This Christmas, I would like to share with you, friends and members of the Vincentian Family, this humble reflection on the poverty of God in a Vincentian key.
Why this reflection? In the current context, this perspective is particularly useful, as it links directly to Vincentian spirituality, which always seeks to discover Christ in the poor. In a world marked by so many inequalities, meditating on the poverty chosen by Christ offers a spiritual and practical response. Therefore, this article is not merely theoretical, but invites its readers to live this Christmas as a commitment to fraternity and charity.
The mystery of God’s poverty revealed each Christmas never ceases to amaze believers and non-believers alike. It seems easy, but when it comes down to it, it is not so simple to understand how the eternal God, the Almighty, creator of the universe, becomes a fragile child in a manger. What heaven could not contain lies down in a manger. He does not arrive with the spectacle and noise of today’s world, but with the simplicity of one who entrusts himself to human love. Who but God can do such things? For those who love the unexpected, this mystery is more than a memory: it is a key to life.
Saint Vincent de Paul understood this throughout his life, and for this reason he taught his followers to recognise Christ in the marginalised and discarded. He was aware that God himself chose poverty as the place of encounter with humanity. To celebrate Christmas in the Vincentian spirit is to live humility and charity.
The Catholic tradition will be eternally grateful to Saint Francis of Assisi, the saint of humility and the poor, for having instituted a nativity scene in a cave near Greccio, Italy, at Christmas 1223, to celebrate the birth of Christ in a different and special way, as recounted in the Gospels.
The nativity scene is an eloquent sign; it is the very embodiment of humility. There is no luxury or security in it, only precariousness and welcome. The characters present reveal that true greatness lies in trust and surrender. Thus, the nativity scene becomes a school of humility where, as Vincentians, we can learn that humility is the fundamental path to service.
From the manger, let us learn to approach the poor with simplicity and without pretension, knowing that they evangelise us with their hope and resilience. Saint Vincent de Paul insisted that the poor are not only recipients of aid, but teachers of faith and Christian life (Cf. SVP, XI, 462). This Vincentian conviction inspires all his followers to live charity not as charity, but as a transformative encounter.
In what sense can poverty be a place of encounter with God? In Catholic spirituality, poverty, far from being merely deprivation, has been considered a “theological place[1] ,” that is, a privileged space where God reveals himself.
Both material and spiritual poverty reveal that human beings are not self-sufficient. Therefore, poverty challenges people to open their hands and hearts to their neighbours (cf. Deut 15:7-8). Christ’s poverty is reflected in his renunciation of privileges and securities, manifested in a life of simplicity and precariousness. His poverty is humility and obedience to the Father, an attitude of total dependence. It is not forced misery, but a free choice to show closeness and solidarity with the least among us.
Saint Vincent de Paul also interpreted this poverty as a “theological place”. He did not hesitate to affirm that Christ makes himself poor so that we may find him in the poor, so that no one is excluded. For the Vincentian Family, living the poverty of Christ means approaching those in need with tenderness and dignity, recognising in them the face of Emmanuel. The challenge remains to transform poverty into hope, discovering that in every vulnerable face shines the dignity of God made flesh.
For a Vincentian, Christmas is not just about lights and celebrations. It is a crucial opportunity to be a sign of charity and unity in the midst of the world. Through every gesture of kindness, every presence and every service, the Vincentian Family, in a sense, prolongs the Incarnation. God continues to be born in every act of tenderness towards the least among us, in every hand that reaches out to lift up the fallen. Today, more than ever, the Vincentian Family is called to be the living manger where Christ is manifested.
As we conclude this reflection, our conviction is strengthened by the idea that when God becomes poor, he reveals to us that true wealth is shared charity. Christmas, in Vincentian terms, is living humility, fraternity and service as a path of hope. May this season remind us that Emmanuel, God with us, continues to be born in every community that opens itself to the poor, in every family that becomes a welcoming table, and in every heart that allows itself to be transformed by God’s tenderness.
By Jean Rolex, C.M.
[1] The concept of “theological locus” (locus theologicus) was originally coined by the Protestant reformer Philip Melanchthon in the 16th century and later systematised by the Dominican theologian Melchor Cano in his work De locis theologicis (1563). In Latin American theology, the concept was reinterpreted. Its focus shifted from classical sources (Scripture, Tradition, Magisterium) to the historical reality of the poor and victims, understood as the privileged space of revelation and encounter with God.
