Intercessory Prayer
Latin Mass: 10th Sunday after Pentecost
‘Two men went up to the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other a publican.’
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Beloved in Jesus Christ, There are many types of prayer, all of which should be part of our life. Prayer of praise – praising God in gratitude – perhaps we don’t do enough of this. Mental prayer or Meditation: time every day to just ‘BE’ with the Lord, to talk over things – this should be for 30 minutes. And then there is Intercessory Prayer: asking the Lord’s help, asking for favors, his assistance – and this is our subject today: Intercessory Prayer.
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The Holy Gospel shows us the Pharisee’s method of praying: but it is really self-centered. His prayer is more about himself and an almost hubris of braggadocio about his own so-called pious works. This is not even really a prayer, and therefore cannot move the heart of God.
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The prayer of the Publican however is the model Jesus gives us. It is a prayer made in humility, cognizant of our own dependence and reliance on God. Jesus told this parable it says, to those who trust in themselves. We wish therefore, to come before the Lord not trusting in ourselves, especially when we make Intercessory Prayer, asking for the Lord’s help in humility.
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Last week we spoke about the need to trust God in our life; and accept everything that happens, as part of God’s plan. One person wondered whether this acceptance of God’s will in the difficulties of life – whether this doesn’t imply a lessening of the value of earnest prayer for our needs. Not at all – So let us talk today about the importance of Intercessory Prayer.
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For myself, Intercessory Prayer – asking God for things – is huge: lists of many whose needs we must pray for: the sick, the dying, requests, the parish, the bishop, the Church, so many needs. And I know that we all have lists of requests we are asking from God every day.
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In a thousand places in the Old Testament[i] God promises to hear all who pray to him: ‘Cry to me and I will hear thee,’ says the Lord through the prophet Jeremiah.[ii] And Jesus assures us: ‘ If you abide in me, and my words in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done unto you.'[iii] ‘Seek, and you will find, knock, and the door will be opened.'[iv]
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Now some people say,[v] it is pointless to try to change the Plan of Almighty God, since he has foreordained all that will be. It is true, that God already knows all that will be, he knows from the beginning of creation. So what is the use of prayer, of trying to alter the Divine Decree? The answer is that prayer does not attempt to alter God’s plan; we pray not against his Plan, but within it. We pray because prayer is one of the forces which govern events in the world, just as God takes into account other forces. We pray because in God’s Providence, this prayer, that we just made, may be fore-ordained to contribute to bringing about this event rather than another.
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So we always pray: ‘Lord, I want this; it seems good to me, it seems like it is best, please – but your will be done. You know best.’ When the Lord grants us what we ask, we should be very thankful, grateful. It is easy to say ‘my prayer worked!’, and then go on to the next thing without a word of thanks to God. We must be very grateful.
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Sometimes we may feel, that when we pray, we are petitioning a ‘hard, unmovable God, in which it almost seems barely worth our effort, as if God is a block of granite and we are trying to press out of him just one drop of water for our needs. Or as if our prayer is a mere lottery, where we hope by some luck of the draw, God will hear us. But this is completely wrong.
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God is our Father. He hears every single prayer we say to him. ‘Before they call, I will hear; as they are yet speaking, I will hear,’ says the Lord.[vi]
St. James says, when we pray, the Lord opens his hands and gives us more than we ask. ‘Let him ask it of God, and it will be given to him; God, who gives abundantly to all men; but let him ask with faith,[vii] …… ‘and it shall be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over into your lap.[viii] The Lord is not stingy in any way, but very, very generous; he hears us, because he is our Father.
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If your little child came and asked for help in something that was of great concern, wouldn’t we listen carefully to his trouble, and find the best way to help him? ‘What father, if a son asks for a fish would hand him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg would hand him a scorpion?[ix] Jesus said that. If earthly fathers want to help their children, Our Father in heaven wants to give us good things, but we don’t always understand his gifts to us.
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A little boy is being wheeled down the hall for a life-saving surgery. He is very afraid, and asks his father: ‘Why are you doing this to me?
Children often don’t understand why their parents hurt them, why the Peroxide must be put on the cut, why the infection must be pressed out of the wound. Children don’t understand why they must go through pain. But we are children, of God, and we too often don’t know why God’s answers seem to hurt. We must pray daily; give God all our greatest desires and requests. Then trust his answer.
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I was with the elderly at the retirement center last night, speaking on this same subject. A lot of people there with physical problems. I said, ‘Brace yourself now for what St. Francis de Sales says.’ He says: When we are sick, ask God’s help; obey your doctor, take the prescribed remedies.
‘Desire to be cured,’ he says, ‘that you may serve God more.’
‘But do not refuse to be ill, that you may obey him,
and be prepared to die should this be his will, to praise him.'[x]
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St. Bernard says, when we pray, the Lord will give either the grace we ask, or one that is more useful to us.[xi] St. Augustine says,[xii] ‘We owe this much to God: if he does not take away our trouble, we must not imagine that we are being forgotten, but we must await greater blessings.
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God always hears our prayers. A person wrote a letter to St. Francis de Sales, asking him why God does not answer her prayers. Here is what he says: ‘all trees my dear child do not bear fruit at the same season; some of the best are the longest in coming to maturity. I have heard it said that the palm tree grows a hundred years before it bears fruit. God has hidden within the secrets of his Providence, when and how he answers your prayers, and it may be that he will answer you by doing according to his views rather than yours. Be at peace, my child, within his fatherly arms and in his loving Care.[xiii]
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So we pray hard and with confidence – and we trust God in his answers. St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi used to say, God feels as if he were under an obligation to the person that prays to him.
St. John Chrysostom says, ‘the kings of the earth give an audience only to a few; but God gives an audience to all who wish for it.’
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So let us pray daily and often for all our needs. We should all have a list of those things for which we beseech God. It is true, we do not always know what is best to ask for. So why don’t we put it all in the hands of Mary to bring to Jesus. Mary, I entrust everything to you, because you know best, how to bring everything to Jesus.
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[Placed in the prayers of St. Nicholas]
[i] Efficacy of prayer is nicely discussed in: Preparation for Death, St. Alphonsus, p. 301-303.
[ii] Jeremiah 33:3
[iii] John 15:7
[iv] Matt 7:7
[v] The Divine Pity, p. 109.
[vi] Isaiah 65:24
[vii] see James 1:5
[viii] see Luke 6:38
[ix] Luke 11:12; Matt 7:10
[x] Introduction to the Devout Life, p. 96.
[xi] Preparation for Death, p. 301.
[xii] Roman Breviary, Office for Thursday, 29th Week.
[xiii] Spiritual letters of St.Francis de Sales, p. 191.
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin
Beloved in Jesus Christ, today is the Assumption of Mary into heaven; When a great saint passes from this life to the next – – we can think of John Paul II, or Mother Theresa, or Padre Pio for example – when such a saint passes from this life, the body is attended at the Funeral with so much love and reverence – well, it could not be any different with the end of the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. No doubt, all of Jesus’ disciples who were at Jerusalem[i] drew near to the bier that carried the Holy body of Mary; – feeling themselves so favored to have gazed on her lovely face and spoken with her in life.
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St. John Damascene says it is quite probable that then a great many miracles took place, as has happened at the deaths of other saints.
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As Gentilucci(ii) says, when the hour arrived to carry to the grave the sacred body of Mary, the Apostles took on their shoulders this sweet burden; the priests and Deacons and a multitude of men and women accompanied them, full of joy and weeping, because all wished to be near the Mother of God. As the funeral procession reached the base of the Mt of Olives in the Valley of Josaphat, they placed her in the tomb. At first, the people did not depart, but remained by the tomb, and they could hear some kind of heavenly music in the air.
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On the 3rd day, there finally arrived St. Thomas who was the only apostle who had not been present. As he heard everything described, his face was covered with tears and he asked to see the tomb. As they opened the tomb, amidst the scent of roses, they saw the cloths in which the body had been wrapped, but no body – she had been assumed to heaven. The heavenly music could still be heard, as they sealed again the tomb, and pondered this marvel of God.
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This account of the resurrection and assumption of Mary is given by St. John Damascene, St. Basil, St. Juvenal of Jerusalem, and others. St. Nicephorus says, that from the Holy Apostles this has been handed down to our day.’
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Friends in Christ, this is the most common of the various accounts that have come down to us, but we can’t be sure of the details of what occurred at that time; but that Mary was raised in body and soul is true, and it is for sure most fitting in the economy of salvation for many reasons:
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For example, it was required because of Mary’s intimate union with her Son, since Our Lord’s risen flesh in heaven is the same flesh taken from Mary who conceived him.
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It was required, because of her holy and sinless life, which made her the Queen of all the saints. Therefore it was fitting that she should be assumed into heaven. And if Our Savior so honored and loved his Mother on earth, how could he not honor her this way in heaven?
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At the resurrection of Christ, scripture says that some others rose from the dead at the same time, and many theologians believe that those ascended to heaven with Christ; if this is true of them, how can it not be true of the Mother of God?
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Of course it is a Dogma of the Holy Faith, that Mary was taken, body and soul to heaven. If any ask of where is this in the bible, we can easily point to the 12th chapter of Revelation, in which seen in heaven, is Mary, clothed with the sun.
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If anyone wishes to go to pray at the sacred remains of Mary, they would find that it is impossible, because of all the saints whose mortal remains are honored, there exist no such remains for Mary, only her empty tomb near the Mt. of Olives; because she is not here, she is risen and assumed to heaven.
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So today we honor this dear Mother, who has not only led us on the way by the example of a holy life, but who shows us as well the destiny promised to her children: resurrection and glorification of our whole self, body and soul.
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Let us conclude with words of Msgr. Gentilucci: ‘If Mary ascended to heaven without even leaving us her mortal remains, well – she does not any less have a tender love for us. Let us rejoice then, that Mary anticipates for ourselves the resurrection promised to all the just.
[i] It seems most probable that Mary lived at Ephesus (Mary’s House) for a time; it is a debated point whether her death was at Ephesus or Jerusalem. Gentilucci provides a thorough study of this question, settling on Jerusalem. p. 426.
[ii]The traditions mentioned here can be found in Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary by R. Gentilucci.
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.
Trust God
19th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Beloved in Jesus Christ, today we encounter in the gospel – that magnificent scene of Jesus walking on the water. The apostles had been out all night in the boat; it was very early in the morning. The winds had come up unexpectedly, a frequent occurrence at the Sea of Galilee. Suddenly, these apostles see something, someone, walking on the water? an apparition? what is it? then comes the familiar voice: “Have courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Jesus, walking on the top of the water.
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Now while they are still in disbelief, from among them, Peter suddenly blurts out: “Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you.” ‘Are you mad Peter? What are you doing?’ He slips his foot down onto the waves; set’s his sandal there, and his weight on it – His feet press against the water as if it were solid ground, he’s standing. Now such a thing had never been seen in the history of the world. But they are seeing it.
‘Lord, command me to come to you.’ And he said, “Come.”
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Friends, we wish to speak today about trust in Jesus, confidence[i] in the Lord. In one sense, we might say that trust in God equals worship.[ii] Without trust, there can be no real, living Faith, because living Faith inevitably leads to trust. How can a person say, ‘I have faith in the Lord,’ but I don’t completely trust him. If we had total confidence in God, we would never worry.
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Trust in God means a child-like simplicity. We see little children asleep in their mother’s arms carrying them around in the in the store, and they are completely at ease. Many wish to become holy, but do not attain it, because of a lack of confidence in God.
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There is an expression which is often said: ‘I am so worried about this, I just have to give it over to God.’ People say this: ‘I know, I just have to put it in God’s hands.’ So our conscience is telling us this, to trust in God. We say: ‘Lord, I put this problem into your hands’ – yet we do not feel the peace. We go on worrying, and we try to control the situation, to make it turn out the way we want.
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I was listening to a talk by Fr. Thomas Richter.[iii] He says, that we often pray in order to get God to agree to give us things. ‘Lord, please give us a sunny day for the family reunion.’ We get sunshine, God complied with our request, and then we sort of forget about him, until the next need arises. This is really to make the Lord a dispenser of favors, our prayers try to control him, because controlling everything is what we want, we wish to be self-reliant.
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A person will say, ‘My brother is getting a test to see if he has Leukemia, we’re praying that he doesn’t. We are putting our trust in God.’ So here is the question: What is meant by ‘trust in God?’ Do we mean that we have confidence that he won’t have Leukemia? Is this confidence in God? not really. This is why we keep worrying.
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Total trust in God means, that we believe he hears our prayer, that God loves us, and that whatever his plan is, without question, it will be for the best; and then we have peace, even if he has Leukemia, because we trust him.
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St. Polycarp was being pursued by those who hated Christians; he wanted God to protect him from capture, and he even hid himself. But he was captured. Yet when the solders found him – they found him at complete peace; he even offered them a meal. So was the gruesome martyrdom that he went through, a failure of his prayer? Had his confidence in God been misplaced? no God wanted him to be a martyr, and this was a greater thing.
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Confidence in God means that we want what he wants. Trust in God means embracing his plan today, accepting with peace, his plan, today. It has to do with that little phrase we say in the Our Father: ‘Thy will be done.’
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Some people think that being a Christian means that we will use prayer to get every cross out of our life. But Jesus says that to be a Christian is to take up your cross!
The truth is, we all have some-thing or some-one in our life that is a real cross for us. Something. We probably pray and anguish, the most about that. Let’s think right now, about that one thing or one person. If we had a magic wand, and could make that one problem in our life go away – an illness, our boss, a child’s lapse from the faith, a sinful past; my poor head for arithmetic;
it could be a co-worker who tries us, or a relative; or if my spouse just wasn’t – ‘that way;’ if only THAT, would be taken away, our life would be SO beautiful.
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Well, deep down we all know: this THING in our life, is no doubt exactly the thing by which Jesus wants us to find holiness. This is where complete trust in Jesus must be found.
We spend our life trying to get rid of our big cross, but it is in precisely in this, by which God wants to teach us to abandon ourselves into his Providence.
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People who want to manipulate God, this is their relationship to him – when they don’t get that job they prayed for, or the cure they asked for, they can become bitter or angry: ‘I tried trusting God, but he did not come through.’ This is trying to get God to do what we want, but really, we are supposed to be embracing what God wants! Peter walked on the water as long as he trusted Jesus. But when he stopped trusting, he sank. ‘Oh ye of little faith!,’ says the Lord. Well, we need more trust ourselves.
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Think of a 5-year old child who can’t sleep, tossing and turning; he is worrying about how to pay the electric bill; and how he will do all the shopping for the family tomorrow, and pay his older brother’s college tuition, big problems. He tells another boy how stressed out he is: But that boy says, ‘my parents do all that!’
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In reality, we are MORE dependent on God than that 5-year old. We have to put our confidence in the Lord, and not worry. We can’t control everything at all. When things are not the way we want them, this is where grace wants to come in. Being a true Christian means to stop hating hardship, but accepting it, so that we can grow. ‘When I am weak, then I am strong,’ says St. Paul.
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St. Paul prayed to God: He had something, that was a thorn in his side. ‘3 times I asked God to take it away. But God said, no. My grace is sufficient for you.’ St. Paul had to learn to embrace that thorn in his life, whatever it was, and to trust God.
Some think it was a temptation of the flesh which kept coming back to him. it is often found that temptation is conquered precisely by confidence in God.
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Those struggling against a sinful habit or addiction know that it is imperative, that at the first moment of temptation one must make an act of total confidence in God. ‘Lord help me, without you I will fall, but with you I will conquer. Father Faber[iv] says, a person who has been tested a lot by temptation is always someone with a lot of trust in God. No one can walk on water except Jesus Christ; so what about Peter? Peter had the Spirit of Christ in him. When we become worried about what is not in our control, that’s against the spirit of Jesus.
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‘I can do all things in he who strengthens me.’ There, that’s St. Paul. That’s confidence in God. The same St. Paul says ‘God is faithful, he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, He will give you the way to bear it.'[v]
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Often we wish to pray, ‘Jesus, take this storm away from me;’ We can go through life asking God to take away everything that makes us dependent on him – or we can trust him.
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Confidence in God, is true worship. It shows real, living Faith.
Our trust must be bold and it must be total.
Then God can have his way with us in the storm.
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Mary trusted God more than anyone. ‘Let it be done unto me, according to your word.’ Help us Mary, to put our total trust in Jesus, Our Savior,
come what may.
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[Entrusted to the prayers of St. Teresa of Avila]
[i] See ‘Interior Freedom’ by Jacques Philippe for a great deal more on this subject.
[ii] See his conference ‘Confidence is the only Worship,’ in father Faber’s Spiritual Conferences.
[iii] Portions of this homily are from the talk on CD: ‘Trust in the Lord,’ by Fr. Thomas Richter, Lighthouse Media.
[iv] Spiritual Conferences, Faber. See his chapter: ‘Confidence, the Only Worship.’
[v] 1 Cor 10:13
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.
Patronal Feast
The Feast of St. John Vianney. Today was the day we were waiting for, and we were not disappointed. Many came to honor our patron.
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The storm clouds stayed away just long enough
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Parish groups carrying their banners
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Careful men, that’s a Saint you are carrying!
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The celebration followed – a day for our parish family
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Pray for us.
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
