“Dust, which was our very beginning, and no other is our end, because we walk in circles
heading from this dust to reach that dust; the more we seem to move away from it,
the closer we get to it. The step that distances us, its very self, approaches us;
that day which makes life, is the same that undoes it. It is like that wheel that,
at the same time, turns and spins around, always grinding us, we are always dust.”
Father António Vieira
With the phrase, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return,” and with the imposition of ashes and the sign of the cross, we begin the journey of 40 days that precedes and prepares for Easter. A time of determined conversion to give our lives the right direction. In Genesis it is said, “the LORD God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life” (2:7). This passage reminds us that without the divine breath of God the dust of the earth remains the dust of the earth. Without God or outside of Him, we are just barely and only dust!
As Pope Francis tells us, “The small mark of ash, which we will receive, is a subtle yet real reminder that of the many things occupying our thoughts, that we chase after and worry about every day, nothing will remain. No matter how hard we work, we will take no wealth with us from this life. Earthly realities fade away like dust in the wind. Possessions are temporary, power passes, success wanes. The culture of appearance prevalent today, which persuades us to live for passing things, is a great deception. It is like a blaze: once ended, only ash remains. Lent is the time to free ourselves from the illusion of chasing after dust. Lent is for rediscovering that we are created for the inextinguishable flame, not for ashes that immediately disappear; for God, not for the world; for the eternity of heaven, not for earthly deceit; for the freedom of the children of God, not for slavery to things” (Homily, 6 March 2019).
Humility is an essential virtue for truly living Lent. The term humility derives from the same etymological root as humusand man; humilityappears as the key that opens for us the way of Love. A humility that not only makes us recognize what we are and what we should be, where we are and where we should go, what we do and what we should do, but also that transfers our gaze from ourselves to seek the One who walks with us and in us, and is always ready to support us when we turn to Him. “…under the ashes of humility, in the Spirit of Our Lord” (CCDVIII, 202), we find the path to understanding if we live by fire or by ash. Only the fire of love saves!
To make this journey of prayer and conversion, I propose an examination of conscience, in the form of questions, which, I think, can be useful for all of us, Vincentian missionaries:
1. “Contemplatives in action and apostles in prayer” (cf. C 42) – Fundamental option for the poor.
Is the option for the poor rooted in all my actions and in all my choices? Does this option fulfill me? Do I see the poor, find out where they are, and go to meet them? Am I looking for forced justifications that mask the lack of real contact with the poor? Do I try to reflect on the new categories of poverty that exist today, according to the example of Saint Vincent de Paul who, following the spirit of Christ, worked with the fringes of societyof his time? Are the poorest, the most disadvantaged, the neediest of the Gospel’s presence always my main concern and my principal criterion when I make decisions in my life, in my group, in my association, in my congregation? When I am called to evangelize, do I take refuge in the announcement of the Good News, relegating to others the concrete service? Or, on the contrary, do I concentrate my apostolate in the works, taking refuge in MY thousands of activities and forgetting that I am a mere instrument in the hands of God and that everything was given to me to bring men to glorify God (see Matthew 5:16)? Do I get lost in discussions and endless meetings conversing about power, wealth, and recognition, or do I spendmy life serving God in the poor?
2. Aware of the reality that surrounds me.
What is my presence in the world around me? Is it a superficial presence or do I commit myself concretely to promoting a more just world, both from a material and value point of view? Do the world’s problems mobilize me only when I somehow they touch medirectly? Do I discuss and study with others how to change the world and people? Do I implement possible solutions to solve problems encountered? Do I evaluate my attitudes and embrace new answers, if necessary? Do I commit to defending human rights, working directly with associations or movements that promote peace and justice?
3. At the school of the poor.
Are the poor a true and constant school of evangelization for me or have I missed some lessons? Are the poor an artificial and relative reality, so no one is poor enough to make me “get off the couch”? Or can I find forms of poverty in all people that justify my “constant work” with the poor? Do I live poverty? To offer better help, to understand them better, I have to experience their difficulties. How can I endure the conditions of the poor? Do I accept the conditions of the missions I do? Do I adapt to the place where I am, using the means at my disposal? Do I live like those I serve in order to help them, or do I shock others by my way of life? Do the groups, movements, parishes, associations of which I am a member, and who call themselves Vincentians, have the poor at their center as their charism? Do I recognize myself poor before God by offering Him my whole life, the life of all those I serve and the lives of all those who have no one to pray for them or to be close to them?
4.“The Lord … sent them out two by two” (cf. Mark 6:7).
What I do, do I do it in the name of the poor, as my mission, or do I do everything in the name of my community or my group? What do others know about the mission I carry out? How much do I care about the work of my “fellow travelers”? Saint Vincent always thought about teamwork in community; what is my attitude about it? Do I hinder the effort of those with whom I have to work? Do I build bridges within teamwork, enhancing everyone, as he is, for fruitful overall work, or do I build walls so that everything I do has only one protagonist: myself? Do I present myself with a constructive attitude, continually discovering and learning, like a sponge that absorbs everything to be useful to others, or do I find myself always closed, full of certainties, uncompromising towards opinions different from mine, like an impenetrable stone that often is cast aside? Do I encourage dialogue, criticism, participation in decisions, sharing of responsibilities? When I am in charge of a group or community, do I try to develop and promote the qualities of each of its members? Do I favor their spiritual growth and help them devote their lives for Jesus Christ, or do I exercise my authority relentlessly, monopolizing all activities and limiting individual responsibilities, thus making all ‘hostages’ of my presence/decision and fearful of standing on their own feet?
5. “I belong neither here nor there, but wherever God wants me to be” (CCDIX, 10).
Am I the face and soul of the work I do, or do I allow Christ to take this place? Am I a detached and free person, or do I perform the tasks entrusted to me and try to keep my position forever? Am I an available or unavailable person? Saint Vincent asked the sisters to have for monastery only the houses of the sick…; for cell, a hired room; for chapel, the parish church; for cloister, the streets of the city…(cf. CCDX, 530). What would Saint Vincent say to me? Would he say that I have it made? Would he say that I look for an easy life, inserted into existing and predefined structures? Would he say that I try always to act in the same way because ‘it always has been done this way’? Would he say that I do not want a change in my group, because the youngest ones do not understand me, do not respect me, do not know how to do things well? Would he say that I do not want to leave the responsibilities that have been entrusted to me for years? Would he say that I do not want to change groups, when I am no longer at ease? Would he say I do not want to change communities, because my family or my friends are there? Do I live for my ‘little chapel’ or do I really live for the mission of Christ? Do I try to reflect on the future and contribute to the universal growth of the mission, adapting and seeing changes as an opportunity to keep the flame of the Vincentian charism alive? Or, on the contrary, do I lose myself in struggles and schemes to keep myself where I want? How am I assuming the task of Providence?
6. Conversion: a way of life!
What is my relationship with God? How is my conversion journey: am I at a standstill? “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2). How I deepen my configuration to Christ? How do I follow the example of Saint Vincent de Paul? Do I deepen my passion for Charity’s Saint? How many times, while drinking at the source, do I allow myself to be seduced and encouraged by the words of Saint Vincent? How can I follow his example, as a disciple of Christ, without making every effort to learn his thinking more? If I do not allow Jesus to shine through me, if the flame of my charism lacks fuel, how can I attract others to the beauty of this journey?
Francisco Vilhena
Portuguese Province
