Jeremiah 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22 / Matthew 18:1-2, 10-14 (Memorial of St. John Vianney)
Today the Church honours St. John Vianney, who was a French parish priest and is venerated as the patron saint of parish priests.
He came from a poor peasant family, had his studies interrupted by the French Revolution, considered a slow and unpromising candidate for the priesthood, but he was ordained on account of his love and devotion to God rather than anything else.
As a seminarian, he was not quick at learning. It appears that when one of his professors called him an ass, he purportedly replied, "If Samson could defeat the Philistines with the skull of an ass, what could God not do with a complete ass like me?" - or words to the effect.
In 1818, he was sent to an isolated village of Ars to be the parish priest where he was noted as a simple but heart-touching preacher and also a confessor who was gifted with the spiritual insight into souls.
Some of his simple and practical quotes are these:
- Do not try to please everybody. Try to please God, the angels and the saints - they are your public.
- Everything is a reminder of the Cross. We ourselves are made in the shape of a cross.
As a priest, he expressed what the priestly ministry is about in these words: The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.
Let us pray for priests that they will love God's people with the heart of Jesus and be faithful servants of God as St. John Vianney was.