“Who do the people say that I am?” Christ asked of his disciple, before asking, “And who do you say that I am?” He was not surprised to receive two different answers, despite the fact that He never wavered in telling all people exactly who He was and why He was here. “I am,” He told all who would listen, “the true vine…the light of the world…the resurrection and the life…the good shepherd…the bread of life…the gate for the sheep…the way and the truth and the life…and whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”

Who do the people say that we are, we Vincentians? Do they say we are service providers? Social workers? Or do they say we are the ones who returned their calls, the ones who came and listened, the ones who cared when it seemed nobody else did? Like Christ, we most likely would hear different answers from different people, but that should never be because we are inconsistent in who we say that we are, in our words and in our actions, for how else can they know who we are?

It has been said that a rule, such as our Rule, if it is followed faithfully, could easily be recreated just by observing how the members live. Would an outside observer say of us, they “seek to relieve suffering for love alone, without thinking of any reward or advantage for themselves”? [Rule, Part I, 2.2] They “do not judge those they serve”? [Rule, Part I, 1.9] They “serve the poor cheerfully”? [Rule, Part I, 1.8] They are “a community of faith and love, prayer and action”? [Rule, Part III, St. 5] They are ”an international Catholic voluntary organisation of lay people, men and women”? [Rule, Part I, 1.1]

We are who we say we are, in our words and in our actions. We do not serve the poor because they are Catholic, but because we are Catholic; because we are followers of Christ who assured us that we would find Him in the hungry, in the thirsty, in the stranger, the prisoner, the naked, the poor, and all those who mourn. Our actions must never contradict our words, and our words must not contradict our actions. This is not because it is important for us to be recognized or praised for the work we do, but because it is important for the one who sends us to be known, so that others may find Him, too.

As St. Vincent taught, admonishing one of his superiors for his efforts to enhance the Congregation’s reputation, “Let us entrust our reputation to Him… to do with it as He sees fit. To Him alone glory is due; let us never do anything that does not give glory to Him and, to that end, let us trample underfoot human respect and self-interest.” [CCD IV:480]

Like Christ Himself, we cannot control who the people say that we are, we can only control who we say that we are, and in the end, all that will matter is who God says that we are.

Contemplate

Who do I say that I am, in my words and in my actions?

By Timothy Williams,
Senior Director of Formation & Leadership Development
Society of St. Vicent de Paul USA.