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Gospel: Matthew 9:35 – 10:1
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds,
his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.”
Then he summoned his twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits
to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness.
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 and raised by his parents who were humble farmers. Not receiving any formal education until he entered the seminary, John was never among the brightest students in his class, but he was known as among the holiest.
Three years after his priestly ordination, he 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, John began spending up to 18 hours a day inside the confessional, administering the Sacrament to people from all 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 unique priest was the fact that he was merciful to everyone who sought his counsel, imposing very minor penances on pilgrims, while performing much greater penances for them himself.
Examples included eating a very meager diet, as little as a single potato a day, while 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 like John, we’d be gentle confessors; embrace a life of penance; and bear the heart of the one whom we represent:
The Good Shepherd.
Jesus Christ.
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Image credits: (1) Franciscan Media (2) Saint John Vianney, Wikipedia (3) Children of the Eucharist