Rome, 1 January 2010
Beloved Confreres,
Dear Associate Members,
Dear Staff Members and Friends,
Traditionally, we wish to extend our best wishes to all of our confreres, associate members, staff members and those who feel a bond with the Brothers of Charity for a blessed and a wholesome 2010. It is our prayer that the good of the previous year may continue, particularly for the poorest and the humblest.
The year 2010 is a double commemorative year: the great Vincentian family, which includes the Brothers of Charity, commemorates the 350th anniversary of the death of Saint Vincent de Paul and Saint Louise de Marillac, with whom he founded the Daughters of Charity. And simultaneously we celebrate the birth of our founder, Servant of God Peter Joseph Triest, 250 years ago. This is what we want to commemorate along with the two other congregations founded by Triest, namely the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary and the Sisters of the Childhood of Jesus, and several activities will be organised.
Important to us all is that the inspirational spirit of our Founder Triest can continue to have an impact on our lives, every day of the year. In 1807, he incited a few young men to completely change their lives and devote themselves to those forgotten by society. Triest encouraged them to let their lives flow from God’s love and as a result go very far in their love for the neighbour. “Love gives us strength which nature cannot provide,” was one of his striking phrases. And right until the last day of his life, he showed us what this meant exactly: never saying no when people call on our service and help; always going one step further than seems reasonable, for love is stronger than reason; not allowing ourselves to be distracted by what people will think, but letting ourselves be inspired by the Spirit; not letting anyone stray and continuing to see the face of Our Lord Jesus in everyone even if this face seems distorted.
Triest was a man who had a strong character and a distinct spiritual life. When he was allowed to preach in public for the first time, after having lived in hiding for five years, he presented his mission in three words: example, instruction and service. With these three words, he summarized what he wanted to do with his life, as it were.
He wanted to be an example in everything, and motivate and guide others with his exemplary life. He was endowed with intellect, which became the source of an enormous commitment to the neighbour. He knew how to organise things, and he developed this talent in so many levels of the care for the poor in Ghent. He was a valiant man and was not afraid of sticking up for those who were oppressed. Above all, he was a profoundly religious man, with an extremely strong faith in divine Providence and an unconditional surrender to God’s love, which filled him with love for all those he met, and particularly for the poorest.
In his instruction, Triest was clear and aligned everything to a very simply yet essential adage: open yourself to God’s love and become loving to all without distinction. And this instruction was applied in his service. He shares all that he has: his time, the strength of his body, his talents, even his financial means. He even gave up his bed at one time and slept on a chair for several nights. It would be more fitting to repeat his own words because they sound like a mission statement: “I owe you my waking, my concern, my efforts, my rest, not only at certain occasions, but any time, any day and any night, even if the road is long, difficult and muddy. Call me whenever you think it necessary, and do not spare me. Do not fear to disturb me. I am happy if, after the example of Jesus Christ, my Master, I can sacrifice my rest, my health and even my life for you.”
Today, we should ask ourselves how we can follow in Father Triest’s footsteps; how can we make his example, his instruction, and his service resound in our own lives? When reading the Pope Benedict’s final encyclical letter ‘Caritas in veritate’, and place it in the light of his final encyclical ‘Deus caritas est’, and then consider the figure of Triest, a great deal of parallel themes are to be discovered.
With Triest as well, everything finds its origin in God’s love. It is not without reason that he presented the motto ‘Deus caritas est’ to the Brothers of Charity, as an invitation to continue to graft our life onto God’s love, to continue to feed on that inexhaustible source of God’s love. It is an invitation to lead a spiritual life, not allowing our faith to become a formalism, but to illuminate all levels of our life with faith. At that point, our life will be filled with love and be hopeful, in spite of everything.
Triest was socially committed and active, but he was more than just a philanthropist. Above all other things, he was a man of charity, guided by his love for the neighbour and trying to meet and love Jesus himself in every man. We are called to experience this charity today, and we must continue to guard the fact that love remains the force that drives us, guides us, makes us go forward. Even at our hospitals, our institutes and our schools, where professionalism reigns supreme, charity must remains the all-bearing force. No, Triest already saw professionalism as a rendering of love and absolutely not contradictory to charity.
“Do more, know more and have more in order to be more for the authentic, integral development of every person and of all humanity,” the encyclical ‘Caritas in veritate’ states. This was Triest intention, as well: helping people regain their full human dignity, shedding light where things have darkened, allowing them to experience the joy of the resurrection in this lifetime. Today, we are called in so many places to continue all of this and to help effectuate the integral development of every man and the whole man. When mentally ill persons or persons with disabilities are respected by society once again thanks to our efforts, when youngsters discover the great values of life through our education and guidance, when the poor are drawn from the margins of society and discover perspectives in their lives again, we are continuing what Triest realised in his time and we are putting into practice that which the Church asks us in its Social Doctrine.
Triest was a middleman, a mediator, who opened the eyes of many with his example, his instruction and his service, and showed them what is most vital in life: with very concrete love for the neighbour, we can bear witness to God’s love, and God’s love makes us able to love and go very far in our care for our neighbour. This remains Triest’s message to us, even today. May it resound throughout the year as a wish and as a task, and continue to do so afterwards.
To all an inspired 2010, with the conviction that love always makes us go one step further.
Bro. René Stockman
Superior General
