Loving God - St. John Vianney

"The Service of the Blessed Virgin" by St. John Vianney

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The following is a sermon by St. John Vianney. Source: The Sermons of the Curé of Ars

 "If I wanted to, I would show you that in all walks of life there h ave been great servants of the Blessed Virgin.  I would find for you, among t hem, those who begged their bread from door to door.  I would find for you, among them, those who lived in much the same sort of state in life as many of you.  I would find them for you among the wealthy, and in great number, too.  We read in the Gospel that our Lord always treated people with great tenderness, except for one type of people whom He treated with severity; these were the Pharisees, and they were so treated because they were proud and hardened in sin.  They would willingly have hindered, if they could, the accomplishment of the will of the Father.  What is more, our Lord called them 'whited sepulchers, hypocrites, brood of vipers, offspring of vipers, who devour the breasts of their mothers."

We can say the same thing on the subject of devotion to the Blessed Virgin.  All Christians have a great devotion to Mary except those old and hardened sinners who, for a very long time, having lost the faith, wallow in the slime of t heir brute passions.  The Devil tries to keep them in this state of blindness until that moment when death opens their eyes.  Ah!  If they had but the happiness to have recourse to Mary they would not fall into Hell, as will happen to t hem!

No, my dear children, let us not imitate such people!  On the contrary, let us follow the footsteps of all those true servants of Mary. Belonging to this number were St. Charles Borromeo, w ho always said his rosary on his knees.  What is more, he fasted on all vigils of the feasts of the Blessed Virgin.  He was so careful about saluting her on the stroke of the bell that when the Angelus rang, wherever he was, he went down on his knees, sometimes even in the middle of the road when it was full of mud.  He desired that his whole diocese should have a great devotion to Mary and that her name would be uttered everywhere with the utmost respect.   He had a number of chapels built in her honor.

Now the, my dear brethren, why should not we imitate these great saints who obtained so many graces from Mary to preserve them from sin?  Have we not the same enemies to fight the same Heaven to hope for? Yes, Mary always has her eyes upon us Do we suffer temptations?  Let us turn our hearts towears Mary and we shall be delivered."

Feast of St. Jean Marie Vianney

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"Saint John Vianney, when asked how long he had loved Mary replied "I loved her almost before I could know her."

O thou most holy virgin Mary,
who dost evermore stand before the most holy Trinity,
and to whom it is granted at all times to pray for us to thy most beloved Son;
pray for me in all my necessities;
help me, combat for me, and obtain for me the pardon of all my sins.
Help me especially at my last hour;
and when I can no longer give any sign of the use of reason,
then do thou encourage me, make the sign of the cross for me,
and fight for me against the enemy.
Make in my name a profession of faith;
favor me with a testimony of my salvation,
and never let me despair of the mercy of God.
Help me to overthrow the wicked enemy. When I can no longer say: 'Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I place my soul in your hands,' do thou say it for me;
when I can no longer hear human words of consolation, do thou comfort me.
Leave me not before I have been judged;
and if I have to expiate my sins in purgatory, oh! pray for me earnestly;
and admonish my friends to procure for me a speedy enjoyment of the blessed sight of God.
Lessen my sufferings, deliver me speedily,
and lead my soul into heaven with thee: that, united with all the elect,
I may there bless and praise my God and thee for all eternity. Amen.

- Saint John Vianney

The Prayer Book, The Catholic Press, Inc.

Quote - Love of Neighbor

Picture courtesy of Ave Maria

Mahalo to Sue C. for sharing this quote.

Love for your neighbor consists of three things:
to desire the greater good of everyone;
to do what good we can when we can;
to bear, excuse, and hide other's faults.

St. John Vianney