De sancto Vincentio confessore sacri
A Chosen Vessel of Grace
Vincent's holy birth and early devotion marked him as a future preacher of the Word.
Blessed Vincent came from the ancient and honorable Ferrari family in the famous Spanish city of Valencia. A double sign revealed to his mother how great he would be and the kind of man he would become. The first sign was this: while his mother had carried all the children she had previously borne with great physical discomfort, when she was pregnant with Vincent, she felt none of that burden. Her belly was so agile and her body so strong that it was as if she weren't pregnant at all. The second sign was that, while she was pregnant with him, she often heard the sounds of a barking dog coming from her womb. When she asked many servants of God, and especially the Bishop of Valencia, what such barking might mean, the answer she received was that it meant nothing other than that she would give birth to a child who, in his own time, would be a preacher of the Word of God, famous throughout the world for the integrity of his teaching and life, and for the renown of his reputation. When the child was finally born and named with a kind of divine foresight, as soon as he reached an age where he could be instructed in letters and morals, it was a marvel; in a short time, he excelled as much in the elegance of his character as in his skill in letters. He was of such religious devotion that among the laypeople of Valencia, no one frequented the doors of the churches more often, listened more eagerly to the preaching of the friars, or fasted more frequently. He followed in the footsteps of good men, avoiding the paths of the wicked, and he felt for the poor and the miserable in his heart, sharing a portion of his own resources with them. After he had been bathed in heavenly dew and reached his eighteenth year, he chose to live under the rule and customs of the Order of Preachers. Having taken the habit, he studied the deeds of his holy father Dominic with singular focus, so that he might first understand those things in which he was to imitate his leader. Later, because of his miraculous virtues and his reputation for extraordinary holiness, he could not avoid being followed for two years by the Supreme Pontiff, serving as his confessor and Master of the Sacred Palace.
The Divine Commission
Christ appears to Vincent to commission his preaching mission, leading to widespread conversion and miracles.
Finally, while he was in Avignon suffering from a severe fever, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him, shining with a wondrous light, and sent him to preach the Gospel throughout the regions of the West, especially to warn that the Day of Judgment was near in our times. After comforting and instructing him in many things, He reached out His hand and gently touched his cheek as a sign of singular intimacy. As He departed, Vincent rose from his bed healed, and immediately girded himself to diligently carry out the mission of Christ our Lord. Having traveled through all the lands of Gaul and Spain, sowing the Word of God everywhere, he arrived in Italy. After traveling through some of the cities of Lombardy, he came to the King of Granada and, by preaching the Word of God, converted a great multitude of Saracens. Saint Vincent performed many wonders through his prayers, and the Lord worked miracles through him both in his homeland of Toulouse and in various other places. For in Toulouse, when a woman who was mentally ill gave birth to a daughter, she tore the child apart and cooked her; the husband, in tears, carried the child to the saint of God.
A Power Against Darkness
Vincent confronts the enemies of the faith with the sign of the cross and rejects worldly honors for the sake of humility.
It's not to be overlooked what happened in the city of Lérida in the province of Aragon, for when he had finished preaching and had converted all the prostitutes to God, the group that was accompanying him, seeing the pimps of those women armed against the saint of God, was leaving. They were hurrying to make their move, but he said to them, 'These are the pimps of those women who are seeking to kill me; but you go on ahead, and I will follow you.' As they approached, however, they prepared their weapons against the saint of God, and the holy man, arming himself with the sign of the cross, said, 'By the sign of the cross, deliver me from our enemies, O Lord.' They immediately dropped their weapons, threw themselves on the ground, and begged for mercy. Everyone marveled at the servant of Jesus Christ, for when Benedict XI... the Pope and his order, the Preachers, wanted him... to make him a cardinal, he refused out of humility, knowing the truth set down in Dist. IV, c. ult. —'Whoever desires primacy on earth will find confusion in heaven.' He refused all dignity, and his words were so fruitful that he converted an innumerable multitude of wicked men to God. He was a prolific and sharp preacher against the Jews, revealing to them the mysteries of the Scriptures as much as it is permitted for a man to do.
Gifts of the Spirit and Final Rest
Vincent exercises the gifts of tongues and prophecy before his holy death and final commendation to God.
Because of this, in various places in Spain, he caused more than twenty-five thousand of them to be baptized into the knowledge of the true faith; he also drew eight thousand Saracens with his holy preaching; he never left those who were at odds until he had made them concordant; among other gifts of the Holy Spirit, he earned the ability to speak in various tongues. For when he preached to many different peoples in his mother tongue, he was understood distinctly by each and every one, as if he had preached in the language of each; and he also had the gift of prophecy, for when he was preaching in Valencia, the uncle of Pope Calixtus, called Ferrandus, brought the young Calixtus to him so that the man of God might give him his blessing. To whom Saint Vincent said, 'Let us send this boy to school, for he will be great; he will be Pope in the Church, and he will honor me.' For it was he who later canonized him. He also spoke about that man who was carrying his brother's head under his cloak—having killed him himself—while believing he was carrying a calf's head; he predicted that the man would be brought to love by the demands of justice. He was a father beloved, revered, and dear to everyone; he was a defender of orphans, wards, and widows, and the finest comforter of the poor and the wretched. Finally, having received the Church's Sacraments, he passed away in the Lord at the age of seventy-eight, while in the presence of the brothers of his order who were praying, along with the most illustrious Duchess of Brittany, in the year 1417. He was buried at Vannes, shining with various miracles. O Vincent, preacher of truth and great teacher, whom the blessed souls follow as you triumph with the ranks of the angels, support us with your prayers so that we may be raised up in the heavenly kingdoms. Amen.
Read the original Latin
Beatns Vincentius clarissima Hyspaniae civitate Valentia ex Ferrariormm antiqua honestaque familia duxit originem, Quantus antem et qualis futurus esset, duplici indicio matri ostensmn est. Primum fuit, quod, cum mater ejus singulos filios, quos genuerat, non sine magna uteri molestia gestasset, Vincentio gravida oneris molestia carebat et tanta erat ei ventris agilitas et corporis robur, ac si praegnans non fuisset, alterum fnit, qnod, cmn de eodem gravida foret, tamqnam latrantis canis voces ex utero suo emitti saepius audiebat. Com autem a multis Dei servis et praesertim a Valentino episcopo peteret, quid hujusmodi latratus significarent, responsum est ei, nihil aliud fore, nisi quod esset infantem paritura, qui suo tempore futurus esset verbi Dei praedicator, tam doctrinae qnam vitae integritate ac famae celebritate in tanto terrarum orbe clarissimus, Nato denique infante et quodammodo divino praesagio ei nomine imposito, postquam atligit aetatem, quae litteris et moribus informari potnit, mirum imo, dum brevi tempore clarius evasit tam morun elegantia quam peritia htterarnm, Tantae religionis erat, quod inter saeculares Valentiae nemo erat ui eo saepius ecclesiarum limina frequentasset aut avidius praedicatorum doctrinam audisset vel crebrius jejunasset, Proborum hominum vestigiis inhaerebat, pravorum vestigia devilans, pauperibus ac miseris corde compatiebatur, facultatum suarum portionem adininistrans. Posteaquam vero coelesti rore perfusus agens decimum octavum annwn attigit, sub regula et institutis fratrum praedicatorum vivere sumtoque habitu singularissime legere studuit sancti patris sni Dominici gesta, ut illa imprünis intelligeret, in quibus suum ducem esset imitaturus, Deinde ob ejus virtutes mirificas et eximiae sanctitatis nomen effugere non potuit, quo minus per duos annos suminum pontificem sequeretur essetque confessor suus et magister sacri palatii. Denique apud Avenionem ei gravissimis febribus occupato dominus Jesus Christus mira quadam claritate coruscans apparuit mittens eum ad se evangelizandum per universas Occidentis regiones, maxime nt puntiaret judicii diem temporibus nostris esse propinquum, et post multa, quibus Christum consolatus est et instrnxit, extendens manum maxillam ejus leviter tetigit in signum singularis familiaritatis. Quo discedente ab eo ex lectulo surrexit sanus moxque se succinxit, ut Christi domini nostri legationem diligenter exsequeretur. Peragratis antem Galliarum et Hyspaniarum locis universis verbum Dei ubique disseminando pervenit ad Italiam discursisque aliquibus Lombardiae civitatibus venit ad regem Granadae et verbum Dei praedicans magnam multitudinem Saracenorum convertit. Sanctus vero Vincentius suis precibus multa miranda fecit et miracula dominus per eum operatns est et in patria Tolosana et in variis locis, Nam Tolosae cum mulier lunatica filiam peperisset, divisit eum et coxit, vir anlem ejus cum lacrymis portavit ipsum ad sanctum Dei.
Ad cujus preces filium suscitavit reservatis insigniis in corpore usque ad inortein in signum miraculi, lllud non est praetereundum, quod actum est in civitate lMlardensi provinciae Aragoniae, Cum enim praedicasset omnesque meretrices convertisset ad Deum indeque recedens societas, qune eum comitabatur, videns lenones earum meretricum armatos contra sanctum Dei; et. quam citius insinuare festinant, Quibus dixit: isti sunt lenones earum, qui quaerunt me interficere, sed praecedatis me et ego vos sequar, Approximantes autem illi arma contra sanchun Dei parant, Vir sanctus signo crucis se muniens dixit: per signum crucis de inimicis nostris libera me, domine. Illico armis depositis in terram se prosternunt veniam petentes et mirantur omnes de servo Jesu Christi, Cum enim Benedictus XI. papa et ordinis sui, videlicet praedicatorum, vellet eum. cardinalem facere, ex sna humilitate rennit sciens illud verum, quod ponitur dist, IV, c, ult. : quicunque primatum desiderat in terra, inveniet confusionem in coelis, Omnem sane dignitatein refutavit, verborum ejus fructus tantus fuit, ut flagitiosormn hominum innumeram multitudinem ad Deum couverteril; conlra Judaeos copiosus acerque praedicator fuit, scripturarum aenigmata, quantum homini fas est, eisdem reserans. Propter quod in diversis Hyspaniarum locis supra viginti et quinque millia ex ipsis ad verae fidei cognitionem baptizari fecit: Saracenorum etiam octo millia cum sancta praedicatione traxit; discordes, quoscunque invenit, non prius deseruit, doneo concordes faceret; inter caetera vero spiritus sancti dona linguis variis loqui promeruit, Nam cum multis et diversis populis materna lingua praedicaret, ab omnibus et singulis distincte intelligebatur, ac si singulorum lingua praedicasset, Et habuit etiam donum prophetiae: cum enim praedicaret Valentiae, avunculus papae Calixti dictus Ferrandus eduxit parvum Calixtum ad eum, ut vir Dei sibi suam daret benedictionem. Cui sanctus Vincentius aif: mittamus hunc pnerum ad scholas, quia magnus adhuc erit; in ecclesia videlicet erit papa, qui me honorabit, Quia ipse fuit, qui eum postmodum canonizavit.
Etiam de illo, qui caput sui fratris ab eodem interfecti sub chlainyde ferebat, credens habere caput vituli, praedixit eum amori jubente justitia, Omnibus amabilis, venerabilis, gratus et carus pater erat orphanorum ac pupillorum, viduarum defensor, pauperum et miserorum optimus consolator, Beceptis demum ecclesiasticis sacramentis agens annum septuagesimnum octavum coram positus fratribus et orantibus sui ordinis et illustrissiina ducissa Britanniae obdormivit in domino anno MCCCCXVIIL Sepultus est antem ad Vannones coruscans variis signis. O Vincenti, praedicator veritatis et doctor maxime, quem angelorum cum ordinibus iriumphantem felices animae prosequuntur, nos fove tuis precibus sublimes in regnis coelestibus, Amen,
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