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SVDP Contemplation
Contemplation: Heroic Virtue
by Tim Williams | October 1, 2024 | Formation, Society of St. Vincent de Paul | 0 Comments
What is courage, exactly, and in what sense did our holiest Vincentians pray for God to grant it to them?
Contemplation: A Spirit of Poverty
by Tim Williams | September 24, 2024 | Formation, Society of St. Vincent de Paul | 0 Comments
Contemplation: One Society, One Rule
by Tim Williams | September 17, 2024 | Formation, Society of St. Vincent de Paul | 0 Comments
Contemplation: Whose Coat Is It Anyway?
by Tim Williams | September 10, 2024 | Formation, Reflections, Society of St. Vincent de Paul | 0 Comments
Contemplation: A Spirit of Poverty
by Tim Williams | Sep 24, 2024 | Formation, Society of St. Vincent de Paul
This post originally appeared on ssvpusa.org “All those who have experience of public charity,” wrote Bl. Frédéric in...
Contemplation: One Society, One Rule
by Tim Williams | Sep 17, 2024 | Formation, Society of St. Vincent de Paul
This post originally appeared on ssvpusa.org It is probably the case that while most members join the Society in...
Contemplation: Whose Coat Is It Anyway?
by Tim Williams | Sep 10, 2024 | Formation, Reflections, Society of St. Vincent de Paul
This post originally appeared on ssvpusa.org Catholic Social Doctrine teaches us the principle of the universal...
Contemplation: From Darkness Into Light
by Tim Williams | Sep 3, 2024 | Formation, Reflections, Society of St. Vincent de Paul
This post originally appeared on ssvpusa.org It is from St. John of the Cross that we get the phrase “dark night of the soul,” which we use to describe a crisis of faith in which we are plagued by doubts about God, our souls, and our church. It is through such dark...
Contemplation: Who Do They Say That We Are?
by Tim Williams | Aug 27, 2024 | Formation, Reflections, Society of St. Vincent de Paul
This post originally appeared on ssvpusa.org “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...
Contemplation: A Cycle of Love
by Tim Williams | Aug 20, 2024 | Formation, Reflections, Society of St. Vincent de Paul
This post originally appeared on ssvpusa.org We serve, our Rule reminds us, for love alone. [Rule, Part I, 2.2] This does not mean we do it in exchange for love, but rather that our works are motivated by love, and freely given as acts of love. Our own hearts, aflame...
Contemplation: Joy In Gratitude
by Tim Williams | Aug 13, 2024 | Formation, Reflections, Society of St. Vincent de Paul
This post originally appeared on ssvpusa.org In the times that our work seems difficult, and the problems of the neighbor or our Conference seems overwhelming, there is one thing that should fill our hearts and minds, bringing us to a state of peace and good cheer in...
Contemplation: One Who Lives Differently
by Tim Williams | Aug 6, 2024 | Formation, Reflections, Society of St. Vincent de Paul
This post originally appeared on ssvpusa.org Serviens in spe, reads the Society’s motto, Serving in Hope. Hope can be a powerful feeling, a state of mind that keeps us going through great difficulties. It is a light at the end of the tunnel, the silver lining behind...
Contemplation: Providing What is Needed
by Tim Williams | Jul 30, 2024 | Formation, Reflections, Society of St. Vincent de Paul
This post originally appeared on ssvpusa.org One of the central tenets of Vincentian spirituality is trust in Divine Providence. We are called to trust that God will provide what is needed for things to work out for the best. In theory, this sounds quite simple,...
Contemplation: The Bashful Poor
by Tim Williams | Jul 23, 2024 | Formation, Reflections, Society of St. Vincent de Paul
This post originally appeared on ssvpusa.org Effective Conferences, our manual explains, are “reachable.” [Manual, 26] While most Conferences make every effort to ensure that their phone number, along with perhaps a website and email address, are well-publicized and...
Contemplation: The Way to Peace
by Tim Williams | Jul 16, 2024 | Formation, Reflections, Society of St. Vincent de Paul
This post originally appeared on ssvpusa.org Our little human minds and hearts can sometimes become so bound up in worry and anxiety that we find it difficult to act, difficult even to know what actions to take. We pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and then...
Contemplation: True Presence
by Tim Williams | Jul 9, 2024 | Formation, Reflections, Society of St. Vincent de Paul
This post originally appeared on ssvpusa.org Vincentians are doers, we are people of action. We love God, as St. Vincent said, “with the strength of our arms and the sweat of our brows.” [CCD XI:32] We believe, as Frédéric did, that “religion serves best not to think,...