December 2023 # II
Saint Vincent Pallotti and Nazareth - The Deliberate Choice of a Simple Life
A comparative analysis of the life of Saint Vincent PALLOTTI and the village of Nazareth leads us to adopt as our theme: "A life in all its simplicity". We adopt this theme in view of the many points of similarity between the life this Saint led and life in Nazareth.
Nazareth could derive from the root "nasar", which in Hebrew means "one who observes", "one who guards", "to care for - to protect - to guard". We could call it "the guardian". It was a simple little place, poor and unadorned. People's lives were just as simple, with daily activities typical of the lower classes: grain-grinding machines, oil presses, farming tools, water tanks. Through this very ordinary life, Nazareth has much to teach humanity, but unfortunately this simplicity and wisdom are not appreciated. In the end, Nazareth's fate was to have no fame or reputation.
So the symbolism of "Nazareth" starts from its very etymology, and this is confirmed by the birth of Jesus. We have the lexical field "to take care of, to guard, to protect, to observe", which already gives an idea of the role and character of the people who live there, of their responsible spirit. The family plays a key role in the upbringing of children, but let's understand the family in the broadest sense, in the sense of the family clan. It's not just the nuclear family, but all people consider themselves to be united by blood ties. It is truly the union of hearts, and it is precisely this place that the Lord chose as the home of his son, Jesus of Nazareth, a place of love and peace.
If we now look at Joseph and Mary, we see that they are among those who espouse this way of living and thinking. They were a religious and prayerful couple, committed to the observance of the Law of Moses. They probably made an annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Their faith is close to the realities of every day life and work. It is the same spirit of simplicity, love, patience and obedience that animates them.
In their family life in this village, they experience simplicity and the absence of domination in human relationships. At the heart of this life, they have learned to turn to God, to cry out their distress. They rely on his goodness and mercy, and praise is the expression of their spirituality. And it was in this humble home of Nazareth that God was to find a home and was born in Bethlehem. It's not his lineage, his wealth, or the size of his population that will make him famous. It will be its smallness. We understand what this means for us, what the Lord expects of us in terms of attitude: the spirit of poverty, humility.
We are sometimes ashamed of our smallness. We believe that holiness is a matter of virtue, whereas it is first and foremost a matter of faith and openness to God. Contemplating Jesus, St. Paul said: "He became poor for you out of riches, so that you might be enriched by his poverty" (2 Cor. 8:9).
On the other hand, we have the founder of the Catholic Apostolate, St. Vincent Pallotti, who knocked on the conscience of the laity as one knocks on a door" (Pope Paul VI, September 1, 1963 in Frascati). He affirms: "The fundamental rule of our little Congregation is the life of Our Lord Jesus Christ to imitate him with all possible perfection". He intended a small congregation as the small village of Nazareth, with simplicity in the foundation and objectives of the apostolate, as in the Nazareth way of life.
Vincenzo Pallotti, Vincent in French, was born in Rome on April 21, 1795 into a middle class family. The Lord, provider of all things, chose to have His Son born in a small, poor, unnamed village. Saint Vincent Pallotti came from a middle-class family, but he decided to serve the cause of the poor and destitute.
He decided to start from greatness, just as God, Creator and Giver of all riches, decided to let His only Son to be born and live in simplicity, despite the difficulties he had to brave. In fact, as we can see here, Vincent Pallotti decided to be a saint with all his might. He decided to give his all – knowing that it's God who makes saints. But you can't become a saint without giving it your all, without wanting it with all your might, without a very great desire, as Jesus manifested. You can't become a saint by leading a quiet life, letting yourself go, always trying to do the minimum... Committing yourself to the path of holiness means changing your life, giving yourself totally without keeping anything for yourself.
Vincent Pallotti is known throughout the city for his charitable work, where the population often lived in wretched conditions. When a cholera epidemic broke out, he threw himself wholeheartedly into caring for the sick, taking risks with his own health. In the same way, God left Jesus in this environment, with no concern for the living conditions or the environment. He was known throughout the city for his charitable work, where people often lived in miserable conditions. When a cholera epidemic broke out, he threw himself wholeheartedly into caring for the sick, taking risks with his own health.
This obliged Vincent Pallotti to restate ever more clearly the objectives of his Society of Catholic Apostolate, which were none other than to imitate and follow Christ in his work of Redemption, and to kindle and nurture the fires of zeal and love.
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