Sometimes when we look at the lives of the saints, we can often miss the fact that they were real people with real struggles. The saint for this month was motivated to become a priest because he wanted to live a life of leisure. However, God had different plans for him. By following God, St. Vincent de Paul was taken out of his comfort zone many times and his efforts helped to renew the Catholic faith in France.
Vincent was born to a poor French peasant family in Pouy, France on April 24, 1581. He lived a simple life, but was very smart. His father saw his potential and sold prized cattle so Vincent could be educated by the Franciscans. He did so well in his studies that he was hired to tutor the kids for a nearby wealthy family. He used the money to study theology at university and was ordained a priest in 1600. In 1605, he and his mentor were captured by Barbary pirates, Muslim brigands from the coast of North Africa, while on a journey and kept as slaves for two years before were finally able to escape. He studied in Rome for a time until the Vatican assigned him to serve his home country of France.
Vincent was an irritable person by nature, but he had help from his spiritual director to grow and become more sensitive to the needs of others. Vincent originally preferred to become a priest because he could live in comfort and not have to be busy with work all while he could focus on acquiring knowledge. However, he had a real conversion of heart when he encountered Christ through a dying poor man. He saw that the needs of the poor in France were so great that he founded the Ladies of Charities for lay women to pool their resources to aid the suffering. He even used his high-level connections to recruit women from noble families who helped to establish hospitals, provide for victims of war, and free slaves in North Africa.
Not only was he a great humanitarian, Vincent was also a reformer. At the time, France was suffering from a shortage of priests. Of the priests that remained, there were many who were poorly formed or unfaithful to their vows. Vincent knew that France’s religious restoration cannot happen without faithful priests so he introduced reforms by leading retreats and conducting clerical training. Some of his practices would go on to be used in our seminaries today! He also established the Congregation of the Mission for priests or Vincentians. These priests would devote themselves to the people of smaller towns or villages. It was because of his efforts that Vincent became the symbol of religious reform in France until he died in Paris on September 27, 1660.
Here are some things we can learn from the life of St. Vincent de Paul:
Don’t chase after things just to run! St. Vincent was gifted with a great intellect and he spent the early part of his life trying to get into the best education schools. He was blinded by his desire to just know more. However, when he had a conversion of the heart, his eyes were opened to the sufferings of the poor and the unfaithfulness of his brother priests. He used his intelligence to organize groups to more effectively serve those in need and structured methods to help his brother clerics to apply their faith in practice. God has given each of us unique talents to help and share with others. So why do we do the things that we do? When we can look past our own motivations to God, then we can achieve things beyond our wildest imagination!
Change is good, even better when it’s painful. If you were to go to your local homeless shelter and the first volunteer you meet is a scowling and rude man, you might be hesitant to come back. Well, Vincent had to radically change his life in order to become the kind of person who could lead retreats and minister to the poor. And yet, it was through this difficult process that Vincent was able to soften his heart for God to lead him to conversion. It’s easy for us to remain where we are because it’s comfortable and familiar. But God wants to give us so much more and in order for that to happen we have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable! Let’s say you’re working out (don’t laugh, just pretend you do) and you feel sore. The soreness comes from your muscles tearing from the strain! If you keep doing this regularly your muscles will tear and heal until you notice the changes. The same could be applied to your spiritual and moral muscles!
A consistent structure supports a healthy prayer life. When St. Vincent worked to reform the clergy in France, he saw that many of the priests were complacent in their spiritual life which translated into their daily life. Since they were complacent, this meant that the priests in France sort of made up their brand of Catholicism based on their own experiences. Vincent knew that this was dangerous because it waters down Catholicism as just a collection of opinions rather than the one true Church founded by Jesus Christ. This is why he developed a uniform system to make sure each priest had a consistent moral foundation to draw from when they went out to serve the poor. Even if it’s hard for you to find time to pray, it’s ok to start small. It’s better to be consistent than to not do it at all! If you can’t find time to do the rosary or you need more structure in your prayer, the Examen is still a great tool!
Here is a good prayer for when we need to be sensitive to the needs of others:
Noble Saint Vincent de Paul,
beloved servant of the poor,
may we follow your example and do good works
among those whom society has abandoned,
enslaved, or forgotten.
Inspire us to feed the hungry,
to love a child,
to provide comfort and medicine to the sick,
to clothe those whose garments are threadbare,
and to offer hope and our Lord’s words
to all who need respite.
Pray for us to our beloved God
that we may commit ourselves selflessly
to doing the same charitable acts
that you did all your life,
and intercede with him
that we may have the favour of his guidance
and strength and love upon this important and meaningful work. Amen.
Be awesome and blossom 🌱
By: anh Daniel
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