Homily of Archbishop Francisco Montecillo Padilla, Apostolic Nuncio in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands on the occasion of the beginning of the celebrations of the 350th anniversary of the death of St. Vincent de Paul (Catholic Theological Institute, Bomana, Port Moresby, 23 September 2009)
As we celebrate the Mass of the beginning of the 350th anniversary of the death of St. Vincent the Paul, we remember the life of this great Saint and at the same time pray to all the members of the Vincentian Family: The Priests and Brothers of the Congregation of the Missions, The Daughters of Charity, the Lay Ladies of Charity and the members of St. Vincent the Paul Societies, that they may continue the work and charism of St. Vincent the Paul in his love for the mission, for the poor, for the formation of Priests, all for the glory of God.
The life of St. Vincent the Paul is characterized by love of God and neighbour. In his Conferences to Priests of the Mission, he wrote “It is not enough to love God if my neighbour does not love him. I must love my neighbour as the image of God and as the object of my love, and do everything so that in their turn men may love the Creator who knows and considers them as brothers. This is my duty, To bear God’s love near and far, to set nations alight if my vocation is to go and spread this divine fire in the whole world”
How can we give love to others if we do not have it among ourselves? The saint asked.. The precise duty of charity consists in doing to others what you reasonably would like others to do to yourself. Do I really behave towards my neighbour as I wish he would towards me?
As a young priest, he was able to know the family of Philippe-Emmanuel de Gondi and here he started his work of evangelization to the poor peasants in their estate. He was able to establish different groups of charity for the assistance of the poor. Several learned priests of Paris, won by his example, joined him. And with the good work of the mission for the poor, he decided to found his religious institute of priests vowed to the evangelization of country people- The Congregation of the Mission, known also as lazarist fathers (PP. Lazzaristi) because of their dedication to the sick, to the poor and to the neglected persons. John Paul II during the General Assembly of the Congregation of Missions on 30 June 1986 cited the words of St. Vincent de Paul to the participants: You are priests of the poor. It is necessary to go to the poor as if to go to the fire.
However, the Saint noticed that the good work done by the missions in country places in France could not last unless there are priests to maintain it and these were lacking at that time in France. So he decided to concentrate his work for the training of the candidates of the priesthood in seminaries. In 1635 he had established a seminary at the College des Buons-Enfants for ecclesiastics studing theology and in 1642 the Seminary of St. Charles which is like our minor seminary today . Other bishops in France who had seminaries asked him to send his priests to train their seminaries so that at his death he had thus accepted the direction of 11 seminaries in France.
The late John Paul II referred to the Saint as a giant of Charity. But all his work for mission, for the poor, for training priests were fruitful because of his great love for God. You all know that the First Encyclical letter of Benedict XVI is Deus Caritas Est, God is Love. Here the Pope clearly states in what does Christian love consist? . It is person’s love for God expressed in the love for the neighbour so that it is not possible to love God without loving one’s neighbour. But is loving one’s neighbour possible? N.18 of the same document states: Love of neighbour is thus shown to be possible in the way proclaimed by Jesus Christ. It consists in the very fact that in God and with God I love even the person whom I do not like or even know. This can only take place on the basis of an intimate encounter with God, an encounter that has become a communion of will, affecting my feelings. Then I learn to look on this other person not simply with my eyes and feelings but from the perspective of Jesus Christ. His friend is my friend.
This kind of Christian love was possessed by St. Vincent de Paul in his great work of charity for the poor, the imprisoned, the sick. This kind of Christian love stimulates charity. For only the readiness to encounter a neighbour and to show him love makes one sensitive to God as well. So charity and the works of mercy are done because of this kind of love. Charity is the effect of this Christian love as defined by Pope Benedict and of which St. Vincent de Paul possessed in full.
Another point which made St. Vincent the Paul successful was his brotherhood among the priests and people. This is based on the belief that the development of peoples depends above all on a recognition that the human race is a single family. As a family, solidarity is needed to those who are needy and poor to help them in their plight. This was the idea of St. Vincent de Paul. The Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate of Pope Benedict XVI helps us realize that society can have no future if the principle of brotherhood is lost. In other words, society cannot progress if the logic of giving in order to have or of giving as a duty is the only one that exists and develops. We have to learn from the life of St. Vincent the Paul. To give, out of love of God and neighbour, not expecting any praise or any valuable return for our generosity. This attitude is termed by the Pope in his latest Encyclical letter as the gift of gratuitousness. In what does this gift consist? It is the recognition that I am bound to another and that in a certain sense he is a constitutive part of me.
St. Vincent the Paul was noted also for his spiritual directions and conferences. Since 1633, St. Vincent held one every Tuesday at Saint Lazare at which assembled all the priests desirous of conferring in common concerning the virtues and the functions of their state. These conferences were directed to priests. But he did not neglect the lay people. St. Vincent instituted open retreats for laymen as well as priests. It is estimated that in the last 25 years of St. Vincent’s life there came regularly 800 persons yearly, for a total of around 20,000. These retreats contributed powerfully to infuse a Christian spirit among the masses, but they imposed heavy sacrifices financially on the house of St. Lazare. For nothing was demanded of the retreatants. When there was question of the good of souls, Vincent thought little of expense. At the complaints of his brethren who desired that the admission of the retreatants should be made more difficult, he consented one day to keep the door. Towards evening there had never been so many accepted and then the embarrassed brother came to inform him that there was no more room, he merely replied “well, give mine”.
The Congregation of Mission is dedicated to the formation of the diocesan clergy. St. Vincent, while giving spiritual conferences to all was well aware that the crisis of the Reformation was conditioned by the inadequate formation of priests who were not prepared for the priesthood either intellectually or spiritually. The training of future priests was to form them to be witnesses and apostles of Christ’s love. The seminarians receive a formation of a “humus spirituale”, in which to learn Christ, letting oneself be gradually configured to him. Side by side with spiritual formation is the intellectual formation which is to know Christ and the truth better.
The Pope in his talk to the community of the Pontifical Gregorian University on November 2006 asked the professors to form priests who are learned but at the same time prepared to spend their lives serving all those whom the Lord entrusts to their ministry with an undivided heart, inhumility and in austerity of life. Is this not what we see in the priestly life of St. Vincent de Paul?
The Saint studied theology not without difficulties which is an example to the seminarians here present. The Pope continuing his speech in the Gregorian University said that studying demands constant ascesis and self-denial but it is precisely in this path that the person is trained in self denial and sense of duty.
Yes, my dear seminarians, just like St. Vincent the Paul, I say that what you learn today is what you will communicate tomorrow when the sacred ministry will have been entrusted to you by the Church. Your life, your work, your relationship with God and the people depends on how you were formed in the seminary. And the Vincentian Fathers try to mould you to become good, holy and learned priests.
Yes, it is not enough to know God. This knowledge must lead you all to love God, to love thy neighbour, to care for the poor and the sick, to perform acts of charity. If you are doing this, then you have acquired the Vincentian spirit, the spirit of St. Vincent the Paul, who left a legacy to this world 350 years ago. Amen.
