The Lord tells us that he who hopes in Him shall not be put to shame; and Saint Paul said that, if of himself he was capable of nothing, with the help of God he could do all things: Omnia possum in eo qui me confortat. Strengthened by this confidence in God, Saint Vincent undertook things which mighty kings would not have dared to attempt, and he succeeded in undertakings which seemed to be condemned to failure.
The Providence of God was his whole support, and God, ever faithful to His promises, never abandoned him. If some affair turned up which he recognized as being willed by God, he used all possible means to make it succeed, but not as many others do, agitating themselves, and annoying all whom they meet. The philosophy of the man of God was calmer, for it was inspired from on high; he allowed God to act and awaited from Him the moment and measure of success.
If it was represented to him, through reasons of human prudence, that there was no hope of carrying out some enterprise which he had begun, he answered: "Let us leave our Lord to act; it is His work; and as He was pleased to begin it let us hold it for certain that He will finish it in the way that will be most pleasing to Himself. Let us therefore be of good courage; let us confide in our Lord, Who will be our assistant and our leader in a work which He Himself has called us to undertake."
When the thing was once begun, convinced that the thought of it had come from God, and that God desired him to do it, then neither expense nor labour nor any difficulty whatever could frighten him; on the contrary, obstacles only increased his courage. For example, it was represented to him numerous times that the great expense of feeding so many people, who came every week to make a Retreat at Saint Lazare, was threatening his House with ruin; he just answered: "The treasures of Divine Providence are inexhaustible; mistrust lessens the honour due to God; riches portend a far greater ruin to this Congregation than poverty could ever do."
One day, on the eve of an Ordination, the Procurator came to tell him that he had not a single half-penny left for the daily expenses: "Ah! what excellent news!" exclaimed Saint Vincent; "may God be praised! This is the time to show whether we have confidence in God." He answered in much the same terms a parliamentary lawyer who, happening to be making a Retreat at Saint Lazare, and being surprised to see so many people in the refectory, asked Saint Vincent where he found the means to feed such a crowd of inmates and guests.
We must not think that God worked miracles continually in favour of Saint Vincent, or that He always hastened at the critical moment to help him in his needs. Saint Vincent was sometimes reduced to eating nothing but bread, made of barley or oats, with his sons, but he regarded these passing miseries as trials to deepen their faith in the Order of Providence.
The confidence which animated the Servant of God in times of scarcity strengthened him also in other afflictions which came upon him and on his children. He was so convinced that confidence in God must be one of the principal virtues of a Missioner that he made it the subject of a certain number of Spiritual Conferences. He liked to quote the example of Abraham, who, according to Divine promise, was to people the whole earth through a son, given him by God, but whom he was nevertheless ordered to immolate. "Admire his confidence," he said; "he is in no way put about by what will happen; he hopes that all will go well, since God is arranging it. Why, Gentlemen, should we not have the same hope, if we just leave to God the care of all that concerns us and prefer whatever He commands us?" On another occasion he said: "Should we not have good reason to hope that God will furnish us with all that will be necessary for us when we see that the birds of the air neither sow nor spin nor gather any harvest? But God takes care of them everywhere; He gives them food and shelter. He even extends His Providence to the grass upon the ground and to the lilies of the field, which are so magnificently clothed that even Solomon in all his glory had nothing like to them. Now, if God thus provides for the beasts of the field and for the plants of the earth, why should you not trust in Him, Who is so good and so powerful? How is it that you would rather depend on your own industry than on His Goodness?"
Saint Vincent also recommended this same confidence in God to the Daughters of Charity, who, being more exposed to danger, are even still more specially bound to mistrust themselves and confide much in God. He promised them God's help with so much assurance that he seemed to have some mysterious reason for counting upon a special Providence over them. God had already made known that He watched over these virtuous Daughters. On one occasion, when one of them was found safe and sound in the midst of a building in ruins, Saint Vincent said to them: "Ah, my Daughters, see what reason you have to confide in God! We read in history that a man, when walking out in the open country, was killed by the fall of a tortoise which an eagle dropped upon his head; and here today we see houses thrown down from top to bottom and the Daughters of Charity coming out from the ruins safe and sound, without receiving any injury. What is that if not a sign and a proof that God wants you to know that you are dear to Him? Oh, my Daughters, be certain that so long as you keep this holy confidence in your hearts God will watch over you and keep you safe wherever you may be."
Saint Vincent one day gave a reprimand to a person who, believing that her presence was necessary for the existence of the Institute of the Daughters of Charity, had expressed some anxiety about the sickness with which she was attacked: "Oh, woman of little faith, why have you not more confidence in the conduct and the example of Jesus Christ? The Saviour of the world depended on God His Father for the future of the whole Church, and you think that He is going to fail you in managing a handful of girls whom He Himself has obviously gathered together and brought to you."
This mighty confidence in God was also useful to him in restoring peace to those who were tempted to despair. A person of high rank, being in a distressing state of soul, asked him for a remedy to cure the evil which was tormenting him. The Saint answered that "God does not always allow His own to discern the purity of their interior state in the midst of the movements of corrupt nature, so that they may humble themselves without ceasing, and that their treasure, being thus hidden, may be all the safer. The great Apostle had seen the marvels of Heaven, but he did not consider himself justified for this reason, because he saw in himself too much darkness and too many combats. Nevertheless, he had such confidence in God that he believed there was nothing in the world capable of separating him from the Charity of Jesus Christ. This example should be sufficient, sir, to make you remain in peace in the midst of your obscurities, and to give you entire and perfect confidence in the Infinite Goodness of Our Lord, Who, desiring to complete the work of your sanctification, invites you to abandon yourself into the Hands of His Providence."
Practice - Confidence in God does not exclude our co-operation; let us therefore do all that we can on our part, and the Lord, in His Goodness, will do the rest which we are not able to accomplish. Make a visit to the Most Holy Sacrament.
- text taken from Virtue and Christian Refinement According to the Spirit of Saint Vincent de Paul, by Saint John Bosco