The Value of Mercy according to Vincent de Paul

On the Sunday after Easter the Church reflects on the mercy of God. This concept of God’s mercy was a major part of St Vincent de Paul’s life and of his ministry.

St Vincent de Paul in his writings said , “ask God to give us the true spirit of mercy, which is the characteristic spirit of God; for, as the Church states, it is the distinctive feature of God to be merciful and to impart His Spirit. So let us ask God, my dear confreres, to give us this spirit of compassion and mercy, to fill us with it, and to preserve it in us so that whoever sees a Missioner can say, “There is a man full of mercy.” Let us reflect a little on how much we need mercy, since we have to practice it toward others and bring it all sorts of places, and to suffer everything for its sake” .

Vincent spoke those words during the conference of August 6, 1656 which dealt with the theme of the spirit of compassion and mercy. During that conference Vincent reminded the Missionaries from Poland about the necessity for this virtue and also spoke about the way to practice that virtue.

The words mercy, compassion and charity have much in common and are often used as synonyms for one another. We could differentiate these words but in the end we would find ourselves with very imprecise lines of distinction.

The concept of mercy: in its most profound and authentic sense, mercy means that one’s heart takes the side of misery. We are not dealing with a mere feeling of compassion which could very easily be some form of sentimentality. We are also not referring to the so called “works of mercy” because these do not get to the root causes of suffering and poverty.

Vincent did not invent mercy or compassion or charity … rather he incarnated in himself the mercy, the compassion and the charity of Christ and practiced these in his everyday life. Christ tells us: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. God asks for mercy. Mercy is something interior and flows from the heart. God does not want material sacrifices but rather desires a love that is willing to struggle on behalf of justice.

If we look at the story of the prodigal son, we see in the father the very essence of mercy in the father’s attitude. Pope John Paul II tells us , the figure of the father reveals to us God as Father. The conduct of the father in the parable and his whole behavior, which manifests his internal attitude, enables us to rediscover the gift of mercy. “The father caught sight of him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.”

In Vincent’s charitable activity we see that more than anything else mercy shines forth. This mercy is visible in his dealings with others. Where there is great suffering and pain and need Vincent’s mercy becomes more obvious.

Mercy, according to God’s desires, has no limits and in fact, if it is like God’s mercy, it embraces everyone. We must note that Christ, in revealing the love – mercy of God, at the same time demanded from people that they also should be guided in their lives by love and mercy. Mercy is always divine and is always extended to human beings.

Mercy acquires its greatest expression in the Incarnation of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who is not a spirit, but a man of flesh and blood who ate and drank. Christ proclaims by His actions even more than by His words that call to mercy which is one of the essential elements of the Gospel.

As Vincentians, we must seek to develop the virtue of mercy. We learn of it by the mercy we receive from God. Then we may develop that attribute within ourselves. Finally we may extend that mercy to others.

Deacon John Girolami
Spiritual Advisor
SSVP Ontario Regional Council