contemplation - SVDP USA

Contemplation – We Do Not Have Two Lives

We understand our Vincentian vocation to be a lay vocation, not religious or clerical. Yet the laity are called to much more than charitable works and attending Mass on Sundays.…

Contemplation – Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You

“Come Holy Spirit, live within our lives,” we pray to open every Conference meeting, asking to be strengthened by the first fruit of the Holy Spirit: love. But let us…

Contemplation: Through the Glass

Our Rule calls us to “seek out the poor,” [Rule, Part I, 1.5] but why should we need to seek them out? Aren’t they looking for us? Vincentians know that…

Contemplation: Chopping the Wood

Trust in providence is central to our Vincentian vocation. This means more than simply trusting that “everything will be okay.” It means trusting that if we do His will, the…

Contemplation: Neighbors in Deed

Although we do not mean it to, giving material assistance to people puts them at a disadvantage; they “owe” us something they likely will never repay. The fear of indebtedness…

Contemplation: The State in Which We Were Created

Our five Vincentian virtues come from St. Vincent’s five “Characteristic Virtues,” with one difference: what Vincent called mortification, we call selflessness. While the distinction between the two is not trivial,…

Contemplation: At Present, We See Indistinctly

Have you ever been in an airport, or a grocery store, and run into an acquaintance that you only know from work, a club, or church, and it took you…

Contemplation – The Light of the World

Have you ever noticed that in virtually every picture of St. Vincent de Paul, he is smiling? Just a small, gentle smile with a twinkle in his eye that reassures…

Contemplation: Our Call to Servant Leadership

When we think of leaders, we are acculturated to envision military commanders, heads of state, celebrity CEOs, and the like; dynamic, charismatic, larger than life. Leaders, we are taught, are…

Contemplation: More Ancient and Therefore More Sacred

Our Rule calls us to be a “voice for the voiceless,” helping the poor and disadvantaged to speak for themselves, but also, when necessary, speaking on their behalf. [Rule, Part…