Friday, August 4, 2023

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.

Friday, June 28, 2019

The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

(Ezekiel 34:11-16; Romans 5:5b-11; Luke 15:3-7)

St. John Vianney, the “Cure of Ars,” lived in France in the early part of the nineteenth century.  Conditions then and there seem to have been much like today in the United States.  Enlightenment thinking made headway among the people.  Many no longer attended Mass.  John Vianney joined a band of faithful priests in trying to reconcile the people with the Church.  He did not preach because his theology was considered weak.  But he became known as an attentive and compassionate confessor.  In time people came to Ars from all over Europe to confess their sins.  It is said that he listened to people sins with the “tenderness of Christ.”  Today, the Feast of the Sacred Heart, the Church celebrates that Christ’s tenderness.

In the gospel Jesus describes the love of God with the parable of the shepherd and the loss sheep.  Even though the shepherd has many sheep, he goes through the trouble to search one that is lost.  The rescue attempt is made in the desert where the shepherd may lose his life. But he takes the risk out of love for the lost sheep.  Jesus himself is God’s reaching out to save every man and woman.  He seeks to bring them peace and happiness. 

Having experienced Christ’s love in Penance, we want to reach out to others.  We will tell them about Christ, the Good Shepherd, and how he may be encountered in the sacraments.  We should not try to water down the teachings of the Church which have become an obstacle for many.  But we can explain its teachings follow from the gospel, are logically coherent, and have withstood the test of time.

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Memorial of Saint John Vianney, priest

(Jeremiah 31:31-34; Mathew 16: 13-23)

The law, of which Jeremiah speaks in the first reading, has been associated with the grace of the Holy Spirit.  Because it is written on the heart, it becomes as natural to practice as walking to the kitchen.  Christians gain access to this grace through faith in Christ.  With it they can love when it is difficult.  They can even assist those whom others consider unlovable.  As much as any ordained minister in modern times, the law foretold by Jeremiah is illustrated in the life of today’s festal saint, John Vianney.

 Vianney’s story has been emblazoned in literature by Georges Bernanos in The Diary of a Country Priest.  The novel portrays the saint’s untiring efforts to change the hearts of pharisaical Christians.  It pictures him serving God and neighbor without concern for his own welfare. In the face of premature death, it has the pastor reaffirm his trust in God’s goodness.  His last words are: “…grace is everywhere…”

We are not deprived of the grace to love others.  We should practice it by saying a kind word to the person who seems to growl at us.  The more we do so, the more we too will recognize the ubiquity of grace.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Memorial of Saint John Vianney, priest

(Numbers 20:1-13; Matthew 16:13-23)

St. John Vianney is universally admired for his dedication to ministry. Feeling called to the priesthood, he pursued his goal doggedly although he was handicapped by never having mastered Latin as a child. Once ordained, however, he became widely respected as a confessor and listened to confessions throughout the day. Like Peter in the gospel today, John Vianney was inspired by God to reach beyond personal limitations to new heights.

Most significant about Matthew’s presentation of the famous happening in Caesarea Philippi is Jesus’ declaration that God the Father reveals to Peter the truth of Jesus’ identity. It is not Peter’s own perspicacity or anyone else’s that allows him to know who Jesus is. For this reason Jesus sees him the one chosen from above to lead the incipient church after his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension to heaven.

We followers of Christ are not necessarily the brightest or the strongest people. Certainly there are many exceptions but most of us are rather ordinary in makeup. Yet like John Vianney and the apostle Peter God has graced us with a special calling. We are to make Jesus known in the world by our love for one another and our efforts to create a just society.