Our Traditions on the living of the charism are rich source of Vincentian “vitamins.” For many of us, our rules or constitutions were our earliest food. Part of our Lenten Shift is to return to the sources. Change what you do. Change what you see, change what you read. We fast so we can feed the deeper parts of ourselves. This is the fourth and last of a four-week series that invites us to feed our souls with our Vincentian and ecclesial traditions.

“Keep the rule and the rule will keep you.” This saying is true as far as it goes.

Family stories — “legends” if you will — ground the family in its past. Like a tree, you cannot grow without strong roots.

Our deepening in the Vincentian life requires that we re-read our founding and guiding documents regularly if we are to understand them in relation to our lived experience. Our traditions, if alive, guide our present and open our future.

A fourth possibility

If you are a member of branch of the Vincentian Family, re-read your basic documents or rule. Here are a few.

• The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has a marvelous spiritual document in their statutes.
• The Rule of the Confraternity of Charity has a richness to explore;
• The Common Rule of the Congregation of the Mission is food for the whole Family.

A meditative read of our own documents and those of other branches of the Vincentian Family is like savoring a good meal. Food for the soul.

If you have a link to an important document of your branch, please post it in the comments or send it to us.

Archive of this series and more.