Spirituality

It is a deeply ingrained tenet of our charism that Vincentians are doers. We don’t just talk about serving, we serve. At the same time, we must always remember that we are not called to action for action’s sake, but for our growth in holiness. The more selflessly we serve, the more it benefits our own souls – the central irony, you might say, of our vocation.

It is easy to seek ways to more “efficiently” distribute assistance, either because the needs are truly great, or because we have personally become tired, but whatever the reason, when we turn our focus to the groceries or the light bills, we lose sight of Christ’s face.

In the earliest days of the Ladies of Charity, there was a proposal that the ladies might find somebody else to cook the food to be brought to the Hôtel-Dieu, but Vincent could see that once we parcel out part of our charitable works, an unfortunate chain of events is likely to follow, because when we relieve ourselves of the obligation to cook, “you will never again be able to restore this practice”; if you hire out the work, it will become too expensive, soon you will conclude that whoever cooks the food should deliver it, and “in this way your Charity will be reduced to failure.” [CCD I:70]

The Ladies were not managing a hospital cafeteria, they were bringing the love of God – the literal meaning of the word “charity” – to the suffering poor. It was their presence, members of the France’s upper class, welcoming the poor into this great community of faith, reminding them that God had not forgotten them, that was the real work.

And so it remains for us today. From time to time, circumstances may require us to compromise on our person to person service, meeting virtually or by telephone, but this will always be a compromise, a half of a loaf – better than no loaf at all, as the saying goes, but never equal to the whole loaf. We are called to “grow more perfect in love by expressing compassionate and tender love to the poor and one another.” [Rule, Part I, 2.2] Officers at all levels of the Society are expected to “visit the poor as often as possible.” [Rule, Part III, St. 12] We recognize, as Bl. Frédéric said, “ that visiting the poor should be the means and not the end of our association.” [Letter 182, to Lallier, 1838]

Vincentians serve for love alone, in the “hope that someday it will be no longer they who love, but Christ who loves through them.” [Rule, Part I, 2.1] Anybody can deliver a pot of soup, but we’re not Door Dash, we’re the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and ours is a ministry of presence.

Contemplate

Do I sometimes let my focus on the material needs cause me to lose focus on the person?

Recommended Reading

Mystic of Charity

When we think back on our experiences visiting the homes of our neighbors, we are justly proud of the many times that we “solved the problem,” often with a little money, or some food; sometimes with advice and encouragement. We may not always change the lives of the poor, but we can often check off one problem from the list, and share in their happiness at that. But this is not always the case.

Sometimes it seems that there is nothing we can do; the problem is too big, or the situation too complex; we don’t have money, or the expertise, or it’s just…too much. Often, we know this before we even schedule the visit. So why do we go?

St. Vincent taught about affective love and effective love. Effective love is not emotional, it is active. It is an act of will, to provide for another – to give them the things that they need. This is the love we think about when we commit ourselves to serving for love alone. [Rule, Part I, 2.2] So what happens when “effectiveness” is off the table?

Think, for example, of the neighbors we visit who have no homes, who live on the streets or in the parks, and who suffer from all of the health and wellness problems that often accompany long-term homelessness. In severe weather, we may sometimes be able to offer a shelter that will prevent death. We may be able to provide clean clothes and some food, and then…we send them off again.

Effective love, though, does not come at the expense of affective love. When we sit with the suffering, perhaps especially those who are suffering what we can barely comprehend much less alleviate, we may sometimes find ourselves overwhelmed with emotion. We try to choke it back, certain that we can be more comforting if we can remain more placid. But affective love, Vincent taught, “proceeds from the heart” making us “continually aware of the presence of God”. [CCD IX:372]

It is in your silent tear that you share the burdens and the pain of the neighbor. For so much of their lives, these suffering people are unseen by so many who avert their eyes when walking past. When we see them clearly enough to shed a tear, they know that tear is “an act of love, causing people to enter one another’s hearts and to feel what they feel”. [CCD XII:221] We share both God’s love and our own.

Ours is a ministry of doing, but it is first and always a ministry of loving presence. Just as Christ shared in our suffering, that we might suffer no more, we share the neighbor’s burdens that they might know the promise of His kingdom, where He will wipe every tear from our eyes.

After all, this world is not our home. We are only visiting.

Contemplate

Do I fully open my heart to both tears and joy with the neighbor?

Recommended Reading

Vincentian Meditations II