“He
left us neither a learned treatise nor a body of doctrine, only the
little volume of his Rule, a brief synthesis of his theological
spirituality. He was content to lay out a road, to clear the paths,
inviting his disciples to continue the charitable works which he had
begun.
He opened the doors of the Church, teaching the clergy to work with the
laity, the first who dared to value the contribution of women. And women
responded enthusiastically to his call, whether they were country girls
or great ladies of nobility.
Vincent knew how to make his work responsive to all kinds of misery,
whether physical or moral, determined to remedy it and finding an
appropriate solution for every situation. Thus, he was the initiator of
assistance to abandoned children, to prisoners, victims of catastrophe,
refugees, and housebound invalid. In all these works, he was a
precursor, showing the way which is still followed today by institutions
and governmental departments of social services.
Bending himself to the pattern of his model, Jesus Christ, he placed
himself at the service of the poor, “who are our lords and our
masters.” (sv. 9:119)
He taught that true charity does not consist only of distributing alms,
but of helping the abject to regain their dignity and independence. He
believed in the virtue of action and he loved to use this succinct
motto: action is our entire task. Then he would add that “Perfection
does not come from ecstasy but rather from doing the will of God.” (sv.
11:41. 317)
Vincent was first and foremost a man of God, profoundly steeped in the
spirit of the Gospel. He recommended long prayer and meditation before
action so that one could come to recognize the divine will. One must not
hurry, and that is why he counselled people not to leap ahead of
Providence. Above all, this man of action was a man of prayer and deep
spirituality: “You must have an inner life, everything must tend in
that direction. If you lack this, you lack everything. (sv. 12:131)”
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