1. The Poor Jesus:
The Christology of St. Vincent de Paul
From an article by
Fr. John P. Prager, C.M.

2. A knowledge of Christ
that’s born from the charism
Frequently we speak about the Vincentian charism as if it was
a brilliant idea of St. Vincent. The charism is not an idea.
Rather it is an experience of the Spirit. It is the gift of the Holy
Spirit calling us to follow Jesus in a particular way.
Vincent spent a good part of his life
fl
eeing from the charism.
He did not want to accept the gift and closed his life to the
movement of the Spirit. He made himself deaf and blind. His
experiences with the poor opened his eyes in certain
moments to their reality and to the presence of Jesus. But, in
other moments, these experiences provoked fear, insecurity
and doubts. Go with the poor? Abandon my plans? Is that
what God wants? Is that what I want? How can I live this call?
In the measure that he comes to open his life to the poor and
discovers the charism, he begins to have a new experience of
Jesus. It is no longer Jesus imposing a vocation from outside.
It is the poor Jesus whom he discovers amidst the
marginalized. He comes to see that following Christ amongst
the poor is the road to liberation. God has saved him from a
closed life of sel
fi
shness.
St. Vincent returns to the Gospels in order to understand his
experience of Jesus. His favorite texts are Luke 4 and
Matthew 25. For the next thirty years he is going to highlight
passages which speak about the love of God who saves the
weak and the su
ff
ering.

3. A knowledge of Christ
that’s born from the charism
Frequently we speak about the Vincentian charism as if it was
a brilliant idea of St. Vincent. The charism is not an idea.
Rather it is an experience of the Spirit. It is the gift of the Holy
Spirit calling us to follow Jesus in a particular way.
Vincent spent a good part of his life
fl
eeing from the charism.
He did not want to accept the gift and closed his life to the
movement of the Spirit. He made himself deaf and blind. His
experiences with the poor opened his eyes in certain
moments to their reality and to the presence of Jesus. But, in
other moments, these experiences provoked fear, insecurity
and doubts. Go with the poor? Abandon my plans? Is that
what God wants? Is that what I want? How can I live this call?
In the measure that he comes to open his life to the poor and
discovers the charism, he begins to have a new experience of
Jesus. It is no longer Jesus imposing a vocation from outside.
It is the poor Jesus whom he discovers amidst the
marginalized. He comes to see that following Christ amongst
the poor is the road to liberation. God has saved him from a
closed life of sel
fi
shness.
St. Vincent returns to the Gospels in order to understand his
experience of Jesus. His favorite texts are Luke 4 and
Matthew 25. For the next thirty years he is going to highlight
passages which speak about the love of God who saves the
weak and the su
ff
ering.

4. A knowledge of Christ
that’s born from the charism
Frequently we speak about the Vincentian charism as if it was
a brilliant idea of St. Vincent. The charism is not an idea.
Rather it is an experience of the Spirit. It is the gift of the Holy
Spirit calling us to follow Jesus in a particular way.
Vincent spent a good part of his life
fl
eeing from the charism.
He did not want to accept the gift and closed his life to the
movement of the Spirit. He made himself deaf and blind. His
experiences with the poor opened his eyes in certain
moments to their reality and to the presence of Jesus. But, in
other moments, these experiences provoked fear, insecurity
and doubts. Go with the poor? Abandon my plans? Is that
what God wants? Is that what I want? How can I live this call?
In the measure that he comes to open his life to the poor and
discovers the charism, he begins to have a new experience of
Jesus. It is no longer Jesus imposing a vocation from outside.
It is the poor Jesus whom he discovers amidst the
marginalized. He comes to see that following Christ amongst
the poor is the road to liberation. God has saved him from a
closed life of sel
fi
shness.
St. Vincent returns to the Gospels in order to understand his
experience of Jesus. His favorite texts are Luke 4 and
Matthew 25. For the next thirty years he is going to highlight
passages which speak about the love of God who saves the
weak and the su
ff
ering.

5. A knowledge of Christ
that’s born from the charism
Frequently we speak about the Vincentian charism as if it was
a brilliant idea of St. Vincent. The charism is not an idea.
Rather it is an experience of the Spirit. It is the gift of the Holy
Spirit calling us to follow Jesus in a particular way.
Vincent spent a good part of his life
fl
eeing from the charism.
He did not want to accept the gift and closed his life to the
movement of the Spirit. He made himself deaf and blind. His
experiences with the poor opened his eyes in certain
moments to their reality and to the presence of Jesus. But, in
other moments, these experiences provoked fear, insecurity
and doubts. Go with the poor? Abandon my plans? Is that
what God wants? Is that what I want? How can I live this call?
In the measure that he comes to open his life to the poor and
discovers the charism, he begins to have a new experience of
Jesus. It is no longer Jesus imposing a vocation from outside.
It is the poor Jesus whom he discovers amidst the
marginalized. He comes to see that following Christ amongst
the poor is the road to liberation. God has saved him from a
closed life of sel
fi
shness.
St. Vincent returns to the Gospels in order to understand his
experience of Jesus. His favorite texts are Luke 4 and
Matthew 25. For the next thirty years he is going to highlight
passages which speak about the love of God who saves the
weak and the su
ff
ering.

6. Jesus is found amidst the poor
When Christ invites us to follow him, he does it from the poor. And from that
place among the poor we have to answer: Who is Jesus? Who are the poor?
How do we relate with them? Let me o
ff
er three clari
fi
cations:
The poor have value in themselves. We do not go to the poor because Jesus
is present there. We go to the poor because they are our su
ff
ering brothers and
sisters. They are the priority in the Kingdom of God. I tend to the poor because
of their personal dignity. They are the subjects of their own lives, not the
recipients of pity and handouts.
Christ calls us to serve the poor, not just the good poor. We sometimes
speak about being evangelized by the poor. I think we misunderstand the
phrase. We are talking about the good poor, those that go to church, live a moral
life, share from their meager means. We cannot limit our service by asking if
people are worthy or not. Even evildoers evangelize us. They call us to love the
unlovable. They put us in contact with our own sinfulness and weakness and
call us to compassion.
The presence of Christ is sacramental. St. Vincent speaks about encountering
Christ in the poor. Rarely does he talk about seeing Christ in the poor. This is
because the presence of Christ is sacramental, not physical. Speaking about
seeing Christ in the poor causes confusion because it is a poetic form of
speaking, but it does not correspond to experience. If you literally see Christ in
the poor you are either a great mystic (and there are not many of those) or you
need professional help. Speaking about Christ in the poor creates false
expectations and fantasy. It also has become a way to avoid the poor who
o
ff
end our sensibilities. By supposedly seeing Christ we escape the need to see
the poor. The experience of Christ in the poor is sacramental. It is an experience
of faith which tells me that in the encounter with the poor something more is
happening. This is not a self-evident truth. It is a faith re
fl
ection about the
encounter with the poor. Frequently we only become aware of the presence of
Christ after the encounter with the poor. The question of both the just and the
unjust in Matthew 25 should give us pause: Lord, when did we see you with
hunger, with thirst, without clothes or in jail, etc.? It’s not a question of seeing
Christ, but rather
fi
nding his presence.
photo: www.LumoProject.com

7. Jesus is found amidst the poor
When Christ invites us to follow him, he does it from the poor. And from that
place among the poor we have to answer: Who is Jesus? Who are the poor?
How do we relate with them? Let me o
ff
er three clari
fi
cations:
The poor have value in themselves. We do not go to the poor because Jesus
is present there. We go to the poor because they are our su
ff
ering brothers and
sisters. They are the priority in the Kingdom of God. I tend to the poor because
of their personal dignity. They are the subjects of their own lives, not the
recipients of pity and handouts.
Christ calls us to serve the poor, not just the good poor. We sometimes
speak about being evangelized by the poor. I think we misunderstand the
phrase. We are talking about the good poor, those that go to church, live a moral
life, share from their meager means. We cannot limit our service by asking if
people are worthy or not. Even evildoers evangelize us. They call us to love the
unlovable. They put us in contact with our own sinfulness and weakness and
call us to compassion.
The presence of Christ is sacramental. St. Vincent speaks about encountering
Christ in the poor. Rarely does he talk about seeing Christ in the poor. This is
because the presence of Christ is sacramental, not physical. Speaking about
seeing Christ in the poor causes confusion because it is a poetic form of
speaking, but it does not correspond to experience. If you literally see Christ in
the poor you are either a great mystic (and there are not many of those) or you
need professional help. Speaking about Christ in the poor creates false
expectations and fantasy. It also has become a way to avoid the poor who
o
ff
end our sensibilities. By supposedly seeing Christ we escape the need to see
the poor. The experience of Christ in the poor is sacramental. It is an experience
of faith which tells me that in the encounter with the poor something more is
happening. This is not a self-evident truth. It is a faith re
fl
ection about the
encounter with the poor. Frequently we only become aware of the presence of
Christ after the encounter with the poor. The question of both the just and the
unjust in Matthew 25 should give us pause: Lord, when did we see you with
hunger, with thirst, without clothes or in jail, etc.? It’s not a question of seeing
Christ, but rather
fi
nding his presence.
photo: www.LumoProject.com

8. Jesus is found amidst the poor
When Christ invites us to follow him, he does it from the poor. And from that
place among the poor we have to answer: Who is Jesus? Who are the poor?
How do we relate with them? Let me o
ff
er three clari
fi
cations:
The poor have value in themselves. We do not go to the poor because Jesus
is present there. We go to the poor because they are our su
ff
ering brothers and
sisters. They are the priority in the Kingdom of God. I tend to the poor because
of their personal dignity. They are the subjects of their own lives, not the
recipients of pity and handouts.
Christ calls us to serve the poor, not just the good poor. We sometimes
speak about being evangelized by the poor. I think we misunderstand the
phrase. We are talking about the good poor, those that go to church, live a moral
life, share from their meager means. We cannot limit our service by asking if
people are worthy or not. Even evildoers evangelize us. They call us to love the
unlovable. They put us in contact with our own sinfulness and weakness and
call us to compassion.
The presence of Christ is sacramental. St. Vincent speaks about encountering
Christ in the poor. Rarely does he talk about seeing Christ in the poor. This is
because the presence of Christ is sacramental, not physical. Speaking about
seeing Christ in the poor causes confusion because it is a poetic form of
speaking, but it does not correspond to experience. If you literally see Christ in
the poor you are either a great mystic (and there are not many of those) or you
need professional help. Speaking about Christ in the poor creates false
expectations and fantasy. It also has become a way to avoid the poor who
o
ff
end our sensibilities. By supposedly seeing Christ we escape the need to see
the poor. The experience of Christ in the poor is sacramental. It is an experience
of faith which tells me that in the encounter with the poor something more is
happening. This is not a self-evident truth. It is a faith re
fl
ection about the
encounter with the poor. Frequently we only become aware of the presence of
Christ after the encounter with the poor. The question of both the just and the
unjust in Matthew 25 should give us pause: Lord, when did we see you with
hunger, with thirst, without clothes or in jail, etc.? It’s not a question of seeing
Christ, but rather
fi
nding his presence.
photo: www.LumoProject.com

9. Jesus is found amidst the poor
When Christ invites us to follow him, he does it from the poor. And from that
place among the poor we have to answer: Who is Jesus? Who are the poor?
How do we relate with them? Let me o
ff
er three clari
fi
cations:
The poor have value in themselves. We do not go to the poor because Jesus
is present there. We go to the poor because they are our su
ff
ering brothers and
sisters. They are the priority in the Kingdom of God. I tend to the poor because
of their personal dignity. They are the subjects of their own lives, not the
recipients of pity and handouts.
Christ calls us to serve the poor, not just the good poor. We sometimes
speak about being evangelized by the poor. I think we misunderstand the
phrase. We are talking about the good poor, those that go to church, live a moral
life, share from their meager means. We cannot limit our service by asking if
people are worthy or not. Even evildoers evangelize us. They call us to love the
unlovable. They put us in contact with our own sinfulness and weakness and
call us to compassion.
The presence of Christ is sacramental. St. Vincent speaks about encountering
Christ in the poor. Rarely does he talk about seeing Christ in the poor. This is
because the presence of Christ is sacramental, not physical. Speaking about
seeing Christ in the poor causes confusion because it is a poetic form of
speaking, but it does not correspond to experience. If you literally see Christ in
the poor you are either a great mystic (and there are not many of those) or you
need professional help. Speaking about Christ in the poor creates false
expectations and fantasy. It also has become a way to avoid the poor who
o
ff
end our sensibilities. By supposedly seeing Christ we escape the need to see
the poor. The experience of Christ in the poor is sacramental. It is an experience
of faith which tells me that in the encounter with the poor something more is
happening. This is not a self-evident truth. It is a faith re
fl
ection about the
encounter with the poor. Frequently we only become aware of the presence of
Christ after the encounter with the poor. The question of both the just and the
unjust in Matthew 25 should give us pause: Lord, when did we see you with
hunger, with thirst, without clothes or in jail, etc.? It’s not a question of seeing
Christ, but rather
fi
nding his presence.
photo: www.LumoProject.com

10. Jesus, the human face of God
Vincent de Paul said that Jesus is nothing more than reverence
and adoration towards the Father. With that he wanted to
express the unique and special relationship between Jesus and
the Father. The evangelists o
ff
er the same idea when Jesus calls
God Abba. Through this relationship Jesus reveals who God is.
Vincent understands that God is not far away. He is not up in
heaven making harsh judgments, ready to punish every o
ff
ense
and sin. He is a fountain of mercy, says the saint. He is pure
charity. His spirit is the spirit of compassion. He sends his Son
to save us.
Another way of expressing this concept in Vincentian
terminology is Providence. St. Vincent speaks often of a
provident God. Providence is not Christian good luck. It does
not mean that everything will turn out as we wish if we have
faith. It does not mean that everything always has a good result.
Providence is God’s salvi
fi
c will. It is his desire for the well-being
of all of his children. Everything is in the hands of God our
Father, Even when things turn out badly, God accompanies us.
When things do not turn out well, God is still present. In
everything God is mercy.
In the life and ministry of Jesus, God bends down toward
humanity. He reveals himself as a loving and merciful Father. He
invites us to participate in his life, the community of love which
is the Trinity. By his actions to heal the sick, feed the multitudes,
forgive sins, give life to the dead… Jesus communicates what
the love of God means. He shows us who God is.

11. Jesus, the human face of God
Vincent de Paul said that Jesus is nothing more than reverence
and adoration towards the Father. With that he wanted to
express the unique and special relationship between Jesus and
the Father. The evangelists o
ff
er the same idea when Jesus calls
God Abba. Through this relationship Jesus reveals who God is.
Vincent understands that God is not far away. He is not up in
heaven making harsh judgments, ready to punish every o
ff
ense
and sin. He is a fountain of mercy, says the saint. He is pure
charity. His spirit is the spirit of compassion. He sends his Son
to save us.
Another way of expressing this concept in Vincentian
terminology is Providence. St. Vincent speaks often of a
provident God. Providence is not Christian good luck. It does
not mean that everything will turn out as we wish if we have
faith. It does not mean that everything always has a good result.
Providence is God’s salvi
fi
c will. It is his desire for the well-being
of all of his children. Everything is in the hands of God our
Father, Even when things turn out badly, God accompanies us.
When things do not turn out well, God is still present. In
everything God is mercy.
In the life and ministry of Jesus, God bends down toward
humanity. He reveals himself as a loving and merciful Father. He
invites us to participate in his life, the community of love which
is the Trinity. By his actions to heal the sick, feed the multitudes,
forgive sins, give life to the dead… Jesus communicates what
the love of God means. He shows us who God is.

12. Jesus, the human face of God
Vincent de Paul said that Jesus is nothing more than reverence
and adoration towards the Father. With that he wanted to
express the unique and special relationship between Jesus and
the Father. The evangelists o
ff
er the same idea when Jesus calls
God Abba. Through this relationship Jesus reveals who God is.
Vincent understands that God is not far away. He is not up in
heaven making harsh judgments, ready to punish every o
ff
ense
and sin. He is a fountain of mercy, says the saint. He is pure
charity. His spirit is the spirit of compassion. He sends his Son
to save us.
Another way of expressing this concept in Vincentian
terminology is Providence. St. Vincent speaks often of a
provident God. Providence is not Christian good luck. It does
not mean that everything will turn out as we wish if we have
faith. It does not mean that everything always has a good result.
Providence is God’s salvi
fi
c will. It is his desire for the well-being
of all of his children. Everything is in the hands of God our
Father, Even when things turn out badly, God accompanies us.
When things do not turn out well, God is still present. In
everything God is mercy.
In the life and ministry of Jesus, God bends down toward
humanity. He reveals himself as a loving and merciful Father. He
invites us to participate in his life, the community of love which
is the Trinity. By his actions to heal the sick, feed the multitudes,
forgive sins, give life to the dead… Jesus communicates what
the love of God means. He shows us who God is.

13. Jesus, the human face of God
Vincent de Paul said that Jesus is nothing more than reverence
and adoration towards the Father. With that he wanted to
express the unique and special relationship between Jesus and
the Father. The evangelists o
ff
er the same idea when Jesus calls
God Abba. Through this relationship Jesus reveals who God is.
Vincent understands that God is not far away. He is not up in
heaven making harsh judgments, ready to punish every o
ff
ense
and sin. He is a fountain of mercy, says the saint. He is pure
charity. His spirit is the spirit of compassion. He sends his Son
to save us.
Another way of expressing this concept in Vincentian
terminology is Providence. St. Vincent speaks often of a
provident God. Providence is not Christian good luck. It does
not mean that everything will turn out as we wish if we have
faith. It does not mean that everything always has a good result.
Providence is God’s salvi
fi
c will. It is his desire for the well-being
of all of his children. Everything is in the hands of God our
Father, Even when things turn out badly, God accompanies us.
When things do not turn out well, God is still present. In
everything God is mercy.
In the life and ministry of Jesus, God bends down toward
humanity. He reveals himself as a loving and merciful Father. He
invites us to participate in his life, the community of love which
is the Trinity. By his actions to heal the sick, feed the multitudes,
forgive sins, give life to the dead… Jesus communicates what
the love of God means. He shows us who God is.

14. Jesus, the suffering face of the poor
St. Vincent once said a revealing phrase: Are the poor not the
su
ff
ering members of Our Lord? Are they not our brothers? The
saint believed that Jesus identi
fi
es himself with the poor. For St.
Vincent, in Christ, God did not only become man, he became a
poor man. He took on the reality of the poor. He became
identi
fi
ed with them. He understood their su
ff
erings because he
experienced their su
ff
erings. His compassion was born out of
his solidarity with the poor. For St. Vincent, Christ is the poor
Christ.
Christ’s compassion is not pity. He does not remain outside the
world of the poor, giving them things from afar. He is not a
tourist who quickly passes through the margins of society. He
joins with the poor and becomes one with them, sharing their
lives and assuming their su
ff
erings. A man like us in all things
except sin, says St. Paul.
We
fi
nd this theme of solidarity with the poor when St. Vincent
speaks about the cross. His re
fl
ections are short, but profound.
He recognizes the centrality of the cross in the mystery of
Christ. Through the cross we come to salvation. Not through
su
ff
ering in itself. Rather, in the cross God manifests his love. He
is faithful even to the
fi
nal consequences. In the cross we learn
how God is because his Son su
ff
ers like the poor. In the
Resurrection [we learn] of God’s power creating the force to
overcome the power of death. It is God leading us by the power
of love towards new life.

15. Jesus, the suffering face of the poor
St. Vincent once said a revealing phrase: Are the poor not the
su
ff
ering members of Our Lord? Are they not our brothers? The
saint believed that Jesus identi
fi
es himself with the poor. For St.
Vincent, in Christ, God did not only become man, he became a
poor man. He took on the reality of the poor. He became
identi
fi
ed with them. He understood their su
ff
erings because he
experienced their su
ff
erings. His compassion was born out of
his solidarity with the poor. For St. Vincent, Christ is the poor
Christ.
Christ’s compassion is not pity. He does not remain outside the
world of the poor, giving them things from afar. He is not a
tourist who quickly passes through the margins of society. He
joins with the poor and becomes one with them, sharing their
lives and assuming their su
ff
erings. A man like us in all things
except sin, says St. Paul.
We
fi
nd this theme of solidarity with the poor when St. Vincent
speaks about the cross. His re
fl
ections are short, but profound.
He recognizes the centrality of the cross in the mystery of
Christ. Through the cross we come to salvation. Not through
su
ff
ering in itself. Rather, in the cross God manifests his love. He
is faithful even to the
fi
nal consequences. In the cross we learn
how God is because his Son su
ff
ers like the poor. In the
Resurrection [we learn] of God’s power creating the force to
overcome the power of death. It is God leading us by the power
of love towards new life.

16. Jesus, the suffering face of the poor
St. Vincent once said a revealing phrase: Are the poor not the
su
ff
ering members of Our Lord? Are they not our brothers? The
saint believed that Jesus identi
fi
es himself with the poor. For St.
Vincent, in Christ, God did not only become man, he became a
poor man. He took on the reality of the poor. He became
identi
fi
ed with them. He understood their su
ff
erings because he
experienced their su
ff
erings. His compassion was born out of
his solidarity with the poor. For St. Vincent, Christ is the poor
Christ.
Christ’s compassion is not pity. He does not remain outside the
world of the poor, giving them things from afar. He is not a
tourist who quickly passes through the margins of society. He
joins with the poor and becomes one with them, sharing their
lives and assuming their su
ff
erings. A man like us in all things
except sin, says St. Paul.
We
fi
nd this theme of solidarity with the poor when St. Vincent
speaks about the cross. His re
fl
ections are short, but profound.
He recognizes the centrality of the cross in the mystery of
Christ. Through the cross we come to salvation. Not through
su
ff
ering in itself. Rather, in the cross God manifests his love. He
is faithful even to the
fi
nal consequences. In the cross we learn
how God is because his Son su
ff
ers like the poor. In the
Resurrection [we learn] of God’s power creating the force to
overcome the power of death. It is God leading us by the power
of love towards new life.

17. Jesus, the Evangelizer of the poor
There were Christological ideas that Vincent did not take from
theology books, but rather from his own missionary experience. For
the saint, Jesus was the evangelizer of the poor. He told the
missionaries of his Congregation: If we asked Our Lord, What have
you come to do on earth? -Take care of the poor. Anything else?
-Take care of the poor.
Vincent understood that Jesus was the missionary of the Father
who has come to announce the Good News of the Kingdom of
God. To announce that the Kingdom of God is at hand and that this
Kingdom is for the poor. The salvation which Christ announced is
not only redemption from sin. It is liberation from sin and all that
oppresses humanity. So the ministry of the Lord is understood as
the proclamation of the Kingdom by word and deed. Evangelization
is not only teaching doctrines and preaching sermons. It a
response to the bad news that the poor su
ff
er every day. Jesus
seeks the way to overcome evil in the experience of the people.
When he meets the sick, he heals them; when he encounters the
hungry, he gives them food; with sinners, he pardons them.
Something fundamental in Jesus’ evangelization is the encounter
with the other. He approaches as a brother in order to understand
the person’s pain. His response is always a charitable action. This
love is not expressed by giving things. His love is manifested by his
closeness. He can touch the sick, the sinners and the weak
because he is capable of entering their lives with all that that
implies: listening, compassion, going out of himself to meet the
other. That is why his presence is always good news. It is always
the realization of the Kingdom coming to be.
photo: www.LumoProject.com

18. Jesus, the Evangelizer of the poor
There were Christological ideas that Vincent did not take from
theology books, but rather from his own missionary experience. For
the saint, Jesus was the evangelizer of the poor. He told the
missionaries of his Congregation: If we asked Our Lord, What have
you come to do on earth? -Take care of the poor. Anything else?
-Take care of the poor.
Vincent understood that Jesus was the missionary of the Father
who has come to announce the Good News of the Kingdom of
God. To announce that the Kingdom of God is at hand and that this
Kingdom is for the poor. The salvation which Christ announced is
not only redemption from sin. It is liberation from sin and all that
oppresses humanity. So the ministry of the Lord is understood as
the proclamation of the Kingdom by word and deed. Evangelization
is not only teaching doctrines and preaching sermons. It a
response to the bad news that the poor su
ff
er every day. Jesus
seeks the way to overcome evil in the experience of the people.
When he meets the sick, he heals them; when he encounters the
hungry, he gives them food; with sinners, he pardons them.
Something fundamental in Jesus’ evangelization is the encounter
with the other. He approaches as a brother in order to understand
the person’s pain. His response is always a charitable action. This
love is not expressed by giving things. His love is manifested by his
closeness. He can touch the sick, the sinners and the weak
because he is capable of entering their lives with all that that
implies: listening, compassion, going out of himself to meet the
other. That is why his presence is always good news. It is always
the realization of the Kingdom coming to be.
photo: www.LumoProject.com

19. Jesus, the Evangelizer of the poor
There were Christological ideas that Vincent did not take from
theology books, but rather from his own missionary experience. For
the saint, Jesus was the evangelizer of the poor. He told the
missionaries of his Congregation: If we asked Our Lord, What have
you come to do on earth? -Take care of the poor. Anything else?
-Take care of the poor.
Vincent understood that Jesus was the missionary of the Father
who has come to announce the Good News of the Kingdom of
God. To announce that the Kingdom of God is at hand and that this
Kingdom is for the poor. The salvation which Christ announced is
not only redemption from sin. It is liberation from sin and all that
oppresses humanity. So the ministry of the Lord is understood as
the proclamation of the Kingdom by word and deed. Evangelization
is not only teaching doctrines and preaching sermons. It a
response to the bad news that the poor su
ff
er every day. Jesus
seeks the way to overcome evil in the experience of the people.
When he meets the sick, he heals them; when he encounters the
hungry, he gives them food; with sinners, he pardons them.
Something fundamental in Jesus’ evangelization is the encounter
with the other. He approaches as a brother in order to understand
the person’s pain. His response is always a charitable action. This
love is not expressed by giving things. His love is manifested by his
closeness. He can touch the sick, the sinners and the weak
because he is capable of entering their lives with all that that
implies: listening, compassion, going out of himself to meet the
other. That is why his presence is always good news. It is always
the realization of the Kingdom coming to be.
photo: www.LumoProject.com

20. A practical Christology
It is interesting that St. Vincent begins the chapters
of the Common Rules of the Congregation of the
Mission with examples from the life of Jesus. Jesus
did this, we will do the same, he explains time and
time again. He points out the characteristics of the
missionary Christ: simplicity, humility, meekness,
morti
fi
cation, apostolic zeal. These are the virtues
of Jesus, the evangelizer of the poor.
He does something similar with the other
Vincentian foundations: the Daughters of Charity
and the Confraternities of Charity. He always brings
his Christological re
fl
ection to practice.
Vincent was not a theology professor. His
re
fl
ections came from the service of the poor and
they led him back to the poor. I believe he o
ff
ered a
way of looking at Jesus to help others in the
service of the poor. I think he does the same for us.

21. From The Poor Jesus: The Christology of St. Vincent de Paul
by John P. Prager, CM
Available online at:
https://famvin.org/en/2019/08/01/the-poor-jesus-the-christology-of-st-vincent-de-paul/
Images:
Depaul Image Archive, www.LumoProject.com
Source