How do you know what God wants of you? Where do you look for God’s signs? How does a Vincentian discern God’s will for him or her?
Vatican II talks about “reading the signs of the times,” and these signs are present among the hopes and anxieties of the people of our times, especially those who are poor and afflicted.
Gaudium et Spes (1965) writes: “The Church has always had the duty of scrutinizing the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel” (GS 4) because “the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts.” (GS 1).
Way ahead of his time, Vincent de Paul modeled for his followers a way of discernment as “reading the signs of the times.” It took him the long route and involved personal risks. But in the end, he knew what God wanted him to do. God writes straight in crooked lines, as the saying goes.
If you have followed his life in this series, it took him around seventeen years—from the time of his ordination to the priesthood to the poor people that he met in Folleville and Chatillon—to arrive at a certainty that God wanted him to fully dedicate his life to the poor.
His discernment journey was not theoretical but grounded. It was not born out of a spiritual retreat but from painful reflection on his own life events, from reading the signs of the times in his journey, amid trial and error, between highs and lows—mostly lows, of failures and successes, but mostly failures.
Let me go back to our previous narratives of Vincent’s life as I narrated them in past articles.
A. Personal Projects and Setbacks (1600–1609)
1600 After ordination, he was appointed as a parish priest of Tilh (in the Diocese of Dax), only to find that another priest was already there upon his arrival. He went all the way to Rome to claim it, to no avail.
1604 He also had an early ambition to become a bishop, but he remained silent about it until the end of his life.
1605–1607 Captivity in Tunis: He had a rich benefactor who was supposed to give him a good amount to start with. He took a boat across the Mediterranean to pursue the benefactor. Along the way, his boat was captured by pirates. There were two or three years that were unaccounted for in Vincent’s life. Historians say that these were his years of captivity in Tunis.
1608 He went to Rome hoping to receive an excellent benefice promised by Msgr. Montorio, but he still did not get it.
1609 He went back to Paris hoping that he would have a better life there. Instead, he was accused of theft by his lawyer compatriot.
B. From Dark Nights to Joy (1610–1613)
1610–1611 Vincent was already the aumônier (almoner) of the former Queen of France. It was during this time that he suffered what he called the “temptation of faith.” This suffering only stopped when Vincent decided to regularly visit the sick poor at the nearby hospital of St. John of God.
1612 He became a parish priest of Clichy for the first time, 12 years after his ordination. From this experience, he wrote about his newfound joy: “I felt so happy then that I used to say to myself, ‘My God, how happy I am to have these people in my care! I do not think even the Pope can be as happy as a parish priest with such good-hearted people.’”
C. Gannes-Folleville: Stampede to the Confessional (1617)
1614 By this year, Vincent was already in possession of four parishes. The practice at the time allowed him to serve as honorary parish priest while assigning lower clergy to manage the parish. By then, he was assured of financial stability for early retirement, but his priorities had shifted.
1617 Instead of remaining a chaplain to a rich household, he dedicated most of his life to instructing the tenant-farmers of the De Gondi estates.
He was once invited to the deathbed of a community leader. After confession, the old man died, but before his death, he confided to Madame de Gondi that without that confession, he might have been damned. He revealed many hidden sins and thanked her for sending Monsieur Vincent.
Madame de Gondi then asked Vincent to preach about the need for general confession across her estates. Together with a group of priests, they conducted missions in Folleville.
On January 25, 1617, Vincent preached a memorable sermon to the peasants. The people were so moved that many rushed to confession—so many that other priests had to be called from nearby towns.
This event became known as the “stampede to the confessional.” Vincent later described it as his “first mission” and the founding event of the Congregation of the Mission.
D. Chatillon-les-Dombes: Stampede to the House of the Poor (1617)
In the same year, Vincent moved to the parish of Chatillon-les-Dombes.
One Sunday, while preparing for Mass, he was informed about a family where all members were sick and had no one to care for them.
During his homily, Vincent shared their situation and urged the community to help. Throughout the day, people came in large numbers to assist the family.
This became known as the “stampede” to the house of the poor.
Looking back, Vincent realized the need to organize charity to make it sustainable. Chatillon marked his first attempt at organized assistance, earning him the title “Patron of Organized Charity.” This event also became the seed of the “Confraternities of Charity.”
What can we learn from the discernment process of St. Vincent?
First, God speaks through the events of our lives. Vincent once said: “God speaks to us through events.” Unlike the spiritual masters of his time who sought God in mystical visions, Vincent found God in everyday life. The rough ground of life became the place where God spoke to him. These events were divine “theophanies” or manifestations of God.
Second, we need to “read” these events and be sensitive to the movements of the Spirit. Openness to God’s will is essential. Vincent had his own plans, but God led him elsewhere.
Third, when these events point to the poor, the message becomes clear and urgent. Until the end of his life, Vincent asked: “Quid nunc Christus?” What does Christ want to do here and now? The answer consistently pointed to the poor and how they are to be served.
If the poor Jesus stood at the center of Vincent’s life, the poor person stood beside Him. Vincent’s discernment led him to the poor, where he encountered Christ. Those on the margins became sacraments of Christ himself. We are their servants. They are our masters.
Father Daniel Franklin Pilario, C.M., is the President of Adamson University in Manila. He is a theologian, professor, and pastor of an urban poor community on the outskirts of the Philippine capital. He is also the Vincentian Chair for Social Justice at St. John’s University in New York.
