Memorial of Saint John Vianney, priest
(Leviticus 23:1.4-11.15-16.27.34b-37; Matthew 13:54-58)
Saint John Vianney faced many setbacks in life. He was erroneously drafted into the French
military. He had trouble with seminary studies. As a priest, his attempts to reform the
village of his assignment were resisted.
But John’s deep faith in the Lord enabled him to persist in
charity. No doubt, he saw in Jesus a
model for dealing with difficulty.
In today’s gospel Jesus goes back to Nazareth. His efforts to convert the people have proved
somewhat fruitless. Now even his
townspeople reject him as an overachiever.
But he does not give up. He
rightly locates the problem in the people’s lack of perspective. They might have believed and experienced the
wonder of God if they gave him an objective hearing. Of course, the rejection does not deter Jesus
from carrying out his mission.
We will experience troubles even when we are doing good
things. We might have to modify our
ways, but the real challenge is to strengthen our reliance on God. Far from doing things for us, God will move
us toward humility, commitment, and insight.
Along with love, these qualities will enable us to reach life’s goal.
