Vincentian Spirituality

    PENTECOST SUNDAY:       

Gospel: (John 20: 19-23)

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the

disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, 

“Peace be with you.” When he had said this to them, he showed them his hands and his 

side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be 

with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  And when he had said this, he 

breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are 

forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Reflection:

Pentecost brings Jesus’ ministry to a focus: we are sent to continue Jesus’ ministry, 

armed with the Holy Spirit and specific instructions as to what we are to do: forgive. 

By his ascending into heaven and sending the Holy Spirit Christ makes his mission our 

mission. It is a great miracle that God chooses to make us real participants in God’s plan 

of salvation and sharers in God’s divine life. To forgive doesn’t mean to forget; it means 

to restore love. This is the ministry for which the Spirit empowers us, and this is how we 

can live in peace. (Living Liturgy, p.150)

Vincentian Meditation:

In his last days, Frederic… “would lie silent for hours with the Bible open by his side.

One evening he lay thus, watching the sun sinking into the blue Mediterranean; his wife 

had drawn her chair a little behind him,…something in the extreme serenity of his 

countenance prompted her to ask which of all the gifts of God he considered the greatest. 

He replied without hesitating,… ‘Peace of heart; without this we may possess 

everything and yet not be happy; with it we can bear the hardest trials and the approach 

of death.’” (Ramson, Praying with Frederic, p.113)

Opening Prayer for Society Meetings:

L:  In the Name of the Father, etc.

All:  Amen.

L:  Come, Holy Spirit, live within our lives.

All:  And strengthen us by Your Love.

L:  Send forth your spirit and new life will be created.

All:  And the whole face of the earth will be renewed.

L:  Our Father, etc.

All:  Give us this day our daily bread, etc.

L:  Let us reflect on the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ, recalling His unity and presence among us: “Where two or three are gathered together in my Name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Silence)

All:  Lord Jesus, deepen our Vincentian spirit of friendship during this meeting and make us responsive to the Christian calling to seek and find the forgotten, the suffering, or the deprived so that we may bring them your love. Help us to be generous with our time, our possessions, and ourselves in this mission of charity. Perfect in us your love and teach us to share more fully in the Eucharistic Sacrifice offered for all.

L:  Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, All:  Have mercy on us.

L:  Immaculate Heart of Mary, All:  Pray for us.

L:  St. Vincent de Paul,  All:  Pray for us.

L:  St. Louise de Marillac, All:  Pray for us.

L:  Blessed Frederic Ozanam, All:  Pray for us.

L:  Blessed Rosalie Rendu, All:  Pray for us.

L:  In the Name of the Father, etc.

All:  Amen.

Closing Prayer for Society Meetings: 

All:  Father, grant that we who are nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ in the Holy Eucharist may realize the depth of our needs, respond more spontaneously to the suffering of others, and come to love You more deeply by service to our neighbor.

Grant us also the wisdom and strength to persevere when disappointed or distressed. May we never claim that the fruitfulness of our apostolate springs from ourselves alone. United in prayer and action, may we become a visible sign of Christ and may we give witness to His boundless love, which reaches out to all and draws them to love one another in Him.

We thank You, Lord, for the many blessings which we receive from those whom we visit. Help us to love and respect them, to understand their deeper needs, and to share their burdens and joys as true friends in Christ.

L: That the Cause for the Canonization of Frederic Ozanam, who excelled in the virtue of Christian love, be advanced.

All: Lord, hear us.

L: That our departed friends and relatives, our Vincentian Brothers and Sisters, and those whom we have served, be welcomed into your Kingdom and joined in love.

All:  Lord, hear us.

L: In the Name of the Father, etc.

All:  Amen.