On the occasion of the beatification Oscar Romero, I offer these thoughts for Vincentians – Oscar Romero and St. Vincent de Paul hearers… and doers of the word.
They both heard the words of Jesus in Luke “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.”
St. Vincent took these words as the clarion call of his life and those who followed in his footsteps. In perhaps his most famous conference, on “The End of the Congregation” (December 6, 1658), he states:
“. . . to make God known to the poor , to announce Jesus Christ to them , to tell them that the kingdom of heaven is at hand and that it is for the poor . Oh how great that is … so sublime is it to preach the gospel to the poor that it is above all the office of the Son of God.”‘
Blessed Oscar Romero wrote
“When we speak of the church of the poor, we are not using Marxist dialectic, as though there were another church of the rich. What we are saying is that Christ, inspired by the Spirit of God, declared, “The Lord has sent me to preach good news to the poor” — words of the Bible — so that to hear him one must become poor.”
[Details for viewing the beatification ceremonies]
In 2001 José Vicente Nacher Tatay, CM offered these Signs of a prophet in an article “The Prophetic Character of the Vincentian Charism”
- The prophets radiate transcendence. If the prophet is one who speaks for God, then surely the clearest sign of prophetic authenticity is that we see God in him or her.
- They have vital contact with dire human need. “The blind see, the lame walk, the poor have the good news preached to them.” Prophets not only cry out for justice, they walk alongside the poor in the journey toward liberation.
- They live in solidarity with others. In a world where there is so much individualism, the prophet proclaims co-responsibility, family, integration, the unity of humankind.
- They witness to simplicity of life. Prophets know what is important in life. Their values are clear. They seek the “one thing necessary.” Everything else is secondary. For that reason there is a beautiful simplicity in their lives.
- They communicate joy. The joy and the peace of the Lord shine out through the prophets. They sing a new song. The Risen Lord rings in their words and in their actions. They are resurrection people with alleluia as their song [16].
Certainly these signs were present in both Blessed Oscar Romero and St. Vincent de Paul.
The same author concludes with these reflections for the Vincentian Family and thereby challenges is to be hearers… and doers of the words of Jesus.
Our Vincentian charism will only be a credible prophecy if we truly live it. The key to prophecy is fidelity (remembering). Anything else would be a scandal, a lie, a history about someone who gave and then took back what had been given. So then, let us be faithful to our vocation and faithful to the Lord, the origin of our vocation. If we are faithful to the charism, the charism will keep us faithful.
Discernment: Do we attempt to live out that which comes from God? Is this the right time? Are we willing to accept the difficulties? Are we willing to enter into the dynamics of the Paschal Mystery — to die in order to live? If we are, then yes, we have a place in the Church because the Holy Spirit has given us gifts (gifts for service, gifts for evangelizing those who are poor.
We can summarize all of this with the words that Robert Maloney wrote after he met an elderly Daughter of Charity in China who had gathered around herself a group of five aspirants: I ask myself: What did this Sister, who is nearly blind and deaf, do to attract them? The answer I came up with is this: Really, she did almost nothing, but she lived with enormous fidelity, joy, and peace, filled with faith in the presence of the Lord. She was, and continues to be, a prophetic witness to the gospels [23].
We conclude with the words of John Paul II, words addressed to the Daughters of Charity during their 1997 General Assembly, words that, with their permission, we direct to all Vincentians: The charism of Monsieur Vincent is ablaze today and, with your whole spiritual family, it is your responsibility to bring it alive right where you are.
Another GREAT article on 2 GREAT men both committed to those who are poor and suffering. Thank you for this!