Saint John Vianney Teaches Us Sacrificial Love

Saint John Vianney is known for leading the village Ars from corruption to holiness, and the path he took to change the hearts of many was not an easy one. Through constant prayer, extreme penances, fasting, and preaching from the soul, he conquered the evils that he faced in his life. This saintly priest was able to transform a village of sin into a place where thousands of repentant souls would come on pilgrimage to confess their sins.

The year was 1818, and Saint John Vianney became the parish priest of the small village in France known as Ars. On his journey to the town, he needed help finding his way. He stopped a boy that he encountered and said, “Show me the way to Ars and I will show you the way to Heaven.” Saint John Vianney was indeed a blessing for the village of Ars since it was totally engulfed in sin. For instance, taverns were packed. Constant sinful dancing was taking place. Overall among the people was a complete lack of faith. However, burning in the heart of this new priest was a zeal to convert his whole parish.

To change the hearts of his parishioners, Saint John Vianney used a variety of different heavenly methods. One approach was through deep prayer. A prayer he would say is, “I love You, O my God, and my only desire is to love You until the last breath of my life. I love You, O my infinitely lovable God, and I would rather die loving You, than live without loving You. I love You, Lord and the only grace I ask is to love You eternally… My God, if my tongue cannot say in every moment that I love You, I want my heart to repeat it to You as often as I draw breath.”

Another way Saint John Vianney won souls for the Lord was through harsh penances that would leave his body drained but his heart nonetheless on fire for Christ and souls. Furthermore, he would fast by only eating a few potatoes a day, making him very thin. He knew fasting was a sure way to lead other souls to Jesus. In this extreme daily fast, he placed his focus on the needs of his people instead of on bodily nourishment.

One of the most powerful ways Saint John Vianney would convert his parish was through his zealous sermons. He would preach from the soul and and truly bring about the conversion of many by his inspiring words from the ambo. By all these means, Saint John Vianney worked tirelessly for God and his people until he saw the conversion of his parish. His heart truly wanted to see the change, and he would persevere until he saw the effects of his works of God come to fruition.

Not only did Saint John Vianney pray fervently, do penances, fast by only eating a few potatoes, and preach about the Faith, but he would go above and beyond these actions by listening to confessions twelve to eighteen hours a day. He could read the souls of men and women, reminding them of sins they had forgotten or did not want to confess. By this, Saint John Vianney was truly able to convert his parish as well as all the people who traversed to Ars and wanted him to hear their confessions.

I think it is also worth mentioning that Saint John Vianney fought the Devil’s attacks. What has always been interesting to me, though, is that Saint John Vianney knew that the more the Devil would attack him at night, the more a sinner would repent the next day. Saint John Vianney knew this, and how he laughed at the Devil! Saint John Vianney was on God’s side, so he knew he would win these battles.

When I think of Saint John Vianney, I am always inspired by his sacrificial ways. That he completely gave himself as a priest to win the souls of others is truly remarkable. Motivated by this, I hope to win souls for Jesus through my writing. That way I can imitate his virtues in my own way.

My writing journey has not always been so smooth. There have definitely been some bumpy moments of writer’s block, writing so much it hurts to look at the page on the computer screen, rejection from publishers, and the list goes on and on. However, I do find comfort in knowing that all writers face these trials and become more successful with perseverance and, of course, giving it to God.

My advice to any aspiring writer who shares the same dream as mine is simply to persevere and pray, As cliché as it sounds, with God anything is possible. I have written, submitted, and prayed to God and saints like Saint John Vianney, and this is the truth that continues to ring true no matter where I find myself.

One quote I like to reflect on from Saint John Vianney is, “Do not try to please everybody. Try to please God, the angels, and the saints – they are your public.” This reminds me that I try to write not what sells in the public eye but instead uplifting content that brings people closer to Christ.

Another good quote is, “All our religion is but a false religion, and all our virtues are mere illusions and we ourselves are only hypocrites in the sight of God, if we have not that universal charity for everyone–for the good and for the bad, for the poor and for the rich, and for all those who do us harm as much as those who do us good.” This sacrificial love or charity that Saint John Vianney is speaking of is what makes us true Catholics. We cannot say we are faithful believers in our Catholic Faith if we do not serve our neighbor in the ways God calls us to serve through our time and talents.

In the end, Saint John Vianney has demonstrated various examples of the sacrificial love of neighbor that God demands from each of us as we make our own personal path to Him in this life. Saint John Vianney has shown through continual prayer, penance, fasting, and preaching that becoming a saint is possible for anyone. With the grace of God, he conquered the Devil and all his tortures. He even was able to read the souls of those who would come with repentant hearts. Thus, Saint John Vianney was just a regular human being who went above and beyond. Because, as we all know, that is where Heaven is.