Occupations of Saint Vincent

Saint Vincent, who regarded himself as a useless servant, was so constantly occupied from morning till evening that his life was one uninterrupted succession of good works. Anyone being equally laborious but less sustained by grace would have succumbed under the weight of affairs. It seems inconceivable that a man afflicted with infirmities, and without ever omitting a single one of his exercises of piety, could undertake successfully so many varied works, give the finishing touches to so many affairs, answer the prodigious number of letters which reached him from every side, and direct with every care the two Congregations he had established.

Only a small section of the letters which he wrote to France, Italy, Barbary and still more distant countries exist still; yet their number is astonishing, and still more wonderful is the variety of the matters with which he had to deal. Bishops, Abbots (and some of the best known) and enlightened Directors consulted him on matters of great delicacy and importance. Princesses asked him for Missions to their lands, a service which he never refused. At one time it would be the Congregation for Propagation of the Faith begging him to send priests for Foreign Missions; at another time some afflicted mother, who, hearing from some far-off corner of the kingdom of his great charity, begged him to take an interest in her son, who had been taken as a slave to Algiers, and who was therefore in danger of his life and of his faith. One day it was a renegade from Algiers who appealed to his charity, to find means to get out of his apostasy; another day perhaps an Abbess, who, discouraged by the difficulties of her charge, sought advice about her Community. Today it is a young man who, after a few months' novitiate, is tempted to withdraw from the Monastery; tomorrow it will be the Apostolic Nuncios, Bagni and Piccolomini, who desire to have his opinion on questions concerning the particular welfare of some dioceses, or the general good of the Church.

Often it will be some holy Religious who has recourse to him as to a father, ever ready to come to his aid in the arduous work of reformation of his Order or some equally thorny affair. One morning he presides over an august assembly to discuss plans, criticized and disapproved by the worldly wise, but which justice and religion demanded. In the evening some Missioner calls to have his vocation settled, and be brought back to his first fervour. Or perhaps, again, some virtuous priest who does not appreciate the need of relaxation or repose, and whose zeal must be moderated so that he may be able to work longer. In fine, all his letters are full of the spirit of him who wrote them; a spirit of humility, meekness, disinterestedness, wisdom, uprightness, charity, submission to the Will of God in all things; these are the marks with which they are all stamped.

During the life of the Saint the House of Saint Lazare resembled the House of the Prophet at the period of the last judges of Israel; he was like an oracle, to which those had recourse who contemplated some good work in order to seek the advice they needed from the inspirations of the man of God. Besides the general assemblies at which he assisted regularly three times a week, he was often called for the nomination of Bishops, Professors, Superiors of Communites and of other officials; or it might be to check some serious disorder, to advise remedies in a wise policy, to re-establish peace in Monastery or home.

Except during the time consecrated every year to his Spiritual Retreat, he went out nearly every day on errands of charity. On his return to the house, and after having recited his office on his knees, he interviewed those who wished to speak to him, either of his own clerics or from outside. If to these important engagements we add the cares of the different Missions of the Congregation, the Daughters of Charity and the Religious of the Visitation, of whom he took special care up to his death, we must conclude that his were full years, and that he never knew those empty months which are condemned by Holy Scripture.

It is surprising to hear of such great undertakings in a man of advanced age, on the brink of Eternity. But our Saint, overburdened as he was, never halted until the eve of his death; up to that day he still dispatched all business with astonishing precision and presence of mind.

He often gathered together those who had charges in the house as well as his assistants; he spoke to them all not only in a mass together, but also separately whenever it was necessary, going over with them and discussing every item of their days. He regulated everything concerning the Missions, choosing such subjects as were best fitted for the work and discussing with them the means most likely to succeed.

These methods he employed not only with his own Congregation, but also for others of which he had charge. When prevented from leaving the house he sent one of his priests to take his place, and if it was anything of importance, he gave him minute instructions, so that he need only follow exactly his recommendations to succeed well.

His answers to letters from the Province gave the impression that his health always remained fair. Though his correspondence was enormous he never failed to answer every letter. He wrote on all kinds of subjects, but never more willingly than to alleviate misery or give help in poverty; it is worthy of note that the very last letters he dated were about the needs of the poor and the relief that could be given them.

Overwhelmed with work, assailed by the importunities of a crowd of persons of all conditions who besieged him, he was ever, under the eyes of all, a man of peace and of consolation. In his person the office of Martha accorded so well with that of Mary that in the midst of the most trying occupations he seemed more than ever to work for God alone, and under the very eye of God. When we remember his faithfulness to his spiritual duties we can fairly judge how much he knew the value of time. He would have scrupled to lose one moment, and thus in God's eyes he doubled the value of his years.

He went to bed the last of all, his day was fully spent in prayer, in giving or receiving advice, in deliberating, in action. His priests had an hour's recreation after each meal, but he rarely enjoyed this, as some pressing business usually called him elsewhere.

In spite of all his condescension, especially towards strangers, hearing patiently all that they had to say to him, yet he knew how to cut short all useless conversation, even at pious reunions in aid of the poor, where he would cut short all digressions. His speech was concise, and his ideas clear; consequently he knew how to bring those back to the point who were wandering from it; but he did it with such good grace that nobody could find fault with it.

Concentration on most important affairs never seemed to exhaust the vigour of his mind; but (and this is more surprising) he would leave everything with incredible readiness when the poor or humble petitioners interrupted him.

Every day during his latter years he prepared himself for death by reciting the prayers for the agonizing, with the recommendation of the soul to God; and every evening he made ready to answer the Divine Judge, in case it might please Him to summon him before the Supreme Tribunal during that night.

Practice - An act of contrition, to ask God's pardon for the time we have lost; and a promise to be exact and punctual in the accomplishment of our duties, as also to spend in a holy manner the days which the Lord will still grant us.

- text taken from Virtue and Christian Refinement According to the Spirit of Saint Vincent de Paul, by Saint John Bosco