Jesus’ disciples look out at sea and are terrified at what they see. He
calls out to them: “Take courage, it is
I; do not be afraid!” Often, though, we are afraid. It is
sometimes very difficult to trust in the Lord in those moments of difficulty
and suffering in our lives.
St
John Vianney is the saint we celebrate today. He is
known as the Cure of Ars from the name of the French village where he would
live most of his life as a priest. He
was a student during the era of the French Revolution during a time in which
the Catholic faith was being oppressed in France. Vianney was known as the least capable student in seminary. He was ordained to the priesthood, even
though he failed his final oral exam in seminary. He was sent to a small French village where
it was thought that he would do little harm. He
led a very strict, devout life as a priest, with his example of faith speaking
very loudly to his parishioners. He
became well-known for his preaching, for his compassion as a confessor, and for
his spiritual direction. He really
touched the lives of the people. Vianney had more then 300 people coming to visit him each day from different
parts of France. John
Vianney is the patron saint of diocesan priests – he is certainly a great
example for us. I
will leave with a quote from John Vianney on a homily he did on happiness. It contains a good message for us to take away from his spirituality: “My
God, I give you my heart, and since You are so good as to give me another day,
give me the grace that everything I do will be for Your honor and for the
salvation of my soul.”
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