In the Spirit of St. Vincent de Paul, Confessor
Sabbato infra Hebdomadam V post Octavam Pentecostes — III Classis
“We are made as the refuse of this world, the offscouring of all, even until now.” (1 Cor. 4:13)
“Behold, I send you as lambs among wolves.” (Luke 10:3)
On this Saturday within the Fifth Week after the Octave of Pentecost, Holy Church sets before us a double lesson in apostolic humility and mission. The Epistle and Gospel together form a striking portrait of the true apostolic man: despised by the world, yet burning with charity for the salvation of souls. The Church commemorates today the great St. Vincent de Paul, whose life incarnates the union of these two principles—humble abasement in self and tireless zeal for the poor and the ignorant.
The Apostle as Spectacle and Sacrifice
In his First Epistle to the Corinthians, St. Paul presents a vivid image:
“God hath made us apostles the last, as it were men appointed to death.” (1 Cor. 4:9)
St. John Chrysostom, in his commentary on this passage, interprets the image of being made “a spectacle unto the world” as the apostle’s willingness to suffer public shame for the name of Christ, likening it to a gladiator paraded before the jeering crowd. “The theater,” he says, “is a place of mockery and death; so are we made for the sport of men, angels, and devils.” Yet it is precisely in this apparent defeat that the apostle bears witness to Christ Crucified.
St. Paul’s catalog of sufferings—hunger, thirst, nakedness, buffeting—reflects not only his personal trials but the prophetic vocation of all who are sent in the name of Christ. As Origen comments:
“The true apostle must suffer all things, for he is a mirror of the Crucified. He does not seek honor, but to imitate the wounds of his Master.”
This is no self-pitying lament. Rather, it is an exhortation: “Be ye followers of me, as I am of Christ.” (cf. 1 Cor. 11:1) The apostles’ abasement is the Church’s glory, for it reveals the paradox of divine strength made perfect in weakness.
Lambs Among Wolves: The Apostolic Mission
In the Gospel, Our Lord sends forth the seventy-two disciples: “two and two,” echoing the evangelical pattern of fraternity and support. They are told to carry no purse, no scrip, no shoes—an instruction laden with mystical meaning. St. Gregory the Great teaches that “those who preach Christ must be stripped of temporal things, lest they preach themselves.” The absence of earthly goods forces them to trust in the divine Providence that never fails those who labor for the Kingdom.
Most striking is Our Lord’s warning: “Behold, I send you as lambs among wolves.” A cruel image? No, a most tender and wise one. The lamb signifies innocence, gentleness, and the readiness to be offered in sacrifice. The apostle must not become like the wolf to confront the wolf; rather, he must remain a lamb, for only the lamb bears the image of the true Lamb of God.
St. Cyril of Alexandria reflects:
“Christ sends His disciples not as armed warriors, but as meek heralds of peace. Their defense is in their innocence, their armor in the Cross, their power in charity.”
It is this radical contrast—the weakness of the missionary and the hardness of the world—that becomes the very means of victory. For as St. Ambrose says, “The Lord conquered by suffering; and they who follow Him conquer not by resisting, but by enduring.”
The Spirit of St. Vincent de Paul
Today’s saint, St. Vincent de Paul, embodies this apostolic paradox. Known for his immense love for the poor and the ignorant, his whole life was spent in the imitation of Christ’s charity and humility. Though respected in his later years, he lived for decades under the harsh weight of misunderstanding, opposition, and self-abasement.
He did not build great institutions for their own sake, but rather as channels of divine mercy. Like the seventy-two, he went forth—sending priests into the countryside, forming them to be poor among the poor, lambs among wolves, bearing neither purse nor pride. He taught that “the poor are our masters,” echoing the Gospel’s spirit: to receive the blessing of peace, one must first say, “Peace be to this house.”
As Pope Leo XIII declared in Rerum Novarum, “Vincent de Paul was the father of the poor.” But in the light of today’s liturgy, we may say more precisely: he was a true apostle, formed in the school of humiliation and charity, who bore in his body the marks of Christ (cf. Gal. 6:17).
Final Exhortation
Let us then not flee from abasement, nor be discouraged by the world’s contempt. Whether called to preach or to serve, to labor in hidden silence or in public sacrifice, each of us must take up this apostolic spirit. In the words of St. Paul, let us be “fools for Christ’s sake,” that we may become wise in the Spirit.
And may St. Vincent de Paul, faithful servant of the Gospel, intercede for us, that we may walk humbly, serve generously, and endure patiently for the love of Jesus Christ, our crucified and risen Lord.
“Caritas Christi urget nos.” (2 Cor. 5:14)