Homily on the memory of Saint John Marie Vianney

Father Anthony Mellace

In the Old Testament reading, Miriam, the sister of Moses, starts to criticize her brother and is punished with leprosy. God tells her that Moses does not have visions and revelations like other prophets, but speaks “face to face” with Him. Moses then intercedes for his sister and she is cured of the illness. Whenever our Church leaders are attacked and persecuted by those within or without the Church, punishment is sent to society by God. I really believe that the swine flu is a chastisement by God to the world for not listening to the Church leaders when they condemn abortion. While it also might be true that Evangelical pastors have visions and revelations, the Catholic priest speaks daily “face to face” to God in the celebration and consecration of the Eucharist. His is a loftier and nobler mission and dignity than of others. The priest and his word therefore are to be respected and obeyed by all.

Today we celebrate the memory of the great saint and patron of all parish priests: St. John Marie Vianney. St. John was the son of a farmer and was raised in a rural area. He was drafted into Napoleon’s army, but became ill and was abandoned by the other soldiers. He decided to enter into the seminary and become a priest. He was rather slow and dull in studies and it looked like he would not be ordained. A priest friend, who took to him with kindness and patience, instructed him in the basics of theology and philosophy and had him pass his tests. The bishop, who did not trust him very much, sent him to the smallest parish of the diocese, in the village of Ars. In order to understand the challenge that John Vianney had to face, we must remember the deplorable moral and spiritual situation of Europe in general during this period. The Jacobin revolution and Napoleon had practically destroyed the Church on the Continent. Many priests and bishops had been exiled and emigrated to England, Russia and the USA. The ones who remained were obligated to swear loyalty to the government. They were therefore puppet priests and bishops well paid by the government but traitors to the Catholic cause. Disbelief and hatred towards the Faith reigned all over. There were a mere four clergymen who held the Church together during this critical period. One was the saintly bishop of Southern France called Eugene de Mazenod, founder of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. The second was the founder of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, the venerable Pio Bruno Lanteri who practically restored the faith in Northern Italy. The third was Saint Alphonsus Marie Liguori who founded the Congregation of the Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) in Southern Italy and wrote a series of books on the mercy and goodness of God. Both he and Father Lanteri fought Jansenism, so rampant in the Church and which kept many people away from the sacraments.

The fourth priest was St. John Marie Vianney. When he arrived in Ars, the people jeered at him and the adolescents threw rocks at him. He calmly entered the parish, cleaned out the Church and began to pray night and day. Little by little, people began to attend his Mass, first the older folk, then the children, families and finally men. St. John practiced much charity towards the poor. He really had nothing to give them since he was poor himself. He only had some packages of flour, sugar, etc in his cabinet. Interesting though, he took, each day; everything he had and gave it to the poor, yet his cabinet never went empty. God multiplied everyday whatever he took to give away, so he never ran out. He himself was surprised with this miracle and one day he doubted God’s power. When he opened the cabinet, there was no more food. He felt ashamed, got down on his knees and begged, in tears, forgiveness for his lack of Faith. When he rose up and opened the cabinet, the food was there again. People recognized him as a saint and his confessional filled with penitents, especially when it was discovered that he could read souls. People from all over France came to confess to him. The devil became angry and started to torment him. He would come at night knocking on his door or howling like a wolf. St. John was afraid, but trusted our Lady to protect him. The devil exclaimed that if there were three more John Vianneys in France, he would lose the whole country to Jesus Christ.

In his homilies, St. John preached very simple and basic things: hell, heaven, eternal life, purgatory, sin, confession, prayer, the Eucharist, devotion to Mary and conversion. One day he told the people:”I had a dream and was sitting at the side of Christ on judgment day. I saw some of my parishioners coming up to him and he told me: These never listened to your words or converted; now I want you to condemn them to hell. I was horrified and said to Jesus: please no, you are the one to pass judgment on them and execute the sentence. Jesus replied: no, they are your parishioners and the responsibility is yours. You did not save them, so now you will have to condemn them by your own hand. I wept as I lifted my hand, looked into the eyes of people I had known in my life and pronounced the words of eternal punishment to them.” You see, my children, I am responsible for your salvation and we must work all together for this. God forbid such a situation in which I be the one to condemn any of you to hell!” It was with these and other words that St. John Vianney instructed the people. He told them that a priest does not go to hell or heaven alone, but is accompanied in either place by a multitude of souls that he brings with him. Let us pray that every parish priest truly save every soul entrusted to him. It should be remembered that the priest who makes his Holy Hour on a daily basis is promised by the Sacred Heart of Jesus the power to convert the most hardened sinner of his parish. This should encourage all priests to zealously pray for the salvation of everyone under their care. St. John Vianney, pray for us, priests and people alike!

Father Mellace is a member of the Congregation of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 12, 1983 by Pope John Paul II. He currently serves the Church in San Paulo, Brazil.