reflection

The Cross in Vincentian Spirituality

Video bcicirel Media, Mission Resources, Seeds of Mission, Spirituality , , , ,

 

This article explores essential New Testament texts about the cross, its meaning in Vincentian tradition, and problems in reflecting about the cross. The cross is the symbol of God’s love for humanity as well as his power, as evidenced in the resurrection and Jesus’s victory over sin. Moreover, Jesus’s choice to die as an outcast is part of his focus on the marginalized during his life. Sometimes the cross refers to actual suffering that believers must undergo, but is more often used metaphorically to refer to what people must do to follow Jesus. Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac encouraged the contemplation of the cross as a symbol of God’s love and saw service to the poor as identifying with the cross in that sense. Their nuanced views on suffering, asceticism, and mortification are explained. Examples of beneficial ascetical practices are given. The theological problem of God’s relationship to suffering is discussed. Texts are offered for Vincentians and Daughters of Charity to use in meditation, and the forms the cross takes in the lives of both are listed. Finally, readers are urged to respond to suffering in the world because it is a reflection of the crucified Christ.

“The Cross in Vincentian Spirituality” is an article in the Vincentian Heritage Journal, Volume 16, Issue 1, Article 1 (1995) available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol16/iss1/1

It is also available as a chapter in the ebook He Hears the Cry of the Poor: On the Spirituality of Vincent de Paul (pp. 30-51) by Robert P. Maloney, C.M., available here: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vincentin_ebooks/2/

!t is More than Just the Dreamers

Video bcicirel Media, Mission Resources, Seeds of Mission, Social Justice , , , , ,

 

In “It is More Than Just the Dreamers,” Rev. Craig Mousin, J.D., discusses the disruptive impacts that changes to the enforcement priority policies established by the Obama Administration are having in communities across the board.  Our country was founded on the promise of Equality that is a necessary component of democracy. That promise is compromised by the fractures created in our communities by the fears created among immigrant populations, whether citizen or unauthorized, that ultimately impact public health, safety, and economics.  The impact, then, is felt in more than the immigrant population.  It is evidenced in work communities, academic communities, worshiping communities, and neighborhoods. The broken immigration system in the United States leaves courts unable to provide legal redress in a timely manner and the chaos that ensues leaves a trail of broken families and broken dreams. What must be done?

Our Entire Lives Are But a Moment Soon Gone

Video bcicirel Media, Mission Resources , , , ,

 

“Our Entire Lives are but a Moment Soon Gone” is a chapter in the book Saint Vincent de Paul: His Mind and His Manner by Jack Melito, C.M. which was published in 2010 by the Vincentian Studies Institute, DePaul University, Chicago, IL.  The book is currently out of print.

Saint Vincent de Paul lived a long life and accomplished an extraordinary body of works of charity, not only in Paris, but throughout France and beyond.  How did he have such an impact?  This reading suggests that it was Vincent’s focused sense of urgency in his appreciation of time.  Long life itself was not as important as using our time fulfilling that mission to which God has called us.

Toward the end of his life, Saint Vincent de Paul reflected on his use of the time given him: had he used it to the best of his ability?  Was each precious moment lived in service of the poor?  It was his appreciation of the economy of time and his prudent use of his time that drove him to accomplish such a great opus omnia of charitable works.

The Journey of and to the Poor

Video bcicirel Media, Mission Resources , , , , , ,

 

An explication is presented of a carving hanging in Ravasi Hall of the DePaul Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. The panel is entitled “Saint Vincent on the road of the Poor in Africa,” and the artist’s vision is presented first. Following the road in the carving, Vincent de Paul meets and cares for the many types of poor persons in Kenya; the viewer goes on a similar journey. W. Barry Moriarty believes the carving can also represent the trajectory of Vincent’s life, ending in service to the poor. In Moriarty’s interpretation, Vincent’s life is presented within the context of an epic journey.

“The Journey of and to the Poor” is an article in the Vincentian Heritage Journal, Volume 31, Issue 1, Article 6 (2012) available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol31/iss1/6

Frédéric Ozanam’s Tactical Wisdom For Today’s Consumer Society

Video bcicirel Media, Mission Resources , , , , , , , ,

 

From Thomas McKenna’s perspective, consumerism reduces everything, including religious tradition and altruism, to commodities that are removed from their original contexts and lacking in meaning. Elements of consumerism are identified; their combined effect leads individuals to only value short-term engagements with what appeals to them, makes them feel noble, or makes a statement about their identity. McKenna examines how Frederic Ozanam’s life and work can be used to counteract this. According to Ozanam, Christians should mediate between the rich and the poor to alleviate class conflict and ensure justice for poor persons. His mandate for direct service means that neither suffering nor altruism can be reduced to commodities, and that personal contact is the basis for practical solutions to social problems. It was Ozanam’s insight that service should be done in community and be directly tied to religion, or what would today be termed theological reflection. This strengthens those who serve, encourages further action, and, in McKenna’s view, preserves religion’s imperative force, meaning, and context.

“Frederic Ozanam’s Tactical Wisdom For Today’s Consumer Society” is an article published in 2010 in the Vincentian Heritage Journal, Volume 30, Issue 1, Article 1 available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol30/iss1/1

Vincentian Character of DePaul

Video bcicirel Community, Media, Mission Resources, Seeds of Mission , , , ,

 

“Vincentian Character of DePaul” is a chapter in the book The Playful Hand of God: Memoirs of John T. Richardson, C.M. (pp. 71-73) published by DePaul University, Chicago, IL, in 2011.  Fr. Richardson served as President of DePaul University, Chicago, IL, from 1981-1993.  In his own words, these memoirs are given “as a testament to the women and men whose lives helped build the University” and to “the ideas that shaped so much of its history.”  Though much has been written about the University by others, Fr. Richardson chose to focus on the school’s “mission which brings its vision into reality, the ideals which guide its decisions, and the persons struggling collegially to shape the policies and programs that make these ideals practical.”  In this chapter of his memoirs, Fr. Richardson reflects on his efforts to develop a university that ranks among the best in the nation while serving persons from neglected segments of our society who most need access to an excellent education.

Catholic Character of DePaul

Video bcicirel Community, Media, Mission Resources, Seeds of Mission , , , , , , ,

 

The “Catholic Character of DePaul” is a chapter in the book The Playful Hand of God: Memoir of John T. Richardson, C.M. (pp. 74-79) published in 2011 by DePaul University, Chicago, IL.  Fr. Richardson served as President of DePaul University from 1981-1993.  In this chapter the author recounts the great history of the Catholic Church’s involvement in higher education both in Europe and in the United States over the past several hundred years.  He muses on how DePaul University had implemented some of the liberating spirit of Vatican Council II long before the beginning of that Council in 1962 and how later changes in the Church’s Canon Law in 1983 seemed an attempt to rein in some of the freedoms envisioned in Vatican II documents.  He noted Chicago’s Joseph Cardinal Bernardine’s opposition to those very restrictions and the University’s total agreement with the Cardinal. In addition, he reflects on the “space race” situation in the Cold War years when federal monies became available for research in science, technology and space exploration.  Were such monies to be available to colleges and universities with religious or church affiliations; or would grants to such institutions be considered unconstitutional?  This question was especially important to DePaul as the Music School of the University had been given special recognition by the Vatican years earlier affiliating it with the Pontifical Institute in the Vatican.  In 1966, the Board of Trustees voted to terminate that special arrangement with the Vatican and the issue became moot.

Bottom line is this (in his own words): “The Catholic identity of DePaul has not restricted learning to a sectarian point of view….the University respects the basic religious freedom of belief and practice enjoyed by its students, faculty and staff.  This explains why our undergraduate curriculum includes studies in many religions as well as the study of Catholic theology.  Catholics form the largest single religious group of student, but slightly more than half of the student body consists of other religious or no-religion groups.”

The Heart of Jesus In the Spirituality of Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac

Video bcicirel Media, Mission Resources, Seeds of Mission, Spirituality , , , , , , , ,

 

Former superior general Robert Maloney examines what the heart of Jesus meant to Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac. Vincent prayed that the Congregation would have the heart of Jesus, or the zeal, to bring God’s love to the poor. The missionaries were also to exercise gentleness and humility, the qualities Jesus attributed to his heart in Matthew 11:29. For Louise, this heart meant “charity that was both affective and effective.” She created many paintings of Jesus’s heart, some of which are described in the article with accompanying images. The historical development of devotion to the heart of Jesus, in which Francis de Sales played a role, is explained. Maloney explores five meanings Jesus’s heart has for us. It “heightens our awareness of the limitless love of God.” It calls us to be gentle and humble, makes us aware of our limitations, and helps us find wisdom and practice discernment. Finally, it encourages us to imitate Jesus’s love, which is “expansive” and “affective and effective.”

“The Heart of Jesus in the Spirituality of Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac” is an article published in the Vincentian Heritage Journal, Volume 32, Issue 1, Article 8 available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol32/iss1/8

 

Give Me the Simple Life

Video bcicirel Media, Mission Resources , , , , , ,

 

“Give Me the Simple Life” is a chapter in the book Saint Vincent de Paul: His Mind and His Manner (pp. 84-86) by Jack Melito, C.M., published in 2010 by the Vincentian Studies Institute at DePaul University in Chicago, IL.  Here Fr. Melito illustrates how Vincent de Paul urges us to live simply.  What does this mean?  How is it done? For Vincent the answers did not involve quantitative measures but qualitative ones which point to living as Jesus lived.  Even the great poet, Henry David Thoreau, though not ‘religious,’ stressed the importance of living simply.  Both the religious guide and the humanistic guru, then, counsel living simply and realizing, ultimately, its liberating openness to the inherent beauty of life itself.  Simple, deliberate living is a personal style.  There is no one-size-fits-all.  For Vincent, it was “the livery of Christ conceived in the Spirit of the poor.”

‘There Is Great Charity, But…’ Vincent de Paul and the Organization of Charity

Video bcicirel Media, Mission Resources, Vincentian Heritage, Vincentian History , , , , , , ,

 

Vincent de Paul was able to accomplish great works of charity because he was an extraordinary organizer and manager. His early experience at Chatillon-les-Dombes showed him the importance of organizing charity so that it could have effective, long-term results. Vincent’s methods are analyzed according to modern nonprofit organization theory, with particular emphasis on what he said and did regarding “foundation, mission and structure.” He attached special importance to meetings and staffing issues. The article also addresses how his ways of organizing can be applied to charity in the twenty-first century.

“There is Great Charity, But…Vincent de Paul and the Organization of Charity” is an article by Thomas G. Fuechtmann, Ph.D., appearing in the Vincentian Heritage Journal, Volume 26, Issue 1, Article 5 available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol26/iss1/5