St Vincent Personal Profile

7/30/2019 St Vincent Personal Profile

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SAINT

VINCENT

DE PAULPERSONAL

PROFILE


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For many, Vincent de Paul has been equatedwith that lifeless statue high up on a pedestal.

White, aloof, tough, and well decoratedespecially during the last week of Septemberbut is forgotten for the rest of the year. For

some historians, he has become a product ofa scholarly research, a hero of the 20thcentury. For the ordinary faithful, he hasbecome as sentimental image, reminder of

the glories of the past, object of nostalgia andnothing more. But for me and for you, whohave kept Vincent very much alive in our

heart, who is he?


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Physical Profile.

M. Vincent was of medium height and well-proportioned. His head was rather bald andlarge, but well made and in proportion to therest of his body. The brow was broad and

majestic, the countenance neither too fat nortoo thin. His aspect was mild, his penetrating,his hearing acute, his bearing grave, his

gravity benign, his countenance open andsimple. He was most easy of access and of amarvelous kind and amiable disposition. Hewas of bilious and sanguine temperament

and his health fairly strong and robust.


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He was not, therefore, a short man but of mediumheight. He may not be a macho but his bodily is

well proportioned and is neither too fat nor toothin. It might be true that he had thedistinguishable features of a Southerner (Dax, hisbirthplace, is in the south of France): large nose,

long ears, strongly marked brows and powerfulchin. But what makes him naturally attractive ismore than his physical features: his open and

simple countenance, his kind and amiabledisposition. His penetrating eyes express both thefire and the gentleness in his person. This makesVincent de Pauls personality captivating. His

person creates an impact.


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He is also usually portrayed as an old man of

frail health and is seemingly limping all thetime. But this image is the Vincent two yearsbefore his death. His health was fairly strong

and robust. If Vincent was a frail and sicklytype, how could one explain the physicalstamina he had which his numerous works inthe height of his pastoral ministry demanded.


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He was not exempt from illnesses, of course.When visiting confreres in the infirmary of St.

Lazare, he encouraged them by alluding tohis sickness: Dont be afraid, brother. I hadthat illness when I was young and was cured

of it. I used to suffer from breathlessness anddo so longer. I have also suffered from herniaand God has cured me of it. I had a violentattack of headache, lung and stomach

troubles from which I have recovered. So justhave a little patience.


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He suffered from what was then called

tertian fever which he lovingly called mylittle fever a fever lasting from two to threedays or more. In 1615, he also developed aserious leg trouble, which he suffered to the

end of his life. In 1658, his carriage brokedown and his head struck the pavement withgreat violence. This caused a severe attack of

fever and with all other complications led tohis deathbed two years later.


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Despite his physical frailties, his moral vigor

remained intact. He was all the more mildand affable. He still attended to his numerousworks. It was even during these momentsthat most of his conferences were done. His

day was filled with pastoral concern from 4oclock in the morning to late in the evening.Here is a man, like the rest, but exceptionally

enthusiastic for the work of the Lord.


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What relevance is there to this inquiry?

Knowing Vincent de Paul in his flesh andblood brings down the lifeless saint from thepedestal people have created for him. He is

no mere woodwork or escayola: beautifulbut unrealistic. He is human like the rest of uswith characteristics both positive andnegative. In a word, he is real.


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To be real means to be on the same ground

where I stand. This is where Vincent inspiresus. When we find ourselves weak andexhausted after a days work we can see

Vincent who consoles saying: Dont beafraid. I also was once tired and ill. You canmake it. Just have a little patience. To knowthat your father feels with you is a healing

process in itself. The Vincent is real. He isvery much alive.


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Intellectual Profile

Many authors would like to portray Vincentde Paul as a man of action preoccupied withpractical affairs and has contempt or at least,

indifference for learning and intellectualendeavors. He is often misquoted as advisingthe students; Intellectuals have much tofear, knowledge puffs up. People wronglyconclude that Vincent was a busybody but didnot really posses great intelligence. WasVincent de Paul really anti-intellectual? What

could be his IQ?


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According to Abelly: He had a great mind,

well-balanced, circumspect, capable of greatminds and not easily surprised. He did not

enter lightly on the study of affairs but whenhe devoted himself seriously to them, he

penetrated them to their very marrow. He

went into all their details, great and small

foresaw objections and results. Nevertheless,out of fear of self-deception, he did notimmediately decide, if not compelled to do so,

and he settled nothing until he had balanced

the arguments for and against and was mostwilling to consult again with others. When he

had to give his opinion, he developed the topic

with such order and clarity as to astonish the

most expert.


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When an author describes you in such words,

you could not be a dumb ox. That could notmean only an average IQ. It takes one of realintelligence to have the capacity for analysis,synthesis, and foresight. But more than a

logical presentation, Vincent had the capacityto captivate his audience. He had the powerto persuade them and lead them to accept hisconvictions. Call it communication skills, callit charisma, and call it whatever you want.That was in Vincent de Paul.


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No wonder even bishops and well-knowntheologians of the Sorbonne loved to attendthe Tuesday conferences. They wanted tolisten to Vincent speak. I could not imaginehow the socialites (ladies of the court) of histimes were led by Vincent to organize and go

to the poor if Vincent was a dumb ox.


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However, Vincents intelligence was down to earth.He vibrated with the masses. Though he may haveread a lot of books, Vincent was not bookish. His

primary teacher was the school of experience. He dida lot of consultations with experts of various fields,with priests of experience and even with lay brothers

who were illiterate at that time. He was in touch withhis people. he was resonating with the horizons ofhis times and of the poor. In a world of dogmaticdeductive processes, Vincent dared to venture into

consultative induction. When he says: let us wait forthe signs of Divine Providence, he really meant letus wait for lessons from real events and concrete lifeexperience.


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What does that say to the Vincentians today?What does that tell me? It says that a Vincentian

today is a well-informed person, a professional. Inthis information society where we find ourselvesin, a Vincentian is a person who keep abreast with

the latest news and technology. However, he/sheis not a passive and nave recipient. He/she is theone who analyzes and critically looks at events,things, and persons via the prism of the Christian

tradition as Vincent did. Like Vincent, he/she issensitive to the changing times and attu8ned tothe calls of the Church and responsive to the spirit

present in history.


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But more than the above, the Vincentians shouldbe those intellectual capacity is rooted in thegrassroots and is geared towards them. There is anintellectual framework, which resonates, feels,cries, laughs, thinks with and for the toiling masses.It does not only mean keep abreast with the recentphilosophical-theological treatises but also with the

latest showbiz intrigue in town.


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It does not only mean knowing thetechnical economic analysis of the presentworld crisis but knowing also how and whatthe poor think about their situation. Theirdemands more than reading books and

attending seminars, more than takingdegrees and having letters appended to theend of the names. This mean real solidarity:living with them, singing their songs,playing their games, laughing at their

jokes, feeling their joys and sadness andpraying their prayers.


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Psycho-Emotional Profile

He was most easy access and of a marvelouskind and wonderful disposition. He was of biliousand sanguine temperament.

Medieval psychology believes that there are fourhumors (fluid material) in the human body and apersons temperament in influenced by the

predominance of any of these humors: blood,phlegm, black bile and yellow bile. That wouldgive us four temperament types: sanguine,

phlegmatic, melancholic and choleric.


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Vincent was of sanguine temperamentcharacterized by amiability, cheerfulness,quickness and sociability. But Abelly describeshim as bilious. He had some cholerictendencies: passion, irascibility and tenacity.

Vincent could also be the man who isdetermined to make things happen. Sometimeshe could push things a little too hard especiallywhen his convinced of them. Many priests andbrothers sent to the Madagascar mission diedon shipwreck, disease, fatigue and climate. Nota few confreres objected to sending more

missionaries but Vincent persisted


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His natural sociability captivated those

around him but it was his persistence anddetermination that moved things towards thefulfillment of the kingdom in our midst. Thework of his sons and daughters, the hardshipsthat they underwent and the endurance ofthe missionaries speak much of thepassionate tenacity of their founder: Vincent

de Paul.

A th i t t lit f Vi t i hi


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Another important quality of Vincent is his

sensitivity: the capacity to enter into the feelingsof persons. We call this empathy. He was able to

enter into the hearts of the religious and clergy ofhis times, into the feelings of the ladies of the

court. Moreover, he identified himself with the

sufferings and loneliness of the poor. He did not

only express this in words. His whole personradiated this openness and sensitivity. Abellydescribed him with the following words:

Although his presence inspired great respect, yet

this respect, instead of closing opened menshearts. And there was no one who inspired others

with more confidence than he in manifesting their

most secret thoughts and those weaknesses

which are more difficult to reveal.


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Vincent was also seemingly afflicted with neuroticguilt complex. This could be our first impression when

we hear him constantly describe himself as a poorwretched man full of pride and haughtiness, a booby,a fourth form scholar laden with abomination. Hewas considered a a little odd on this point even byhis contemporaries. Remarking once to a brother who

shared in the community repetition of prayer howhe was edified by the witness he observed in thefounders person, St Vincent said: Brother, we havecustom here of never praising anyone in his presence. I

am indeed a wonder, but a wonder worse than thedemon. And I deserved to be lower in hell than he is. Iam not exaggerating when I say this.


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In the context of the old Vincent de Paul, this for us iseither an exaggeration or a neurotic disorder. However,we can understand him if we are to place him in the

horizons of the 17th century. Church was then fightingagainst Jansenism whose focus was on sin and thenegative dimension of the whole-created reality.However, Vincent was a balanced personality. If he was

too slow to acknowledge human capacity, it was becausehe realized how much we have to rely on God in our lives.Ifthere is anything good in us and in our mode of life, itis of God and it is for him to manifest it if he judges itexpedient. This is a sign of a personality who has

realized his basic giftedness at the same time his reallimitations. A realization that it is God who does the bestin us and that left to ourselves we can do nothing.

l i i


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Interpersonal Dimensions

Vincent was a man who had the admirable

quality of sociability. People found joy inrelating with him. And related with themdeeply as well. His person commandedrespect but instead of closing, open mens

hearts leading them to confidence andopenness of even the persons deepestsecrets. He was a friend to all: men and

women. What is most noticeable, however,is his charisma for women.


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There was Madame de Gondi who could notlive a single life without his guidance.

Together with her were the ladies of thecourt and even the two great and holywomen - foundresses of religious orders:Jane Frances de Chantal and Louise de

Marillac. They were all his friends andcollaborator. His friendship was notpossessive of persons but one, which freed

them for the service of others. We see allthese women captivated by the vision ofthe man in their center that inspired themto work for that same vision. Noble

friendships!


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Without his humanity, he could not havebeen a saint. But without his holiness, hecould not have been the man we havedescribed above. However, in the end, this isstill the naked truth: his holiness is found inhis faithful and real to his humanity. He was

fully human that God was also fully alive inhim.


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ADVANCE MERRY CHRISTMASANDPROSPEROUS NEW YEAR

SAINYONG LAHAT !!!

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Thank You

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