The name
The names and titles of the religious institutes are multiple. There are institutes that recall the founder (Benedictines, Franciscans, Dominicans, Filippini), others recall the place of their foundation (Premonstratensians, Camaldolese), others a devotion (Trinity, Assumption, Cross, Passion, Immaculate, Holy Spirit), others a style of life (Servers, Sons or Daughters, Workers), others the work (Brothers of the Christian School, Pious teachers of the infants).
We sons of St. Vincent are called by the people Vincentians, Paúles, Lazzarists. However, the name chosen by St. Vincent is instead that of Congregation of the Mission and for the members it is Missionaries or priests of the mission.
We are the Mission. We have been the first to choose this title and for this reason, Vincent saw reluctantly that the priests of Genoa were called missionaries (CCD III, 352). Our houses were to be called House of the Mission (CCD II, 555).
The discovery
The Mission was not something in his blood. It was a discovery. In Folleville he felt “sent”. The speech of Folleville was the first speech of the Mission (I, 2-5). In this small church lost in the green of Piccardia the saint received in gift the vocation to go.
Vincent and his first companions understood themselves as servants of the Gospel. They began to evangelize in the fiefdoms of the Gondis, and then the spirit of the mission forced them to go out and travel through city and countryside of France, then of Italy, of Poland, to cross in disguise the Island of Britanica and to reach finally Madagascar and the entire world.
This life was a life of danger and of renunciation for the protagonists, but also of pain for him: “We pray for M. Bourdaise, brothers, M. Bourdaise, who is so far away and all alone, and who, as you’ve heard, has begotten in Jesus Christ, with so much pain and care, a large number of those poor people of the country where he now is, let’s pray for him, too. M. Bourdaise, are you still alive or not? If you are, may God be pleased to preserve your life! If you’re in heaven, pray for us! O brothers, what happiness for the Company to have such fine members such as all those good servants of His I just mentioned! As far as possible, brothers, we should all be in this state, that is, ready and willing to leave everything to serve God and our neighbor-and our neighbor, you see, and our neighbor-for the love of God.” (CCD XII, 62).
The gift
Vincent struggled to understand that he had such a high calling, a continuation of that of Jesus: “to make God known to poor persons; to announce Jesus Christ to them; to tell them that the kingdom of heaven is at hand and that it’s for persons who are poor. Oh, what a great thing that is! But it goes beyond our understanding that we should be called to be associates and sharers in the plans of the Son of God. Quoi\ to become . . . I wouldn’t dare to say it .. . Be that as it may, it’s such a lofty ministry to evangelize poor persons, which is, par excellence, the work of the Son of God, and we’ve been included in it as instruments by which the Son of God continues to do from heaven what He did on earth. What great reason we have to praise God, my dear confreres, and to thank Him continually for this grace!(CCD XII, 71).
The gift received from the Mission implies action: “We belong to Him and not to ourselves; if He increases our work, He’ll also increase our strength. O Savior! What a happiness! O Savior! If there were several paradises, to whom would You give them if not to a Missioner who will persevere respectfully in all the ministries You’ve marked out for him, and who has never failed to carry out any of the duties of his state! That’s what we’re hoping for, brothers, and what we ask of His Divine Majesty.” (CCD XII, 82).
The scandal
In the 1600’s there was a society that was controlled, in which the king and the court lived in another world, in which the aristocracy was admired and in which prevailed an authentic although not declared apartheid. Now, for the populace, a grave problem was born in that the people did not know the truth necessary for salvation: “You know how great it is, you’re aware of the ignorance of the poor people, which is almost unbelievable, and you know also that there’s no salvation for persons who are ignorant of the necessary Christian truths, according to the opinion of Saint Augustine, Saint Thomas, and others, who hold that anyone who doesn’t know about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Incarnation, and the other Mysteries, can’t be saved.” (CCD XII, 72). Moreover, this populace had to deal with a clergy that did not even know the formula to give absolution, that did not preach and therefore did not teach the truth necessary for salvation. To this lack is added that fact that there are many people who “don’t make good confessions and who knowingly keep back mortal sins; for those persons don’t receive absolution from them and, dying in this state, are damned forever. » (CCD XII, 73).
For this reason, he had requested his representative to Rome, du Coudray, to call on Pope Urban VIII: “You must make it understood (to the Pope) that the poor are being damned for want of knowing the things necessary for salvation, and for lack of confession. If His Holiness were aware of this necessity, he would have no rest until he had done all he could to set things right. It is the knowledge we had of this situation that brought about the establishment of the Company, so as to remedy it in some way.” (CCD I, 112).
Vincent knew that among the theologians there was discussion about the truth necessary for Salvation, that is Unity and Trinity of God, Incarnation and eternal life. Was it easy for him, in the doubt, to step aside when the poor risked the loss of eternal salvation? Was it just if those who had seen the hell on earth should find it again in eternity? Could the poor be saved without faith, hope and charity?
Savior and saviors
In 1658 Vincent wrote a long letter to Anthony Fleury, who was in Saintes, where there were many protestants. It was not easy for the Catholics to live their faith in these conditions. The Saint remembered that “for, in the ordinary course of events, God tries to save men through men, and Our Lord became man Himself to save all of them.” (CCD VII, 356). The missionary was, therefore, called to participate in this work of Jesus Christ, and to be as Jesus Christ: “Oh! What a happiness for you to work at doing what He did! He came to bring the good news to the poor, and that is your lot and your occupation, too.” (CCD VII, 356).
Vincent had repeated many times that “It’s not enough for me to love God, if my neighbor doesn’t love Him.” (CCD XII, 215). The missionaries, therefore, must be “like Him, saviors.” (CCD XII, 97). He reminded, therefore, a Fleury: “If our perfection lies in charity, as is certain, there is none greater than to give oneself to save souls and to sacrifice oneself for them as Jesus Christ did. This is what you are called to do, Monsieur, and you are ready to respond to it” (CCD VII, 356). It is necessary that the life of a missionary be a life of oblation, a life of charity (CCD XI, 366). The missionary must be a living example “to so many, many priests who are like workers sent into the Lord’s vineyard, but who do not do His works!” (CCD VII, 356). The one who has the missionary vocation must “be crucified with Jesus] C[hrist] , and find your delight and honors in Him alone.” (CCD VII, 357). It is necessary, therefore, to be conformed to Jesus Christ (CCD XII, 97), in order to become his collaborators (CCD XI, 98).
At one time, the missionaries were distinguished by their habit. But, we know this, the habit does not make one a monk or a missionary. If the Fr. General calls us to the missions it is in order to remind us to put on that habit of light, which distinguishes the servants of the Gospel. The habit of the missionaries is a habit woven of spirit because “this Spirit, residing in that person, gives him or her the same inclinations and dispositions Jesus Christ had on earth” (CCD XII, 93). And with this habit the missionaries can go not only to the borders of the world, but of life itself. And beyond.
Fr. Luigi Mezzadri Cm
Province of Italy
