The fourth of August is the feast of the Frenchman, St John Mary Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests. St John was born on the eighth of May in 1786 and died on the fourth of August in 1859. He lived during a time of great political, cultural, and religious upheaval, from which France has never recovered.
In 1789, three years after St John’s birth, the French Revolution commenced and the Catholic King of France was murdered, along with his wife and children. The revolutionaries set about de-Christianising France by force. Approximately 30,000 priests were exiled and several hundred were murdered. The Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris was desecrated and turned into a pagan temple. The revolution also initiated ten years of political chaos. A series of tyrants rose and fell until General Napoleon Bonaparte seized control of the government and transformed France into an empire. Napoleon’s rule collapsed in 1815 and for the remainder of the 19th century, France was gripped by political, social and religious turmoil.
In the midst of this chaos, young John Vianney was drawn to the Catholic priesthood. He was not particularly bright, failing seminary exams on a couple of occasions. Nevertheless, he sensed the call of God and persevered. Eventually he was appointed parish priest of the tiny village of Ars, near Lyon. He remained there his entire life and transformed the town into a hub of faith. St John Vianney particularly devoted himself to the sacraments and faith formation. He worked to improve the dignity of the worship of God, improved the availability of the sacraments, and educated his people in the faith.
Despite his limited academic ability, St John Vianney understood how to speak of God in accurate but simple terms. His sermons are powerful and easy to read. Over the next couple of weeks, we hear in the Gospel Our Lord’s teaching on the Most Holy Eucharist. In one sermon on the Eucharist, St John Vianney said:
“There is in every house a place where the provisions of the family are kept: the pantry. The church is the house of souls. This house belongs to us who are Christians. Well, in this house there is a ‘pantry’. Do you see this tabernacle? It is the pantry for the food of your soul. It is there that the Body and Blood of Jesus is, and this good Saviour says to us: ‘Take and eat . . . take and drink’.” A mortal man, a creature, feeds himself, satiates himself with his God, making of Him his daily food and drink.
“All creatures have need of food in order to live, that is why God has made the trees and plants. It is a table well served where all the animals come to take the food which suits each one. But the soul also must be fed. Where then is its food? When God wished to give food to our soul to sustain it in the pilgrimage of this life, He looked over all the creation and found nothing worthy of it. Then He fell back on Himself and resolved to give Himself.
“The food of the soul is the Body and Blood of God! What beautiful nourishment! The soul can only feed on God! No other than God can suffice. Only God can satisfy its hunger. It needs God absolutely. All the week one gathers, one spends, one buys, one sells; but all that is for the body. Arrange things then to make once a week a feast for the immortal soul: O delicious banquet! O heavenly Bread! Oh! what a privilege! to be able to feed his soul and to feed it with God!”