Prudence of Saint Vincent

Christian prudence consists in making use of the means we have in hand to attain ever-lasting happiness. Saint Vincent said that prudence must always tend to one sole end, which is God. It selects means, regulates actions and words, and performs everything with circumspection, gravity, harmony and moderation. The object being good, the motives will be also. Prudence consults reason, but as the lights of reason are often feeble it seeks information from the light of faith given to us by Jesus Christ, through which we know that Heaven and earth shall pass away, but the Word of the Lord lasts for ever.

In order to act on these principles the Saint, when consulted on any business, raised his heart to God to implore His assistance; and he invited those who came to ask his advice to pray with him, that God might make known Plis Will about the matter. Then he listened attentively, weighed everything carefully, sought out all that it was necessary to know, for fear of omitting any circumstance of importance in forming his judgment. If it was something very important he asked for time to reflect upon it, and advised that it should be recommended to God. That others besides himself should have been consulted also, gave him the greatest pleasure; frequently and willingly he consulted others, and set great value on their advice, for justice and charity. are always united. When he had to give his own opinion he did it in such a judicious and unauthoritative manner that, whilst expressing what he thought was best, he left people entire freedom to follow their own choice. When they insisted that he should declare his opinion in a more positive manner, he did so, with precision and to the purpose, without ever attacking those who thought differently. He then imposed on himself a double rule: to keep the matter on which he had been consulted under the seal of inviolable secrecy, and then to remain firm in the decision arrived at.

It was very difficult for him to take a false step, and until his death he passed for the most prudent man of his century. During his life the House of Saint Lazare was a kind of centre where all those assembled who had conceived vast plans for the service of the Church, or for the good of their neighbour - Bishops, Magistrates, Rectors, Doctors, Religious, Abbots, Superiors of Communities - all flocked to him as the oracle of the time. His prudence, which was so highly appreciated, induced the holy Bishop of Geneva and the venerable Mother de Chantal to ask him to accept the direction of their first Monastery in Paris. It was this same reputation for prudence which decided Louis XIII to call him to his side at a time when he had great need of good advice. It was also the wisdom of his counsels given to the dying King, and by which the Court was edified in the highest degree, that induced the Queen to call him to preside over her Councils. To know the utmost extent of this prudence we should have to follow Saint Vincent from the day he first went to Mr. Gondi until his death. The reader will be able to form an idea by recalling the wise regulations he drew up to suit such varied occasions; the means adopted by him, with such success, for the numerous establishments of which he was the founder; the constitutions given to his Congregation; his conduct during the political troubles of the kingdom; the advice and counsels which his office and his charity made it a duty to give. We will only give one example.

A great preacher of exalted rank paid frequent visits to the Saint, and for a good reason. Saint Vincent was warned that his principles in matters of faith were not very orthodox, and his religion not very deep, as his conduct seemed to indicate. To make him enter into himself Saint Vincent said to him: "How clever and eloquent you are, sir! I have an advice to ask you. On our country Missions we sometimes meet with persons who do not believe the truths of our holy Religion, and we do not know how to deal with them in order to convince them. What should we do on these occasions?" This question was not too agreeable to the Abbe, who answered with some emotion: "Why do you ask me this?" "Because," said Saint Vincent, "the poor appeal to the rich in their needs, and we, ignorant as we are, cannot do better than learn from you, who are well educated, what we do not know ourselves." These words calmed the ecclesiastic. He answered with much presence of mind that he would prove matters of faith, first, by Holy Scripture; second, by the Holy Fathers; third, by some reasonable argument; fourth, by the universal consent of Catholic nations in past centuries; fifth, by the testimony of the martyrs who shed their blood for the confession of these same truths; and by all the miracles operated by God in order to confirm them.

When he had finished Saint Vincent, after having declared that he thought this an excellent method, begged him to put down in writing, "simply and without ceremony," all that he had said by word of mouth and to send it to him. The Abbe did not fail, and a few days later he himself brought the writing to the man of God. "I feel a wonderful joy," Saint Vincent said to him, "to see you have such fine sentiments. It will even be useful to me for your vindication. You will scarcely believe it, but it is a fact that certain persons believe and affirm that you have not the right sentiments touching the things of Faith. Well, now, having so worthily upheld the Faith by your writings, it would be better still to prove it by an edifying life. You are so much the more called to it as you hold such a high position; for virtue joined to high birth is like a precious stone, which shines brighter when encased in gold than in lead." It is not recorded whether the wise admonition produced its effect or not; at any rate this much is certain: the Abbe promised to conform his conduct thereto.

He knew especially how to choose the right moment for calling anyone to order, and he did it so prudently that he rather sought to make the person open his heart to him than hinder it by harsh rebuke. The Superioress of a Visitation Convent said that in Saint Vincent one found so much prudence, and such sound judgment on all kinds of matters, that nothing escaped his searching knowledge, and that even in the most obscure and entangled affairs he always found the right solution.

According to the testimony of four renowned men who gave evidence at the Process of Canonization, Saint Vincent was a man of extraordinary breadth of mind and great skill in business affairs. For this reason a great number of persons of high position had recourse to him for advice; his kindness and humility made him even-tempered in his dealings with everyone; even the most learned did not find him inferior to themselves when discussing most important affairs with him. Saint Vincent showed such prudence in everything that, even when justice and reason compelled him to go counter to others, no one could complain of his decision. Such was the opinion which the most eminent men of the time had formed of the Servant of God; they corroborated the evidence given in his favour by thousands of witnesses whose testimony is not less worthy of confidence.

Practice - That Christian is prudent who keeps the affairs of his soul in order. He is also prudent who acts and advises others according to the maxims of religion. But woe to him who is prudent only about the things of this world and neglects those of the soul. He will experience a very cruel disillusion at the hour of death.

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