of God, modest, discreet, without sin, humble, perfect, full of grace, poor, persevering, and servant of the Lord. Vincent focused his attention on three events, three mysteries in Mary’s life:
Vincent taught that we must welcome God, be filled with God, clothe ourselves with Christ, and be self-emptying, as Mary the Immaculate one.
Vincent knew that humility prepared and sustained Mary’s offering to God. Mary recognized God as the only Lord and she knew her smallness before God. Like Mary we must give ourselves to God to serve our neighbor, in order to accomplish God’s work.
Vincent offered Mary’s generosity and compassion in her visit to her cousin Elizabeth as our model of service to the poor. Frederic Ozanam had a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, from his youth to his death. He had visited some of the popular Marian shrines in France, Italy, and Spain. He wrote of his spiritual experiences at the shrines of Burgos, Spain and Buglose, France. One of Frederic’s strongest Marian devotions was to Notre Dame de Fourviere in Lyon, France, where he dedicated his youth to God. By Divine Providence, the special day at Fourviere is September 8th, the feast of the Birthday of Mary. Civic leaders and citizens gather annually at the shrine to thank Mary for her intercession in sparing their city from cholera in the 19th century. As the Lyonnais were celebrating Mary’s birthday on September 8, 1853, God took Frederic to heaven in the city of Marseille. Notre Dame de Fourviere welcomed Frederic home on her special feast and his special day! Frederic insisted that the Society take Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception as its patroness. The first members of the Society chose December 8th as their special Marian feast – twenty years before the formal proclamation of the dogma in 1854 by Pope Blessed Pius IX, and a year after Frederic’s death. To this day, Vincentians implore Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, their patroness, to intercede for their Councils and Conferences, and their lives and ministry.
Frederic’s devotion to Mary was especially influence by the appearance of Mary to Sister Catherine Laboure, a Daughter of Charity in Paris, in 1830, and the events surrounding the “Miraculous Medal.” In January 1830, Catherine entered the Daughters of Charity in Paris and as a novice, she received the grace of the vision of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in the Chapel of the Motherhouse:
The story begins on the night of July 18, 1830: A child, (her guardian angel) awakened Sister Catherine Labouré, a novice in the community of the Daughters of Charity in Paris, and summoned her to the chapel. There she met with the Virgin Mary and spoke with her for several hours. During the conversation, Mary said to her, “My child, I am going to give you a mission.” The Second Apparition On November 27, 1830, during the evening meditation in the Chapel, Mary once again appeared to Sister Catherine and gave her this mission. First, she saw Mary standing on half a globe, holding a golden globe in her hands as an offering to heaven. On the globe in her hand was the word “France.” Our Lady explained that the globe represented the whole world, but especially France. Times were difficult in France then, particularly for the poor and unemployed, who were often refugees from war. France was first to experience many of the troubles that ultimately reached the rest of the world and remain even today. The Third Apparition The vision then changed to show our Lady with arms outstretched with dazzling rays of light still streaming from gems on the rings on Mary’s fingers. Mary explained that the rays symbolize the graces she obtains for those who request them. Some of the gems on the rings were dark, however and rays and graces did not emanate from these stones because Mary explained that no one had asked for them. Framing the figure was this inscription: O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. 
The Meaning of the Front Side of the Medal: Mary is standing on a globe, crushing the head of a serpent beneath her foot. She stands upon the globe as the Queen of heaven and earth. Her feet crush the serpent to proclaim Satan and all his followers are helpless before her (Gn. 3:15). The year of 1830 is the year the Blessed Mother gave the design of the medal to St. Catherine Labouré. The prayer to Mary “conceived without sin” supports the dogma of the Immaculate Conception and affirms Mary’s sinlessness, “full of grace” and “blessed among women” (Luke 1:28). The dogma was proclaimed 24 years later in 1854. The Meaning of the Back Side of the Medal: The vision turned and showed the design of the reverse side of the medal. Twelve stars encircle a large “M,” from which a cross rises. Below are two hearts with flames arising from them: one encircled in thorns, the other pierced by a sword. The twelve stars can refer to the Apostles, who represent the entire Church as it surrounds Mary. They also recall the vision of St. John, writer of the Book of Revelation(12:1), in which “a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of 12 stars.” The cross symbolizes Christ and our redemption, with the bar under the cross a sign of the earth. The “M” stands for Mary, and the weaving of her initial with the cross shows Mary’s close involvement with Jesus and our world. In this we see Mary’s part in our salvation and her role as mother of the Church. The two hearts represent the love of Jesus and Mary for us. (Lk 2:35) Then Mary spoke to Catherine: “Have a medal struck upon this model. Those who wear it will receive great graces, especially if they wear it around the neck.” Catherine explained the entire series of apparitions to her confessor, and worked through him to carry out Mary’s instructions. In 1831, Sr. Catherine was sent to serve the elderly at the Enghien Hospice in the desolate suburb northeast of Paris. She spent the next 46 years there in dedicated and compassionate care of the elderly sick and poor. Sr. Catherine did not reveal that she was the one who had received the vision of the Medal until soon before her death 47 years later. Because of this humility, she is often called the “Saint of Silence.” In 1933, when her body was exhumed for beatification 57 years after her death, it was found “as fresh as the day it was buried.” Her incorrupt body can still be seen today at the Mother House of the Daughters of Charity in Paris, in the very chapel where the Blessed Mother appeared to her. Sr. Catherine Labouré was canonized by Pope Pius XII on July 27, 1947.
With approval of the Church, the first Medals were cast in 1832 and distributed in Paris. The medal was first known as the medal of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. Almost immediately the blessings that Mary had promised began to shower down on those who wore her Medal. The devotion spread like wildfire. By 1835 over 2 million medals had been distributed, with miracles of grace, health, and peace given to those who prayed in faith and trust. And so, the medal soon became known as the “Miraculous” Medal. In 1836, a Canonical inquiry undertaken at Paris declared the apparitions to be genuine, and over 15 million medals were dispersed throughout the world in that year alone. Indeed, there is no superstition, nothing magical, connected with the Miraculous Medal. The Miraculous Medal is not a “good-luck charm.” Rather, it is a great testimony to faith and the power of trusting prayer. God uses a Medal, not as a sacrament, but as an instrument, in bringing to pass certain marvelous results. The founding members of the Society were among the first recipients of the medal and Frederic carried the Miraculous Medal with him during his whole life. Because of his roots in Italy, Frederic took a special interest in publicizing the amazing conversion of Alphonse Ratisbonne, through the intercession of Mary and the Miraculous Medal. The publication of the story helped spread devotion to the medal.
Alphonse Ratisbonne, was a Jewish man known for his disdain of Christianity, but he had a good Catholic friend with whom he would discuss issues about Catholicism. One day Alphonse and his friend agreed to an “experiment.” Alphonse would wear the Miraculous Medal and pray the Memorare to Our Lady for one week. Believing that nothing would happen, Alphonse accepted the challenge. On January 20, 1842, Alphonse went inside the church of Sant’ Andrea delle Fratte in Rome to wait for his friend, who was attending a funeral there. Alphonse himself described what happened: “When I traversed the Church, I arrived at the spot where they were getting ready for the funeral. Suddenly I felt interiorly disturbed, and saw in front of me something like a veil. It seemed to me that the entire church had been swallowed up in shadow, except in the chapel. It was as though all the light was concentrated in that single place. I looked over towards this chapel whence so much light shone, and above the altar was a living figure, tall, majestic, beautiful, and full of mercy. It was the most holy Virgin Mary, resembling her figure on the Miraculous Medal. At this sight I fell on my knees right where I stood. Unable to look up because of the blinding light, I fixed my glance on her hands, and in them I could read the expression of mercy and pardon. In the presence of the Most Blessed Virgin, even though she did not speak a word to me, I understood the frightful situation I was in, my sins and the beauty of the Catholic faith.” In 1842 Alphonse Ratisbonne was baptized, and ordained a priest in 1847. The feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal is celebrated on November 27th, and the feast of St. Catherine Labouré on November 28th. 3.5 VINCENTIAN PRAYERS AND SPECIAL MASSES Yüklə 434,63 Kb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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t. Catherine Labouré and the Miraculous Medal