Since the spiritual retreat is such a salutary means for sanctification and perfection of souls, as we have said in the previous section, God so inspired his Church, from the first centuries of Christianity, that great saints retired to the deserts of Egypt and elsewhere to participate in them. In recent times many saintly persons have revived this custom. Among others, Saint Ignatius made it possible for persons living in the world to find a place of retreat, some in the cities and others in desert places, yet since these places were not well attended lay people rarely followed these retreat exercises. Moved by an ardent desire to procure the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls, Monsieur Vincent strove to extend this opportunity to all sorts of persons, either lay or clergy, and he made this practice more common than ever before.<\/p>\n
With a wholly impartial charity, he opened the doors of his heart and his home to all those who wished to share in this good work. He would receive them kindly and paternally, with no distinction of persons. In this he was imitating the father of the family in the Gospel who accepted to his banquet all those who came: the poor, blind, lame, and the crippled, and sending out to the streets and squares of the cities, and even to the fields and most isolated areas, to invite and even compel all to attend.<\/p>\n
We must admit that in our day this great servant of God did something similar to the astonishment and edification of all. In the refectory at Saint Lazare many other persons could be seen among the missionaries. They were of all ages and conditions, from city and country, poor and rich, young and old, students and doctors, priests and holders of benefices, ecclesiastics and prelates, gentlemen, counts, marquis, attorneys, lawyers and councillors, presidents, receivers of petitions and other officers of justice, merchants, artisans, soldiers, pages, and lackeys. All were received, lodged, and fed in this great hospice of charity to make their retreat, to find the remedy for their spiritual infirmities, or the help necessary to set them securely on the path of salvation.<\/p>\n
This one house of Saint Lazare of Paris received, lodged, and fed every year from seven to eight hundred persons for their spiritual retreat, not to mention the other houses of the Mission which accepted as many as they could, especially at Rome where they always received several. All this taken into account, from 1635 to the time of Monsieur Vincent’s death twenty-five years later, more than twenty thousand people participated in these retreats. Their general confessions and other exercises brought remedies to a countless number of disorders of family and conscience. A large number of public and secret sinners were reconciled to God. Those who had strayed from the path of salvation were returned to the right way. The just received an increase of blessings and grace, and all were given arms against their great enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil by the helpful advice they received, to repulse their attacks and so gain glorious victories over these enemies of their salvation. In the beginning, in fact, not many people came to make the spiritual retreats. The numbers increased only little by little. The charity of Monsieur Vincent directed that all who came should be received with open arms, at the expense of the house at Saint Lazare although there was no assured source of funds to support them. Among those who came, some who were better off left a donation which he did not refuse, since it had been freely offered. This did not happen often, because nothing was asked for, or possibly because it was simply overlooked. It was evident to all that retreatants were accepted with no thought of the expenses involved, solely through charity and zeal for their salvation and perfection.<\/p>\n
Although the house of Saint Lazare was put to much inconvenience and a large debt on this score and by reason of the ordination retreats, they continued and will remain, God willing, as long as humanly possible. These good works for the glory of God and the service of the people shall remain open for the spiritual advancement of those who wish to come in search of a personal renewal of life. In this, the sons of Monsieur Vincent have shown themselves possessed of his spirit. His confreres spared no effort or expense when there was question of the salvation of souls, in consideration that our Lord had given his blood and his life for them. Monsieur Vincent was persuaded that his Congregation would never want for material support so long as they used their patrimony in works of charity.<\/p>\n