St. John Vianney, Patron of Priests

Source: Wikipedia

Cure de Ars
Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. John Vianney who was designated the patron of all priests in 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI. He was born in 1786 in a town near Lyons, France. When he grew older he helped his father raise sheep. When he turned eighteen he asked his father permission to pursue the priesthood. John Vianney was a pious young man who simply wanted to do God's will, but unfortunately, he was not very smart and struggled with his studies. He was in danger of being washing out of the seminary, but persevered in prayer, and with the help of a tutor, study. Eventually he passed the necessary classes and was ordained. He was assigned a parish in Ars whose members did not know, live or share their faith; they were a "stiff necked people." Eventually their hearts were softened by the witness of John's holy life and the parish flourished.

Supernatural Events
"[T]he centre of his entire life was the Eucharist, which he celebrated and adored with devotion and respect. Another fundamental characteristic of this extraordinary priestly figure was his diligent ministry of confession" (Pope Benedict XVI, 8/5/09). St. John Vianney was not simply great confessor for he heard confessions for upwards of sixteen hours a day.  He was graced with the gift of reading the hearts, souls and minds of his parishioners. If someone made an incomplete confession, he would supernaturally know. Additionally, he was able to sustain long extreme fasts for the benefit of his flock. St. John Vianney was tormented by the devil who would physically assault the saint, even setting his bed on fire. The saint did not let satan deter his priestly vocation. Finally, after his death, St. John Vianney's body remains a symbol of his holiness for it has not decayed; he is one of the incorruptible saints.

Lessons to Learn
We learn from St. John Vianney that we can persevere in the knowledge that all things are possible through God.
Apostleship of Prayer - Video
Arcadia Films - Saints Alive!

Saint Talk: St. Teresa de Avila

Let nothing disturb you; Let nothing frighten you. All things are passing. God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Nothing is wanting to him who possesses God. God alone suffices.

Today we celebrate the feast day of St. Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church. I like to call her the original flying nun because often while she was praying before the blessed sacrament, she would enter a state of ecstasy and begin to levitate. 

St. Teresa is best known as a reformer of the Carmelite order and a spiritual mystic. Her spiritual classic, Interior Castle is widely read and considered a monumental examination on meditative prayer. In addition to her writings on meditative prayer, St. Teresa had a tremendous devotion to St. Joseph and wrote about it in her autobiography.

St. Teresa's life was the subject of a Spanish film entitled, Teresa de Jesus which has recently been made available in the United States by Ignatius Press. Below I have included a video from Arcadia Films, Saints Speak series.

The Little Flower

Today we celebrate the feast day of St. Therese of Lisieux who is one of the most beloved saints of our time. She is a Doctor of the Church, patron of missionaries and author of the Story of A Soul.

One of my favorite accounts about St. Therese is one describing her interaction with a fellow nun who was especially difficult to get along with. St. Therese's response was to simply be nicer to that nun and smile at her as often as possible. There is a great scene in the movie Therese (now available for streaming on Netflix) depicting this story. The other nun is so moved by Therese's kindness that she can't help but ask, "Why do you like me so much." Although Therese doesn't specifically say so in the scene, it's because she sees Christ in that nun.

Herein lies one of the simply ways which we can model the Little Flower. I am sure each of you reading this post, knows at least one person you work with or encounter regularly who challenges your ability to be friendly.

Give St. Therese's "little way" a try and enjoy this video from Arcadia Films on St. Therese.