Community of True Spirit
We must not crave for a large number, but a few and full of spirit. For one filled with the spirit of Jesus Christ will do much. But the one without the spirit of Christ will cause great harm, even in the midst of many good ones. (OOCC, III, p. 327)
St. Vincent Pallotti was a man of practical wisdom. He often prayed and asked his followers to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send more laborers for the spread of God’s kingdom. Yet he said that we should not crave for large numbers in our communities. For him, even though it would be good to have large numbers, it is more important to have truly spirited persons rather than large numbers of persons in the service of the Lord.. In other words, St. Vincent preferred a small community of spirit-filled persons rather than a large community of spirit-less persons. He said that one person filled with the spirit of Jesus Christ, engaged in ministry, would do much more than many persons involved in apostolic endeavors without the true spirit of Christ. As a matter of fact, those persons who do not have the spirit of Christ would bring more harm to the community’s apostolic efforts even in the midst of good ones. One person, without the spirit of Christ, can destroy the good work done by many others. For this reason, St. Vincent showed great interest in the formation of the members of his community. He wanted to establish a community of true spirit, even though it meant that there would be fewer members in the community. Probably because of this attitude of St. Vincent Pallotti, at his death the Society he founded had only a handful of members.
What is the nature of the community in which I live? Does it consist of spirit-filled or spirit-less persons? How do I contribute to making a community of true spirit? Is due importance given to forming members of true spirit?
I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you, praying always with joy in my every prayer for all of you, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. (Phil. 1: 3 – 5)