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Gospel: Matthew 14: 13-21
When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already late;
dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages
and buy food for themselves.”
He said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”
Then he said, “Bring them here to me,”
and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples,
who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied,
and they picked up the fragments left over–
twelve wicker baskets full.
Those who ate were about five thousand men,
not counting women and children.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint John Vianney, the Patron Saint of priests.
John was born in 18th century France. Raised by his parents who were humble farmers, he did not receive any formal education until he entered the seminary as a young adult. While he was never considered the brightest student, he was certainly among the holiest.
Three years after his priestly ordination, John was sent to the small town of Ars, with just 230 residents. There he not only dedicated his life to the spiritual care of the faithful; he also became known as a warm and gentle confessor.
As his reputation spread, he began spending up to 18 hours a day inside the confessional, hearing the confessions of people from around France and beyond. Some estimates state that he eventually heard more than 20,000 confessions a year.
What was once a sleepy town in France became known as, “the great hospital of souls.”
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Part of what made John such a special priest was the fact that he was merciful to all who sought his counsel, imposing very minor penances on pilgrims, while performing much greater penance for the sake of their souls himself.
Examples include eating a very meager diet, such as a single potato a day, and allowing himself a few meager hours of rest.
Before his death, John was quoted as saying, “If we really understood the priest on earth, we would die – not of fear, but of love.”
John understood that priests are not only Christ’s representative on earth, making the Lord present through the grace of the Sacraments; but priests are also called to live like Jesus, who gave his very Self for the sake of his flock.
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Today let’s pray for all priests, especially for those in need of spiritual renewal, that we’d embrace the lightheartedness of John; that we’d be gentle confessors; that we’d embrace a life of penance; and that all who interact with us see Who they saw in John:
Jesus Christ.
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Image credits: (1) Diocese of Raleigh (2) Catholic Art Company (3) Vianney Vocations