John Marie Baptiste Vianney, the humble nineteenth-century
priest, began life in 1786 as the son of a poor farmer in a small French
village. Obliged to assist his father in the fields, he was unable to commence
his formal education until he was twenty years of age. Knowing nothing of
philosophy and finding it quite difficult to learn Latin, he twice failed the
examinations required before ordination.
He was eventually ordained a priest at the age of thirty,
but was thought to be so incompetent that he was placed for further training in
the care of a priest named Father Bailey.
It was during his first assignment that Father Vianney
started his lifelong practice of praying to Our Lady to free him from his
sensual temptations. He made a vow to
God to pray daily to Our Lady the Regina Coeli.
As a priest, I hear a lot about sensual temptations in the
confessional, as I’m sure did John Vianney who often spent over 12 hours a day
in the confessional, sometimes 16 to 18 hours. By the time of his death, a
special railway was established for the number of pilgrims coming to Ars, up to
120,000 people per year. John Vianney, himself, believed in the
importance to our lady in overcoming the sensual temptations. For those who
struggle with the sins of the flesh, intense devotion to our Lady is needed:
the daily rosary for purity is recommended.
As a seminary student, John Vianney dedicated himself to Our
Lady according to the total consecration of St. Louis Marie De Montfort. From
St. Louie Marie de Montfort, we receive that wonderful prayer: “Totus tuus ego
sum, et Omnia mea tua sunt” which became the pontifical motto of Saint John
Paul II. “I Am all yours, (Blessed Virgin) and all that I have belongs to you.”
So, even the saints experience great frustrations,
difficulties in preparing for, living out their vocation, and even the saints
struggle with sin. And they teach us to intensify our prayer, our fasting, our
works of charity to seek that perfection for which God made us.
St. John Vianney, who as a student had such difficulty being
accepted for the priesthood, who exercised his vocation in such an edifying
manner, was canonized in 1925 and was named the patron saint of parish priests through
the world.
Our priests need prayer more than ever, as we enter into a very
dark time in human history. For we need priests, don’t we, to be generous and pure
and courageous and full of mercy. Think of how many converts John Vianney won
for Christ because of his personal holiness, his outpouring of pastoral
charity. Please continue to pray for your priests, that we may look to and
follow the humble and holy example of St. John Vianney. And that all of us may
continue to be lavish in our service for the glory of God and salvation of
souls.
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