The Virtue of Mortification as taught by St. Vincent de Paul

Saint Vincent de Paul expressed his spirituality in five virtues drawn from his way of looking at Christ, namely: simplicity, humility, gentleness, mortification, and zeal for souls.!!Here we will take a closer look at the virtue of mortification.

When St. Vincent invites us to practice mortification, he is talking about self-discipline in a spirit of penance. !!He urges us to let go of any worldly inclinations that rob us of our freedom to follow Jesus, and to work for the establishment of His Kingdom.

Of the thousands who followed Jesus to hear his words, the majority abandoned him and deserted him. They did not have the dispositions which our Lord said were necessary. They chose not to overcome themselves, not to deny themselves, not to bear their cross.

For St. Vincent, mortification was always necessary in life. He explained this to us using the parable of the vine-dresser:!

“May it please God to grant us the grace of becoming like the good vine-dresser, who always carries his knife in his pocket to cut away whatever he sees as injurious to his vine [...]!So we too, with the knife of mortification, should unceasingly cut away the evil branches in ourselves that our fallen nature constantly tries to put forth.”!

“On Mortification,” May 12, 1659, O.C., xi, 522-523

“A good vine-dresser labors long in the vineyard. We, too, will be good disciples of Jesus Christ, if we constantly mortify our senses, if we labor to repress our passions, if we work to submit our judgment and regulate our will.”!

“On Mortification,” May 12, 1659, O.C., xi, 522-523

With enthusiasm St. Vincent encouraged his missionaries to mortify themselves:!!“Courage! Pleasure follows pain, and the more obstacles the faithful have to surmount, the more joy they feel in having mortified themselves: their reward is as great as their labor.”

“On Mortification,” May 12, 1659, O.C., xi, 523

“Let us labor, my brothers, so that no day may pass in which we have not performed at least three or four acts of mortification and then we can truly say that we follow our Lord.”

“On Mortification,” May 12, 1659, O.C., xi, 523

“We shall walk in the narrow way which leads to life and Jesus Christ will reign with us in this mortal life, and we with Him in eternal life.”

“On Mortification,” May 12, 1659, O.C., xi, 523

My Lord, what were you doing during your whole life but fighting continually against the world, the flesh and the devil? !!Did you ever do your own will? Did you ever give priority to your own judgment? Did you ever listen to sensuality? No, never. There were in you only constant mortification and absolute renunciation of all things.!!Grant us, Lord, the strength to carry the cross of mortification, to follow you closely and to live your life now and in eternity. We pray in your name Lord Jesus, who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer

text adapted from “The Way of St. Vincent Is Our Way. 28. Mortification in Body and Spirit”, Authors: Miguel Pérez

Flores, C.M. & Antonino Orcajo, C.M.

Images: Depaul Image Archive