Category Archives: The Saints
St. Gregory the Great, Pope
Friends in the Lord, today is the Feast of St. Gregory the Great. St. Gregory was born at Rome in 540AD. He became a Roman senator, and by age 30 he was already prefect of Rome. After five years he resigned everything and became a monk.
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One day he saw young men being sold as slaves. He asked where they were from, and it was told to him, ‘they are pagans from England.’ Gregory knew then, that Christ must be brought to England. He set off to England as a missionary, but because he was so loved by the people of Rome, the Pope sent a messenger to call him back.
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3 days into his journey, Gregory sat down to rest and to read a book. As he was reading, a locust came and landed on his book. He took it as a sign that a messenger was coming, and so he waited. Sure enough, the messenger caught up to him and brought him back.
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Now at that time, the Bubonic plague was raging through Rome and many were dying of the plague. Even the Pope died of the plague, and so they elected Gregory as the new Pope.
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Pope Gregory immediately led the city in praying to God to end the plague. They took the image of the Virgin Mary painted by St. Luke,[ii] and carried it throughout the town in a procession, asking God to help them. Their prayers were soon answered and the plague came to an end; who drove it away? At that moment, Gregory saw, appearing to him, St. Michael the archangel, wiping a bloody sword and returning it to its sheath. So he built there a Church, in honor of the angels, and it is called to this very day, the Castle of the Holy Angel.[iii]
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It was by the efforts of Pope Gregory, that England was converted into a great Catholic country. But he always felt tired and weighed down by his responsibilities. He longed to return to the quiet of his monastery. But no. He offered each day, and each chore, and his work, to God.
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When Rome was being attacked by the barbarians, he personally negotiated with the barbarian King; he rooted out corruption in the Church, and helped priests to be holier. He beautified the Mass with what we know as Gregorian Chant, and poured out what money was had, to ransom prisoners, help the Jews, and victims of famine. He was perhaps the humblest man to ever walk the earth.
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He had been elected Pope at age 50, and he never did feel worthy. He was called in Rome, the ‘Father of the City and the joy of the world.’ Next to St. Peter himself, and perhaps Pope Leo, Gregory the Great is one of the greatest Popes in history.
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[i] Golden Legend under St Michael
[ii] It is unknown what happened to the original painting by St. Luke; this was likely one of the important copies of that painting, probably the one known as ‘Salus Populi Romani.’
[iii] Golden Legend under St Michael
St. John the Baptist, his Passion
Beloved in Christ, today we celebrate the Passion of John the Baptist, when he was beheaded. In ancient liturgical art, we see interestingly, that the head of John the Baptist is depicted as if on the paten at Mass. In those days, instead of the small flat plate we use for the Host, the paten was more of a dish or a platter. So there are these paintings of John’s head on this paten at Mass, why?
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As we know, the Old Testament is full of symbols or types, which point to the coming Savior. John the Baptist becomes the greatest ‘type’ or image of Christ.
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Of the figures of the Old Testament who symbolized Jesus, they all seemed to have died a natural death. None of them paid the ultimate price. In the Old Law, the idea of sacrificing oneself for the other was not known.
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But in the New Law, Jesus will say, ‘There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.’ John the Baptist did this. John pointed out the Savior: ‘Behold, the Lamb of God.’ And no sooner did he do this, than Herod arrested him. We read today what happened then: Herod’s daughter did a dance to entertain Herod’s guests; King Herod promised her anything, and she asks for John’s head – on a platter! And so it is done. He gave his life for the Truth, he becomes the greatest and final Type, pointing to Jesus. So let us see the interesting meaning of this gruesome head on a dish.
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John is an image of Christ, for sure. If this is the case, then his body is an image of the Body of Christ. St. Paul says, that we are all members of his Body, and Christ is the Head. So that Head on the dish, represents Jesus, the Head of the Mystical Body, on a platter – or at least on a paten.
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As I mentioned, in liturgical art, we see that this head of John is depicted as if on the paten at Mass, which once was more like a dish.[i] One ancient writer says: “The head of John on a dish signifies the body of Christ by which we are fed at the holy altar.”[ii]
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So when the priest offers up the paten, with the Sacred Host on it, we see our Head there, the Head of the Mystical Body. In a remarkable symbol then, John’s Head on the dish, is an image of the Holy Eucharist,[iii] and this is seen in the Prayer after Communion for today’s Mass.
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John was an excellent witness for the Lord. We are to be witnesses as well, even if it means giving our life.
[i] “The severed head of Saint John the Baptist, executed at the request of Salome, King Herod’s stepdaughter, rests on a charger. In later interpretations of the story….. the charger, passed around the table with John’s head, becomes a precedent for the ceremony of the Eucharist.” – http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=1511
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[ii] [i] Breviarum ad usum insignis Eccelsie Eboracensis, ed. S.W. Lawley, 2 vols. (Durham: Andrews & Co., 1880-3), “In festo decollationis sancti johannis baptiste,” Lectio v, 2.817. This and other meanings of the Baptist’s head are surveyed in Janes, Losing Our Heads, 97-138. Note: The Use of York, Eboracum in Latin, was a variant of the Roman Rite practised in part of northern England, prior to the reign of Henry VIII. During Henry’s reign the Use of York was suppressed in favour of the Sarum rite, followed by the Book of Common Prayer.
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[iii] Today’s Prayer after Communion for this day says: ‘Grant, O Lord, as we celebrate the heavenly birth of St. John the Baptist, that we may revere, for what it signifies, the saving Sacrament we have received…’
St. Augustine
Friends in the Lord, yesterday was the Feast of St. Monica. Today is that of her son, Augustine. St. Augustine was born in 354 in Tagaste, North Africa, present day Algeria. His mother was a devout Catholic, but his father was a pagan.
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Augustine was very bright, and he went off to studies, to school, in the city of Carthage. He studied Rhetoric, which was great speaking and the mastering of oratory skills. Such talents were very useful in Rome and in the halls of the Senate, perhaps he would one day have such a career.
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But he also was like many young people today. He was searching. Searching for answers to the great questions of life: why do I exist, what happens after death, what is my purpose, is there nothing more?
Like many today, he couldn’t possibly believe that the pious religion of his mother actually held the answers to these great questions. He joined a religion called Manichaeism. It was the New Age religion of its day, borrowing dualistic ideas from the East.
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But he still had questions. Those in this religion promised him, ‘Once you meet Mani (their founder), his wisdom will answer your questions, you’ll see’ Finally he did meet Mani – but Mani had no clue about his questions. Augustine found him to be rather over-rated.
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Loaded with talent, but lacking wisdom, Augustine followed a lifestyle which plunged him deeper into sin and moral evil He moved in with a woman that he was not married to. They had a child out of wedlock, and he felt more and more empty without God. Grace was luring him, pulling him, but he resisted.
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For all his worldly and professional successes, he was restless. Later he would write: ‘Our hearts are restless O Lord, until they rest in Thee.’
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His mother kept praying, and grace kept pulling. Having gone to Rome, and while visiting Milan, curiosity brought Augustine into the Cathedral.
Walking in, he heard the chanting of the psalms. He said, ‘those chanting voices of Christians overflowed into my ears; truth entered my heart and tears gushed forth.” There he met Bishop Ambrose. Talking with him, he found that the answers to his great questions were answered in Jesus Christ. As it turned out, the religion of his pious mother had the answers all along.
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In 387 on Easter night, he was baptized. It was his mother’s dream. He would become a priest, and a bishop, and one of the greatest minds the Church has ever had.
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If you have not read his book, the Confessions, go out today and buy it. There he writes these words, from one who spent many years running away from God: Late have I loved you, O Beauty, ever ancient, ever new. Late have I loved you.
St. Pius X, Pope
Friends in Christ, today is the feast of Pope St. Pius X.
Born Joseph Sarto in Venice, he was the second of ten children in a poor family. He was educated at the village school, then ordained a priest, then bishop, then Cardinal of Venice. He was elected Pope in 1903.
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From his simple upbringings, he was a bit uncomfortable with all the pomp of Rome in those days. He said to a friend: “Look at how they have dressed me up,” “It is a penance.”
At his installation as Pope, his mother kissed his papal ring. Then she held out her hand, with her wedding ring, and said, “Son, you kiss my ring, because without it, you would not have yours.’
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Pius X is perhaps best known for having lowered the age for 1st Communion. But he did other things too; he promoted the use of sacred music in Church, principally, Gregorian Chant. He encouraged the daily reading of the Holy Scriptures, called for reform of the clergy and seminaries, and he had terrible struggles with the anti-religious government of France.
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In many ways, he was a prophet. He identified the seeds of what he called ‘the heresy of Modernism.’ He wrote two important encyclicals on this subject, explaining the errors which were infecting the world:
1. The idea that religion is just a product of human feelings and imagination, instead of true revelation from God.
2. The idea that miracles in the bible are myths, or that Jesus was just a good man, not God.
3. The idea that all religions are really the same.
4. The idea that doctrines of the Church can be changed as needed by society.
5. The idea that the teachings of the Church are not good for the well-being of society.
6. The idea that marriage can be dissolved by the will of man.
7. The idea that science is superior to religion in all things.
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These were errors that were just starting then. He saw that the root, is the rejection of the supernatural, the unwillingness to accept that God acts in the world, and that he is real. These ideas are found everywhere today. We might call it Liberalism. But 100 years ago, Pius X saw it all coming.
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Pope Pius X had one last dream: to prevent World War I. It was his sadness, that he was unable to prevent it. He died brokenhearted, a few weeks after the war began.
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The historian Ludwig Pastor said of Pius X: ‘He was one of those few people whose personality is irresistible. Everyone was moved by his angelic kindness. In his presence, there was a deep conviction of being face to face with a saint”
St. Bernard
Beloved in the Lord, today is the feast of St. Bernard of Clairvaux.
St. Bernard has been called the most influential theologian of the 12th century. He was a religious, a monk, yet he became a crucial public figure in many affairs of the Church.
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Europe in the 12th century was a rapidly changing world, with increasing population, the development of universities, growth in art, literature, and government – it was also a time of an increase of secularization.
At that time, nearly half a million religious monks and sisters lived in Europe, yet the monasteries were becoming more enmeshed in worldly affairs. For this reason, some men and women sought to recover the true spirit of religious life, and this led to the founding of new orders.
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There was also anxiety in those days; Islam was on the march, conquering Jerusalem in 1079, and preparing to conquer Constantinople; therefore, thousands of ordinary people volunteered to defend against the armies of Islam by forming the first crusade. St. Bernard watched all this happening when he was 9 years old. So it was a time of spiritual zeal, when the survival of countries was at stake.
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St. Bernard was born in 1090; one of seven children; At age 17, his mother, with whom he was very close, passed away. As he was very intelligent and from an influential family, any career would have been possible for him. Nevertheless, he decided to become a monk at age twenty-two. He chose the Cistercians. The Cistercians lived a very strict life of prayer and penance, and they were part of the new reforms of religious life.
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St. Bernard was a leader from the beginning. In fact, when he first came and knocked on the door of the monastery for admittance, he brought with him 30 other young men! He founded the famous abbey at Clairvaux, France, and there he perfected his monastic rule which would be the model for 163 other Cistercian monasteries.
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St. Bernard was called upon to preach the 2nd crusade, he advised popes and kings, and wrote important books on theology; His writings soar to the heights of joy and love, and he is perhaps best known for his love for Mother Mary. He believed that above all, our goal must be to conform our life to God’s will, in every detail of our daily life. To do God’s will in all things, no matter the cost.
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He is the patron saint of candle makers and beekeepers.
St. Jane Frances de Chantel
Friends in Christ,[i] today is the Feast of St. Jane de Chantel. St. Jane married a baron, but she soon found out that he had enormous debts as well, what a start to marriage.
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But this 20 year old French woman took charge, and organized and supervised every detail of the estate; she brought their finances under control, and also won the hearts of their employees. Despite the rocky financial start to their marriage, she and her husband were quite devoted to one another and their 4 children.
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St. Jane herself had a strong Catholic faith, and she brought a great sense of humor to their family. One friend said, ‘she could even make stupid jokes very funny.’
Jane shared their family blessings by giving bread and soup personally to the poor who came to their door. Often people who had just received food from her would pretend to leave, go around the house and get back in line for more. When asked why she let these people get away with this, she said, “What if God turned me away when I came back to him again and again with the same request?”
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Tragically, her husband was killed in a hunting accident, accidentally shot by another man. The heartbroken Jane had to struggle with forgiveness for a long time. At first she tried just greeting that man on the street. When she was able to do that, she invited him to her house. Finally she was able to forgive the man so completely that she even became godmother to his child.
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These troubles opened her heart to her longing for God and she sought God in prayer and a growing spiritual life. Her commitment to the Lord impressed her bishop, he was St. Francis de Sales. Francis de Sales became her spiritual director and best friend. With his support, she founded the Visitation order for women who were rejected by other Orders because of poor health or age. She even accepted a woman who was 83 years old.
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St. Jane Francis knew the spiritual life well. One day, she gave this advice to her own daughter: “Should you fall even 50 times a day, never let that surprise or worry you. Instead, gently set your heart back in the right direction and practice the opposite virtue. Speak words of love and trust to the Lord even after you have committed a thousand faults. Once we have humbled ourselves, we must forget our sins and go forward.”
St. Jane Frances de Chantel died at 69 years of age.
[i] Adapted from www.catholic.org article.
St. Clare
Friends in Christ, today is the Feast of St. Clare.
St. Clare grew up in the town of Assisi, the same town as St. Francis. Her father, who was a Count, and very important, had plans for her to marry a wealthy nobleman when she grew up. Her mother however, taught her children that money and fine things can keep people from thinking about God.
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One day, Clare was listening to St. Francis teaching in the town square. She felt that God was calling her to give him her whole life, and so she went to meet Francis to speak about this. He told her to pray, and to think about God’s call. Clare considered it for some time, and decided that God WAS calling her to a life of simplicity and poverty. So one night, on Palm Sunday, Clare left her home dressed up in beautiful clothes and jewelry – after all, she thought, I should look like a bride, I’m going to become the bride of Christ!
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She went to the little Portiuncula Church where stayed Francis and his companions. There, before the altar, lit up with candles in the dark, she took off her veil and fancy jewelry, and put on a grey robe, with a rope around her waist, and wooden sandals for her feet. Then holding out her long, golden hair, she said to Francis: ‘Let it be cut off.’ And so Francis sheared off her golden hair, and she pronounced her vows to God. Clare then went to live with some Benedictine Sisters, where she learned about being a Sister and convent life.
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When her father and relatives found out, they were furious, and went to the Convent. But when Clare showed them her cut-off hair, they realized they could never change her strong will. She had a very strong will!
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Clare was a leader, and soon her sister Agnes joined her, and many other wealthy girls from the town. They formed the Poor Clares, and lived their life in poverty as a little family, praying and working together for God.
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One time, an army of Muslims attacked their city, and was trying to get into the Convent to destroy it. As they tried climbing the walls of the Convent, Clare raced to the chapel, and taking the Blessed Sacrament, ran up to the roof. There she held up the Lord, and prayed to God with all her strength. The Muslims stopped in their tracks. Gripped by a mysterious terror, they fled, and did no harm to the entire district. For this reason Clare is usually pictured holding up the Blessed Sacrament.
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St. Clare embraced a simplicity of life. She discovered that a simple life allows more room for God.
St. Sixtus II, Pope
Friends in Christ, Today is the Feast of Pope St. Sixtus.
Pope Sixtus was born in Greece as a pagan; he was a philosopher of great learning, and came to be a disciple of Christ, embracing the Catholic Faith; he was ordained a priest, and became the 24th Pope, elected in 257AD.
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In those days, being elected Pope was a death sentence. 24 of the first 32 Popes were martyred. Pope Sixtus was beloved, and has been included in Eucharistic Prayer I since the earliest centuries.
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In 258, while celebrating Mass in the catacombs, he was arrested by soldiers and brought before the emperor with two of his deacons. He was ordered to give up the Faith, which he would not, and was taken away for death with 4 others. His deacon Lawrence, yearning himself to be a martyr, cried out: ‘Where are you going father, without your son? He said, I am not deserting you my son, but greater trials for the faith of Christ await you! Three days from now my deacon, you will follow me.’ Pope Sixtus was there beheaded, having reigned as Pope only one year. Lawrence, his deacon, also was martyred 3 days later.
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In the 3rd century, St. Cyprian writes about those times: ‘The true state of affairs is this, he says. The Emperor has issued an edict that bishops, priests, and deacons shall suffer the death penalty without delay. Distinguished men of society are to be deprived of their rank and property; if they persist in professing Christianity they are to be put to death.
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Ladies of the upper classes are to be deprived of their property and exiled. Sixtus has already been put to death in a catacomb; they are pressing this persecution zealously. So let us all be prepared for spiritual combat, and fix our minds not on death but on paradise. Farewell then, in the Lord.
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A young Catholic mother said, ‘how hard it is to raise children, when the entire culture is giving the wrong messages.’ this is for sure the truth, but we know how to do this, it’s the Roman Empire all over again. Therefore, it is better for us not to hold out an unrealistic view of the world around us, it is better for us to see the glory of our true mission: to be leaven in this world; not to hide, but to be seeds of holiness – to be the Light of Christ, in a dark world. This is our glory, and this is when Christians are at our best.
St. John Vianney’s Revolution
Friends in Christ, today we are in our continuing Novena to St. John Vianney, our patron saint. Many have been coming to the Novena Nights this past week; Monday will be the final day, and the great procession, so hopefully everyone can be there, especially the children.
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St. John Vianney once said, ‘All the saints did not start out so well, but they all finished well.’
St. John’s whole life was really about helping people to ‘finish well,’ to turn away from past sins and begin again – to follow Christ. This is why he was in the Confessional 12 hours a day, and people came from all over Europe to confess – and begin new.
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‘All the saints did not start out so well, but they all finished well.’
The mercy of God is always inviting us to begin new, and to become a more true disciple; this was the mission of St. John Vianney. He once said, ‘All I desire is that everyone would love God.’
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Atheists deny God. So much of our world has no use for God, or heaven, or goodness or hope. But one thing is true of all such people: They do not wish to hear about the saints – they do not wish to hear about those whose lives became shining stars of goodness. For those whose heart has grown cold, who make the pleasures of this world their god – they do not wish to hear about the saints, it is painful to them.
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I was once asking my sister, what she likes to hear in a good homily. Without hesitation she said: ‘I love to hear about the saints.’ My sister likes this, because we learn by example. The saints show us what Christian discipleship looks like. So I thought it would be good today to speak about our great patron, St. John Vianney.
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Once upon a time, to the north of Lyon, France[i] was a tiny village called Dardilly, and in a nearby farmhouse, there lived Mathieu and Marie Vianney who had 6 children, the 4th being John. This was rural France in the 18th century. On the outside, such poor people of those days worked very hard; but on the inside, they had a great and simple peace. The difficulties of life pulled them down, but a pure faith in God lifted them up. Among themselves and at the supper table, they talked about the gospel stories as easily as we today, speak of news on tv. As Henri Gheon says, children then learned at the same time how Jesus was born and how the corn grows. Both were simply facts. This was the atmosphere of faith and life that little John Vianney breathed.
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But shattering through this goodness, was the outbreak of the French Revolution. Atheism and hatred against God led to the suppression of religion; some 30,000 priests either fled France or were executed by the guillotine. The Vianney family watched as their government became an enemy to the Christian Faith; in fact, the French government created its own pseudo-religion, based on progress and reason.
We ourselves today can feel a hint of this same attitude; our present government is against the Church, trying to force religious institutions to pay-for and accept that which is against God’s law. So we can feel a hint of this kind of pressure. So far however, no one has gone to the guillotine – yet.
But in little John Vianney’s time, this attitude of the government had crescendoed to a frenzy: priests and nuns were arrested and their heads chopped off by the thousands. For little John Vianney, he and his family, at great risk, attended covert Masses held secretly in various barns or farm-houses. Priests moved secretly from house to house, wherever good Catholics would shelter them so that they could still bring the sacraments. As a little boy, St. John once asked: ‘What is a priest? He was told: ‘a priest is a man who is willing to die, so that he can be one.’ And so he chose to be one.
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By the time he went to the seminary, the Revolution had ended, and the people had no faith. ‘Without God, he once said, people live like animals.’ But in order for him to become a priest and help the people find God again, St. John had to get through the seminary. He struggled in his studies, especially Latin.
Here is an incident[ii] that happened to him when he was attending school: One day, a teacher asked him to stand and answer a question in class, but he did not know the answer. With that, a boy much younger named Loras, called him a fool and straightaway punched him. Do you think he retaliated? No. He knelt down and apologized for being so stupid! At the sight of this humility, Loras himself burst into tears over what he had done.
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What effect did this simple act of humility have on Loras? Well, surprisingly, this cruel boy, went on to become a priest. He was sent as a missionary to the US – to Iowa. Working tirelessly, he was named a Bishop, and there established the diocese of Dubuque, Iowa. For 19 years, Bishop Loras guided Dubuque, a diocese that flourished. The people of Dubuque spoke with love of their Bishop. They named a college after him: ‘Loras college’ For generations, Catholic parents named their boys “Loras”, and even their girls “DeLoras,” after the Holy Bishop, who had shown them Christ.
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Loras – a man who had punched St. John Vianney. A man who transformed his own part of the world, because he himself was transformed by an encounter with a saint.
Our life affects so many others. The better our life, the more effect it has in the world. St. John Vianney was especially about helping people to turn away from the failings of their life, to begin again.
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‘All the saints did not start out so well, he said, but they all finished well.’
And he had a secret to help him – Mary.
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One evening, when St. John was only 4 years old, his mother went to look for him; she found him at the far end of the cattle shed on his knees in the straw, holding in his hand a little statue of the Blessed Virgin, which was his favorite toy. He did not hear his mother enter, he was praying. This was his secret.
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Mary, help us to be saints.
Pray for us, that we today will begin anew, and make the remainder of our life, a perfect gift to God.
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[Entrusted to the prayers of Blessed Bartolo Longo]
[i] ideas and quotes here are taken from ‘The Secret of the Cure D’Ars,’ by Henri Gheon. pp. 7-11.
[ii] this incident is related in ‘The Cure D’Ars Today,’ by Fr. George Rutler