St. John Vianney: Daily Mass Homily--Monday, August 4th, 2014 (Memorial of St. John Vianney)

             It is a great feast for all priests as we celebrate our patron, St. John Vianney.

            This morning I would simply like to share a few of his characteristics which I admire about this great man.  First, he was a man of undeterred perseverance.  As a seminarian, he did not do so well with studies—particularly Latin—and as much as he tried, he could not pass.  He even had to study with little children!  Yet this did not quench his burning desire to be a priest and he was eventually ordained.

            He is also well known for being a confessor par excellence.  He would spend between eleven to sixteen hours in the confessional every day.  People traveled from all over Europe to go to him for Confession.

            Second, St. John Vianney was a man of courage.  As a new pastor of the remote town of Ars, he combated secular culture head on.  At the time, dance halls and pubs were popular in France, and he saw these as a deterrent to the faith of his people.  Imagine what he would think of our society today!  He used his own money (which he did not have much of) to double what these establishments would have made to shut them down. 

            God allowed John Vianney to be persecuted by the devil.  He had many run-ins with the evil one, yet always with resolute faith and confidence in God’s love.  It is reported that one night, as he was sleeping, he was awakened by a strange noise.  He sat up and saw Satan standing before him.  He chuckled and said, “Oh, it’s only you” and went back to sleep.

            Finally, I love the Cure of Ars for his balance with his personal and parish funds.  He gave almost everything to the poor and had nothing to his own name and ate a potato a day.  While living a life as simple as he could he also maintained, “Poverty stops at the sanctuary.”  He invested in beautiful vestments, sacred vessels and other liturgical items in order to help the faithful raise their hearts and minds to God.

            Sometimes I have heard criticism of our Church owning or spending money for beautiful things—chalices, vestments, cathedrals and the like.  Some say, “Why doesn’t the Church sell these goods and give the money to the poor?”  Vianney shows that we can do both.  We can be extremely generous to those in need, all the while giving God our first fruits as well.

            May we, like St. John Vianney, persevere in our faith and work hard in our daily lives.  May Christ strengthen our resolve to stand fast when we are afraid and give us the grace to give generously to the poor and our parish.

            St. John Vianney, pray for us!