Mothers often seem to have what seems like a secret recipe or ingredient for preparing a meal.
I wonder whether Vincent had some secret recipe that would account for the momentous changes he brought to the Church and society in 17th-century France.
I suggest it was his ability to imagine and support lay ministry, especially for women.
In this Vincentian Mindwalk I ask how many of us see beyond the facts in front of us. What would it mean to see things as Jesus… and St. Vincent… did?
The Magi were “men with a restless heart seekers after God. In Jerusalem the Magi ask questions: they inquire where the Child is to be found.
St. Vincent de Paul looked beyond his horizons to find Christ.
“The Congregation is not now what it once was; nor is it what it will be.” Some 400 years later Greg Gay, his 23rd successor, adapted these words. “The world is not now what it once was, nor is it what it will be.” Today we can say “The parish is not now what it once was, nor is it what it will be.”
St. Vincent instinctively realzed the role of lay persons in bringing about systemic change.
This is the first of a series of Vincentian Mindwalks highlighting St. Vincent’s impact on church and society in France 400 years ago. Understanding how he brought about structural reform even without intending to, gives us much to think about today. Foreshadowing...
Vincent’s passion for the poor expressed itself through an empowering humilty that invited others to share their gifts in mission.