ST.  JOHN VIANNEY

INTRODUCTION

Today is the feast of St. John Vianney.

John Vianney is the Patron Saint of at least  two areas of Church Life: he can be seen as the patron saint of parish priests and the patron saint of the sacrament of confession.

FIRST: THE PATRON SAINT OF PARISH PRIESTS

Priests who work in parishes are challenged down through the years by the example of John Vianney.

I know Pope John Paul II and on most priest retreats, priests are challenged by the example of Saint John Vianney.

I love the scene in the movie, The Natural, when Roy Hobbs says to Iris Gaines, “I coulda been better. I coulda broke every record in the book.”

And Iris [played by Glenn Close] asks, “And then?”

And Roy Hobbs, played by Robert Redford says, “And then? And then when I walked down the street people would've looked and they would've said there goes Roy Hobbs, the best there ever was in this game.”

I don’t know if priests feel that way about St. John Vianney – but I think he has the impact of what any great in any field does: he sets the bar high. He gives folks a goal on what it’s like to be the best.

Good examples – good models – grab us – and challenge us.

As I thought about this today, I don’t think most of us consciously try to give good example ourselves. I do think we consciously try not to give bad example – especially to the innocent.

Then it hit me: unconsciously – from experience, from reading, from sermons, from life, we do try to give good example. We  imitate – or know it’s important – to imitate the best. I assume that’s why the church talks about Christ – and talks about saints – to give us good examples on how to live life to the full and to our best.

For example, Saint John Vianney – like our pope Francis – looked to St. Francis of Assisi as a model.

That meant – the simple life. That meant being a priest not for the outfits – for the look – for the robes – for the recognition.

That meant to be a church person is to be a person who is concerned about others – especially the poor and the forgotten.

So John Vianney was concerned about the people of Ars. The story is told that he couldn’t find the place when he was sent there in 1829. It was in the middle of nowhere. It was only a tiny village – with a main street, a few houses and a small church with 20 rows of benches – which often were empty. The area was rural France and priests and church were not very significant in people’s lives – especially after the French Revolution. Church attendance was poor when he started. It was startling when he finished there in 1859. 

He visited his parishioners – he found the lost sheep – and brought them home.  That might be the significance of the statue in the town square today: John Vianney is standing there asking a shepherd boy the way to Ars. The shepherd boy told him where the town was and John Vianney  is reported to have said, “You have pointed out to me the road to my parish. I will one day point out to you the road to heaven.”

He got to Ars and it was never the same again.

Across the street from the church he helped start an orphanage – because of the many orphans in the area in need of a home.

I’ve read that he had a strident and annoying voice. However, his sermons were simple – and filled with substance. They were clear and easy to get. For example – he compared private prayer to a single piece of straw whereas public prayer is like a bundle of straw – which can become like a burning torch sending a fiery cry up to God.

SECOND:  PATRON SAINT OF CONFESSION

He had a gift as a confessor. Year after year his reputation as the priest to go to confession to increased. One year it is reported that 70,000 people came to Ars – from all over Europe - to go to confession to the Cure of Ars.

I love that name for a priest: a cure.

John Vianney certainly brought the cure of Christ – his forgiveness – his love – his curing powers – to people – who felt sick with sin and of sin.

Back to Roy Hobbs in The Natural again. During the movie we hear about his big mistake – and how much it impacted his whole life. Isn’t that the story of so many people? Then when Roy Hobbs finally confesses to Iris what happened – he starts on the road to recovery – and the movie has a happy ending.

Every priest knows the reputation of the Cure of Ars and his dedication to being there for people who want to confess their sins. Hopefully, when we priests get tired or when we complain that the confession line is too long or someone bothers us with the request, “Father can you hear my confession?” we’ll say, “Yes, gladly!”

I’ve always been impressed with the story of the Cure of Ars and confession – because confession is an important stress in ministry by Redemptorists. Saint Alphonsus has a whole book on being a good confessor. We’ve always heard about  one of our Redemptorist saints, St. Clement Hofbauer. Clement spent long hours in the confessional  - sitting there listening to people – especially in Vienna, Austria. I read somewhere he sat there so much that he had big time problems with hemorrhoids. I wonder if the Cure of Ars had the same problem. Interesting question.

CONCLUSION

So on this feast of St. John Vianney, the cure of Ars, please pray for priests that they be good shepherds and good confessors. Amen.