For nine days, Brother René Stockman, Superior General of the Brothers of Charity, will guide us through a meaningful novena of reflections on the life and spirituality of Saint Vincent de Paul.

Saint Vincent de Paul embodied a new way of living charity, rooted in God’s love and expressed through humility, simplicity, meekness, mortification, and holistic care. He always urged everyone to see Christ in the poor, to treat them as masters with love and respect, and never to think one has done enough. His virtues remain a concrete guide for authentic Christian service today.

Stay with us, and continue to follow Brother René’s new videos throughout the novena in the coming days.

Day 4:

Day 4, summary:

This reflection presents Saint Vincent de Paul as a man whose virtues remain deeply relevant for us today. His life and mission show how the Gospel becomes concrete, especially in service to the poor and those suffering spiritual poverty. Six key virtues shaped his spirituality and continue to inspire us.

The first is love, or charity. Vincent is rightly called the patron saint of charity, but for him, love was never merely human affection. It had to be a translation of God’s own love. He insisted that we can only share God’s love with others if it dwells within us. This requires prayer, opening our hearts to God, and allowing His love to shine through our words and actions so that the poor experience God’s tenderness through us.

The second virtue is simplicity. For Vincent, simplicity meant speaking truthfully, living transparently, and embracing a simple lifestyle. He warned that one cannot serve the poor authentically without living simply oneself. Simplicity also meant staying close to those served, seeing their faces, and never losing direct contact with them.

The third is humility, inspired by Jesus who emptied himself and by Mary, who called herself the lowly handmaid. Vincent recognized his talents as gifts from God to be shared, not boasted of. True humility was seeing oneself as an instrument of God’s work.

Closely related was meekness. Vincent urged his followers to approach the poor gently, with kind words, respectful gestures, and tender service. He told the Daughters of Charity that their very demeanor should be a healing presence—meekness itself becoming a form of therapy.

He also valued mortification, not as harsh self-denial, but as the daily discipline of setting aside self-interest to make room for God and others. By putting oneself second, one could fully open to the needs of the poor.

Finally, Vincent stressed holistic care, reminding his followers to care not only for material and physical needs but also for the souls of those they served. True charity was always both spiritual and practical.

The reflection closes with Vincent’s enduring convictions: always see Christ in the poor; treat them as masters with love and respect; never think you have done enough; and serve even when the work is difficult, ungrateful, or heavy. His virtues form a complete program for living authentic Christian charity today.