“No” Is Not in the Vincentian Vocabulary
My 91-year-old father recently told me the older you get the faster time flies by. The Lenten Season is a special time for all of us Vincentians. That is why it’s important that we cherish this precious time to reflect on our spiritual lives.
I often say to myself, “How am I growing?” Sometimes I love my answer and sometimes I am disappointed. Lent gives us time to reflect on how we are doing spiritually in this light-speed world we live in.
What do I love about the Society? Simply put, it is my Vincentian friends. In the Baton Rouge Diocese, it was hundreds of Vincentians. Since becoming a part of the National Council, it has become thousands of friends across the country.
Last April, the International Board of Directors for the Society visited the United States, and I was able to make international friends.
As you read this article, I am in Paris, France with our National President, John Berry, visiting the International Office and Vincentians from all the English-speaking countries. I am blessed to build friendships with them too.
Whether it’s Baton Rouge, another city in the U.S., or Paris, our Vincentian relationships are priceless because they help us to grow to say yes to our Christian call to seek, find, and encounter Christ in those in need.
How do we get through the stress of being so overwhelmed? Our Vincentian friends strengthen us when we get disappointed or distressed. We are all encountering record levels of requests for assistance with food, rent, utilities and the essentials.
It’s our friends and faith in God that help us say yes to helping or yes to a relatively new special work concept, like motel-to-home, or yes to innovative ideas.
As Vincentians, “no” is just not in our vocabulary! We embrace the “yes” in our vocation because we have Christ and our friends on our side which makes all things possible.
Vincentians around the world look at what we accomplish across the United States and they are inspired! We have thousands of active and successful Conferences and special works that embrace Blessed Frédéric’s innovative spirit.
Friendship is, of course, an essential element of our Society, and was very important to Frédéric Ozanam. In his letters, he frequently wrote with great tenderness and affection, addressing his recipients as “friend” and thanking them for their friendships. In a letter to Francois Lallier, one of the co-founders of the Society, Frédéric wrote, “…Friendships formed under the auspices of faith and charity, in a double confraternity of religious discussion and benevolent works, far from languishing as the result of prolonged absence, look inward and focus in some way; they feed on remembrance” (Letter 175, to Lallier, 1838).
It’s wonderful to think that our Vincentian friendships thrive, no matter the distance between us, because they have been formed in faith, love, and service to our neighbors in need! Even though, for the moment, I am thousands of miles away from my American Vincentian friends now, our friendship is sustained as I remember the great work we have done together through Christ and the prayers and worship we have offered together.
Thank you for living and breathing our mission. Most of all, thank you for being a friend to me, your Conference members, and to our Brother and Sister Vincentians across the world!
Best wishes in Christ,
Michael
