The jubilee in the thoughts of Saint Vincent

Saint Vincent de Paul was not a writer who left behind printed works on specific subjects. The writings we have of him reflect the realities of daily life and the Community, which are dealt with on special occasions. Referring to the subject that concerns us now, that of the jubilee, we have, thank God, some special material.

In this regard, he tells us: “I have known several jubilees.” The Saint refers to those corresponding to 1634, 1636, 1641, 1645, 1648, 1653 and 1656. Of these, three deserve our attention: those convened in 1641, 1653 and 1656 by Urban VIII (1623-1644), Innocent X (1644-1655) and Alexander VII (1655-1667), respectively. On 17 April 1653, Vincent made this confession before the Daughters of Charity: “I have known several Jubilees, but perhaps I have never earned them.” SVP. IX, 610 / IX, 549.

There we have that material, if we want to look at first hand, the reflections he makes on the subject.

In summary, let us say that, deep down, we must hold on to the enlightenment he gave to the first missionaries and to our sisters, and that we must recover it for ourselves now: it reminds us of the importance of prayer, communion with God and the centrality of Jesus Christ in our lives. His emphasis on charity and mission also invites us to reflect on how we can live the jubilee in such a way that it becomes an opportunity to renew our faith and our commitment to the poor. The jubilee is a grace, a gift from God to “clothe ourselves with the Spirit of Christ” and to rediscover the beauty of his centrality in our missionary life.

Year 2025: Ecclesial Jubilee… Vincentian Jubilee

When did Lord Vincent ever imagine that 400 years after the birth of his “little Company”, it would celebrate its own jubilee with joyful vitality, in unison with the Church and as her faithful daughter! But such are the ways of Providence!

Historians of the Church communities founded in France at the time of Saint Vincent note that only 30% survived, including us. How can we not give thanks to God that the children of Saint Vincent continue with vitality!

I propose three dimensions for our prayer and reflection today and tomorrow: a grateful heart, a repentant heart, and a committed heart.

First dimension: A GRATEFUL HEART: Magnificat anima mea Dominum… Lk 1:46

Exactly 400 years ago, Vincent de Paul set out on a long journey, which he did not suspect would be long and fruitful, and which would later be continued by thousands of men who, following in his footsteps, would follow the path of Jesus, the evangeliser of the poor.

Let us enter the house of the Gondi family on Rue Pavée in Paris on 17 April 1625. Shortly after midday, the couple, two notaries and the chaplain gathered together. In a simple ceremony, they read and signed a contract. Vincent drew a few energetic lines under the name of Marguerite de Silly in the centre of the page.

The birth certificate of a community with a new missionary emphasis was being signed. Its cradle was the Gondi house. It was with good reason that Mr Vincent would call the lady general of the galleys “our founder”.

And soon they would continue the missionary work already begun, but now with three faithful workers from the very beginning: Antonio Portail, the inseparable squire of joys and struggles; Juan de la Salle, who later became the first director of the Internal Seminary; and the wise canonist Francisco du Coudray. And since then, slowly but surely, the “little company” has crossed valleys and mountains, passed the threshold of its homeland and reached the most unexpected and hidden corners of the poor throughout the world.

We can join the psalmist: ^“What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. I will fulfil my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.” How can I repay the Lord for all the good he has done for me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call upon his name. I will fulfil my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.” Psalm 115:3-5.

• This is a time to express our joy and gratitude to the Good Lord for the gift of Saint Vincent de Paul, “giant of charity” and “herald of God’s tenderness and mercy” (John Paul II), to the Church, to the poor and to the world. Thank you for our founder, of whom we are not ashamed, but who, on the contrary, has given and continues to spread his light in the Church and in the world.

• Thank you for having raised up, through him, a large family of bishops, priests, brothers, and seminarians to serve Jesus Christ in the person of the poor, in distant and popular missions, in the formation of “worthy ministers of the altar,” and in the most varied colours of missionary ministries.

• How can we not give thanks for the brilliant halos of Clet, Perboyre, De Jacobis and the 62 blessed ones who have reached the altars, and even more so for the hundreds of missionaries who perfume the Church with their aroma of holiness at the “side door” and in the eternal choirs that only God knows, and whom our memory and history do not remember.

• How can we not thank the Lord that the Church has been established in many places, thanks to the breach opened by our missionaries: who does not recognise the evangelisation of our people in the plains and mountains of China, the furrows throughout southern Madagascar, in the inhospitable Mosquitia of Honduras or among the rivers of Cametá in Brazil? And what of the formation of the native clergy in France, the Philippines and Costa Rica? And the inculturation and evangelisation in Ethiopia and Eritrea?

• Thank you for the Vincentian charism that has spread and continues to respond to the new forms of poverty in our world. Thank you for the charism that has broken down barriers and been passed on to many communities of consecrated persons, and especially to the large families of the Vincentian laity, who are the continuation of a charism that is always alive and highly relevant today. Thanks to the Good Lord for those who have left their comfortable homes and jobs and gone out to the “peripheries” of the world.

• The perseverance and commitment of the missionaries: The Congregation is grateful to the missionaries who have dedicated their lives to the mission, working in different parts of the world to bring faith and love to those most in need. Their perseverance and commitment have been fundamental to the success of the Congregation, and they have “spent themselves and worn themselves out” in proclaiming the Gospel (2 Cor. 12:15) “dying with weapons in their hands ” (SVP). How can we not be grateful for the brightness of their vow of stability, which made them faithful until death, despite the temptations of the world and also within the Church itself?

• The presence of Mary in the life of the Community deserves a perpetual lamp of gratitude. As Father Alfonso Tamayo expressed it, she is “the silent presence in the life of a man of action,” and we can add “in the life of the little Company.” Although St. Vincent has no explicit texts about the Virgin Mary, he could well have written them, but unfortunately they have not come down to us. However, we can take the rich words of the Ladies of Charity: “When the Mother of God is invoked and taken as patroness for important things, everything turns out well and redounds to the glory of her Son, Jesus…” S.V.P. X. 267. And although he did not do so, his successor, Fr. Almeras, when the flowers on the Founder’s tomb were still fresh, consecrated the nascent Company to Mary. The Virgin Mary has always walked with us, and to refresh our memory, she once told us that she “loved the Community intensely.” How can we not be grateful that she has used us to spread her medal, the miraculous medal, the medal of the poor, throughout the world? And even more, she has opened her hands to us, eagerly awaiting us, as in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

P. Marlio Nasayó Liévano, CM