Vincentians around the world and across nearly two centuries are united by a common Rule that reflects not only the purpose and ends of the Society, but the practical experience of the founders who first sought to achieve those ends. The Rule was written only after the founders had waited two years “to ascertain that God wished that it should continue, before determining the form which it should assume”. [Rule, 1835] It is not a Rule for single time or place, but for a timeless vocation of love.

To modern ears, a title such as “Rule” implies a bureaucratic set of instructions, leading us to seek a specificity that often does not appear in its text. This pursuit can become like the “flair” scene in the movie Office Space. Certainly, the Rule does specify some practices, such as elections of presidents, frequency of meetings, and making decisions by consensus, and these are indeed meant to be followed, but it is, for the most part, concerned less with the specifics of what we do than with the essence of who we are, and with what we seek to become: holy.

For example, although the home visit is the only charitable work that is specifically mentioned in the Rule, this does not mean other works are prohibited. Beyond the home visit, the Rule refers to “special works” only generally – not even thrift stores are mentioned a single time. Yet we know that our many and varied special works are completely aligned with the Rule, provided they derive from what we learn through our person-to-person service of the neighbor, and that they alleviate suffering or deprivation and promote human dignity and personal integrity in all their dimensions. [Rule, Part I, 1.3]

Bl. Frédéric feared that excessive rules and bureaucracy might result in the Society “degenerating into public assistance bureaus”. [182, to Lallier, 1838] He emphasized the importance, in works charity, “to surrender oneself to the inspirations of the heart rather than the calculations of the mind.” [82, to Curnier, 1834] The Rule must be accepted in whole, not dissected for loopholes, or used merely to settle disagreements, Rather, it is a guide on our pathway, following the footsteps, wisdom, and experience of our founders. The very word rule derives from the Latin regula, which refers to a straightedge. Our Rule, then, serves best not to direct us but to measure our progress towards holiness.

Just as St. Vincent taught the Daughters of Charity to “keep your Rule”, we also are meant to keep ours. Asked “whether it’s advisable to dispense with the Rule for the service of the poor” Vincent responded that “the service of the poor must be preferred to everything else” since that is God’s first calling to us in this vocation, but that any deviation from the Rule “must be done with discernment and not to gratify yourself.” [CCD IX:171] In other words, we may sometimes “leave God for God”, [CCD IX:252] but we must never be motivated by our own reluctance or inconvenience, nor by seeking to meet a “minimum standard”, but rather by a true desire to give of ourselves for the love and the glory of God.

Contemplate

Do I sometimes brush aside or downplay parts of the Rule for reasons of convenience?

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