St. Vincent de Paul: Witness to Eternity
“Make it a practice to judge persons and things in the most favorable light at all times and under all circumstances” (St. Vincent de Paul).
The name St. Vincent de Paul is synonymous with charity. With just a quick Google search of the name, you will be directed to charitable organizations, ways to help those in need, and ways to find help if needed. He is remembered as the “Apostle of Charity” and the “Father of the Poor.” Whether people know much about him or not, they have most likely caught a glimmer of his outstanding legacy of Christian generosity and love.
Vincent was born in 1581 into a poor family in Pouy, France. His education came from Franciscans, where he excelled and became a tutor to wealthy families. He was ordained a priest in 1600, and while all this sounds quaint, his life was far from prosaic. He was captured by pirates, sold into slavery, escaped, and reignited the hearts of thousands of Christians amid a time when many of the clergy and laity were drifting away. Yes, quite a wild ride!
Through his adventures, St. Vincent felt particularly called to help the poor and the marginalized. Aiding those in need, building hospitals for the sick, and evangelizing convicts became his passion. The work was so necessary and so colossal that he formed the Congregation of the Missions, which today we know as the Society of St. Vincent de Paul or the Vincentians, and the Daughters of Charity.
He died in 1660, having not only spent a life serving the poor, but also — through his Christ-like love — reforming the clergy. He believed that if “the priests are good, the people will also be good.”
Be Vigilant in Love
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “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.” (CCC 1822) Charity is not self-seeking; it is giving our hearts entirely to God, and seeing our neighbors as beloved Sons and Daughters of Our Heavenly Father.
As our world clings to the altar of progress, chasing temporal glories, it seems that the dignity of our fellow man is forgotten. The news is stuffed full of tragedy and anger; social media has become an inane territory of name-calling and derision. On these platforms, the foul attitude of “it’s okay, it’s not 'real life'” paves the way for sin. Glued to the latest gadget, eye contact and kindly interactions are deemed awkward. Anxiety consumes our culture.
We’ve become so swept up in a crippling fantasy-land of ego and destruction that the story of St. Vincent de Paul is all the more needed. His life was marked by total generosity. From the moment he was given a gift, he poured it right back into his community. He did not worry about his own well-being; he was far too busy serving Christ. His life was never easy — the man was captured by pirates! — yet, he always chose to love and, in doing so, was a witness to eternity.
“If we are faithful to God, we lack nothing.” — St. Vincent de Paul
We are called to “make ourselves the neighbor of those farthest away” (CCC-1825) — to pick up our cross and love with Christ’s love. St. Vincent did precisely that. He didn’t go to battle, seek revenge on a culture losing sight of the Divine; he loved his fellow man, and he took care of those in need. He did the much harder thing; he gave of himself, and did not count the cost.
Today, St. Vincent de Paul’s heart is still incorrupt. It serves as a tangible reminder that, as Evelyn Waugh wrote, there is no “past tense in the verb to love.”
“It is not sufficient for me to love God if I do not love my neighbor. I belong to God and to the poor.” — St. Vincent de Paul
St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!
Ann Burns is the founder of The Feminine Project, an organization dedicated to restoring the joy of womanhood. She is a writer and speaker, and strives to uphold what is truly good and beautiful. Most of all, she is a wife and mother, and loves to share the joy in living each day well.