Renew: The Spirituality and Practice of the St. Vincent de Paul Society Week 2:  Vincentian Spirituality: The Call to Grow Spiritually Scripture:  “Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, his is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror.  He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like.  But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be blessed in what he does….Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”.” (James 1:22-27) Reflection:  It’s all too easy to give intellectual assent to religious beliefs, but never even really stop to think about the implications of that belief.  If our faith is to be true, deep and secure, then it is also fruitful, that is, bearing good results for others, as well as for ourselves.  Vincentians believe in this holistic faith that is fully lived out in works.  Indeed, even their spiritual growth cannot be separated from the active life.  The two aspects are continuously intertwined, with a special reverence for the “widows and orphans,” those who lack in necessities of life and, especially, hope. Prayer:  God of compassion, your abundant love for all of your children truly inspires us.  We recognize that we are needy of your love and your help, and we also recognize this need in others.  Help us to truly know you, especially in our interactions with the poor, so that we are continually being recreated in the image and likeness of Jesus, the perfect expression of your own divine love.  Be with us in our work, our prayer, and in our communal life.  Amen. _______________________________________________________________________ When you think of the spiritual life, what comes to mind?  For most of us, it’s probably a quiet place to pray, perhaps before the Blessed Sacrament or in Church, perhaps a quiet place in your home, maybe a retreat house, or even a favorite outdoor place.  Perhaps you think of a rosary, of Mass, of spiritual reading, maybe even Spiritual Direction.  But how often do you think of service to the poor as the path to spiritual growth?  How often do you focus on particular aspects of your spiritual life? The St. Vincent de Paul members follow the example of their founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam, in focusing on what are called “The Ozanam Principles”:  Faith, Divine Providence, Truth, Compassion and Jesus. FAITH:  The sacred fire and the dominating influence of Frederic’s life. Frederic Ozanam was challenged by doubt and dryness as a young man.  In the midst of his faith crisis, he experienced a deep renewal of faith that fueled his passion to serve.  Forever after he clung to the God, to the Church, to his fellow Vincentians, and to his work with the poor.  His faith was the most important and precious thing in his life.  (Never underestimate the value of questioning and challenging, for it is often in that very act of seeming rebellion that we discover the real depths of faith, much like that that motivated Frederic.) DIVINE PROVIDENCE:  In trust Frederic always discerned the Will of God. It’s not automatic that the will of God comes clear to believers.  It is an ongoing process, which requires an openness to God’s influence in our lives, even if God calls us to go where we would not go, or to change our thinking in significant ways.  Frederic always sought God’s guidance through a receptive listening to the Word of God and to the Church; fervent and constant prayer, recourse to a wise spiritual guide; and faithful discernment.  Then he acted with complete trust that God was guiding him.  (Faith may not always feel good, but trust in God can make up for our lack of trust in ourselves, for we know that God’s grace is enough for us.) TRUTH:  Frederic’s vocation and mission in life. Truth is not just an acceptance of and adherence to a body of knowledge or of doctrine, but a true coherence, or cleaving, to the deepest reality of God.  He dedicated himself to serving the truth in love in all ways in his life.  (What is needed is a constant willingness to learn and grow, even if it requires first unlearning something we have held dear.  We allow the Spirit to lead where the Spirit leads.) COMPASSION: Frederic believed that compassion is faith in action. Frederic strongly identified with the Good Samaritan, calling himself and members of the Society “weak Samaritans.”  In serving the poor, he insisted that they are the weak ministering to the weak, making no moral judgments and condemning no one, giving and trusting God to supply.  He believed to the core of his being that we are all beloved children of God, and in serving one another in our needs we glorify God.  (Whether someone caused their own suffering, even partially, they are still suffering.  By being in touch with our own failings we can more easily develop that compassion for others, even the culpable sufferers.) JESUS:  Frederic saw Jesus in the poor and the poor in Jesus.  To Frederic, serving the poor was a sacred privilege, one which revealed the face of the risen Jesus.  In ministering to the “poor” effective love is present, and both the giver and the receiver experience that active, loving presence of God.  They are often said to “see the face of God.”  Each experiences the very “otherness” of the other, which diminishes the distance between them.  (So often we notice the sacredness of moments when we deeply connect, even for a moment or two, with another.  Vincentians don’t just seek to show the face of God to others, even though they do.  They seek to discover the face of God in the other, which supports and nourishes their own spirituality.) THE RULE As the society spread and grew it became apparent that they needed a rule to guide them.  The Rule would give them structure and organization, clarity and definition.  The Rule identified them as Vincentians: who they were and what they did.  It gave authority and set the boundaries, having grown out of the years of experience of ministering to the poor and meeting with each other, with their methods having become tried and true.  The Rule specifies principles, shapes spirituality, prescribes connectedness and service to the poor, and lays out operational structures and procedures.  These disciplines have allowed the Society to continue to grow and to serve as it spread rapidly all over the world. Apostolic Reflection A significant part of Vincentian spirituality is the process they call Apostolic Reflection, which helps them to deepen the meaning of their calling as Vincentians.  They seek to become more conscious of how our words, actions, judgments, attitudes and opinions regarding the situations we encounter in our day to day living reflect the social teaching of the church.  It is not enough to be familiar with the content of that teaching – it must influence how we live our daily lives for it to have true value. St. Vincent taught his followers to: 1st Share their personal experiences of serving those who are poor. 2nd Listen to one another with openness of our eyes, ears, hearts, minds and feelings to what happens inside us when they serve and share. 3rd Reflect on the feelings in the lives of those whom they serve 4th  Pray with Scripture and the teachings of the Church, and discover the Vincentian             values and spirit that were found through the sharing, reflecting and praying. 5th  Discern together what actions they are called to do. The assumptions that underlie this Apostolic Reflection are: • The mystery of God is larger and more profound than anything any individual can grasp and, therefore, sharing together helps us to enlarge our grasp of God’s greatness and goodness. • God speaks in and through people. • The individual’s experience is significant to a group’s self-understanding. • Experience, however, is always interpreted through personal lenses. • Individual experience is partial and we need to learn to think communally. • Communal reflection during the Conference meetings is critical to learning to recognize individual and group prejudices and biases. • Wisdom lies within a group and together members can move to understand their call to “charity and justice” as they make decisions to create tangible ways to create change. ________________________________________________________________________ Discussion Questions: Here are some of the questions they explore together.  In your own sharing, describe a situation in which you interacted with the poor and ask these questions of those experiences: 1. Share situations you have encountered in your service to those who are poor, especially on your home visits and reflect on how persons were treated.  (Are there examples of persons being denied their human rights, stripped of their human dignity, being demeaned, disrespected or ignored?) 2. Listen to each other with an openness of our eyes, ears, hearts, minds and feelings, especially to what happens inside us when we serve and when we share. 3. Reflect on the feelings in the lives of those whom we serve.  (What are some of the more subtle forms of discrimination that you witness in your Conference, parish or place of work?) 4. Pray and reflect on the reading (above).  What is most significant for you?  Where do you find your Vincentian heart most touched? 5. Share any new awareness you have gained and any new action you feel challenged to undertake. It is through these Apostolic Reflections on Scripture and Church Teachings, as well as on their own experiences, that Vincentians truly “enflesh” their faith  The discipline of their rule helps them to stay faithful to that challenging mission that brought them into the Society in the first place, and which, they firmly believe, will take them home – home to Jesus and the Kingdom of God. The Society in Action – St. John Vianney Vincentians work with the needy who seek aid through the parish.  They respond to calls immediately, assisting with food or gas vouchers, rent and energy assistance, and more.  They make home visits to clients who need ongoing help, assessing their needs and doing what they can to both help the immediate need and assist them to become independent again. They distribute holiday food baskets and gifts to needy families.  They also help the Vincentians at St. Joseph’s in Waukesha, who have many more requests for aid than they can handle.  They rely on parish support for the food in the pantry, as well as the cash to purchase vouchers, and more.  They also commit personal resources to keep their work going.  They are truly the loving face of the Church to those in need. Closing Prayer:  We join our prayers today with those of Vincentians worldwide for those who are poor in one way or another: • For those who walk in our parish doors seeking help, we pray…..Lord hear our prayer. • For those who are spiritually hungry and seek to fill the void within them in very unhealthy and ineffective ways, we pray….Lord hear our prayer. • For all who are giving of their time, their gifts, their compassion, especially those who are members of our St. Vincent de Paul Conference and others, we pray… Lord hear our prayer. • For all who seek God with all their hearts, especially for those preparing for lay or ordained ministry, we pray…Lord hear our prayer. • For all who do not recognize the call of God in their lives, we pray….Lord hear our prayer. • For those in our parish who give so generously, over and over again, who make possible the service to the poor that our Vincentians offer, we pray….Lord hear our prayer. • For the coming of God’s Kingdom of justice and mercy, we pray…Lord hear our prayer. In gratitude and wonder for all God’s blessings and God’s ways we pray together as Jesus taught us:  Our Father…. Read Week One - Called to God