Dear brothers, for the rest of our reflections in IGC this year, we shall be focusing on “Vincentian Spirituality” which is referred to in our Constitutions (article 9).  In doing this we do not wish to present Saint Vincent de Paul as a second Patron of FIC, but simply honoring him as somebody who deeply inspired our founders. Moreover, Vincent’s spirituality is fundamentally similar in many respects to that of FIC. So we are inviting you to reflect on his spirituality especially in areas where the two are related. 

Vincent de Paul in one of his conferences, spoke about the purpose of the Congregation of the Mission: [Our mission] is to make God known to poor persons; to announce Jesus Christ to them; to tell them that the kingdom of heaven is at hand and that it is for persons who are poor. These words constitute the best summary of the Vincentian character with regard to evangelization.  Those words also echo the ideas that Pope Paul VI proclaimed in Evangelii Nuntiandi, the most complete document on evangelization.

This general framework ought to inspire, guide and find expression in evangelizing activities; it should also influence all attitudes and dispositions.

This general framework presents three things which are central to the Vincentian heritage: God, Jesus Christ, and the poor.  These are the three elements that sustained the spirituality and the praxis of Vincent de Paul and therefore, they should also sustain the spirituality and the praxis of his followers.

The primacy of God: God is first and is absolute. People are the channels of God’s goodness and mercy.  As Vincent would say, the God that Vincentians have to proclaim is the God who is the protector of the poor the God of love and of mercy.  God has opted for the poor and therefore the cause of the poor is the cause of God and the concerns and questions of the poor are the concerns and the questions of God.  We can say that the option for the poor instead of being viewed as a command or a commitment should be seen as a reality of faith and a theological truth.

The centrality of Christ: Vincent’s life was Christ-centered and his Christology was not theoretical but alive and existential.  Clearly then, Vincentian identity is Christ-centered and therefore, opting for the poor, as identified with FIC, can only be understood from the reality that the cause of the poor is the cause of Christ and thus the Vincentians, just like all other religious, follow Christ and proclaim Jesus Christ, the evangelizer and the servant of the poor.  Vincentians also focus their attention on the Gospel passage of Luke 4:18-19: The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor ¼ Here they discover the key to their option, their vocation and their mission in the Church and in society.

Passion for the poor: Vincentians are not simply dealing with a concern for the poor or an act of drawing closer to the poor.  Rather they are exhorted to live his words: But where can the poor turn?  Where can they go?  This is my worry and my sorrow. The poor then are their domi­nant passion, and in the light of such a passion, everything else becomes second­ary.  Vincent de Paul, motivated by the same passion for the poor, stated: We should sell ourselves to rescue our brothers and sisters from destitution.

Bro. Raphael B.