Today is the remarkable feast of an unremarkable man, at least unremarkable in those things we normally consider important. For starters, John Vianney was a man “of average intelligence,” which means he should not have been much of an “influencer.” But, by God’s grace—and this is what makes today remarkable—he influenced all of Europe from his tiny country parish in southern France. After his death, he influenced the whole world, and in 2010, at what I think was the largest concelebrated Mass in history—16,000 priests with Pope Benedict in St. Peter’s Square—St. John Vianney was named “exemplar of parish priests across the universe.” If he were a girl, he might have been Miss Universe, and if parish priests ever run parishes on Mars or further afield in our galactic cluster, he will be their gold standard.
While studying for the priesthood in Rome, I lived with a religious community, the Oblates of the Virgin Mary. Every other Saturday night we would watch a movie together, and one Saturday an American brother told me we would be watching Tutti Insieme Appassionatamente. I looked a bit flummoxed, so he explained, with a wry smile, “that’s what the Italians call The Sound of Music.” Indeed, all the brothers were excited to watch this beloved movie together appassionatamente, and for those not yet conversant in Italian, the title could be translated “All Together Passionately!” That is a pretty good description of The Sound of Music. If you haven’t seen the movie in a few years, I recommend watching it again. It was the first movie I ever saw in a theatre; my mother took all of us kids to see it, saying something like “you children have to see this movie. It’s the best one ever made.”
And perhaps that was the beginning of my vocation to the diocesan priesthood. I love big families, and the movie awakened in me a love for big religious communities as well. Maria von Trapp goes from sisterhood to nannyhood to marriage with seven children. All of these relationships are “tutti insieme appasionatamente,” and it is being together that makes us happy. Of course, "being together" can be mighty hard at times, but human relationships are worth the price of admission.
A parish priest helps Jesus build human relationships into communities through God’s passionate love for all of us, together. A parish, like a family, can be a real community, if we work hard at it, with God’s grace. St. John Vianney turned out to be a remarkable parish priest in many aspects, but at the core was his burning love for Le Bon Dieu and God's people. The collect, or opening prayer for his Mass today, points this out:
Almighty and merciful God,
who made the Priest St. John Vianney wonderful in his pastoral zeal,
grant, we pray,
that through his intercession and example,
we may in charity win brothers and sisters for Christ
and attain with them eternal glory.
Through Christ Our Lord, your Son, in the Holy Spirit. Amen.
St. John didn’t want just to get to heaven alone. He wanted to attain eternal glory with them. He would spend 16 hours a day in the confessional to bring everybody into eternity with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. A parish priest is a father, who will do anything to get every one of his children into eternal happiness. What would heaven be without even one of these children?
While studying for the priesthood in Rome, I lived with a religious community, the Oblates of the Virgin Mary. Every other Saturday night we would watch a movie together, and one Saturday an American brother told me we would be watching Tutti Insieme Appassionatamente. I looked a bit flummoxed, so he explained, with a wry smile, “that’s what the Italians call The Sound of Music.” Indeed, all the brothers were excited to watch this beloved movie together appassionatamente, and for those not yet conversant in Italian, the title could be translated “All Together Passionately!” That is a pretty good description of The Sound of Music. If you haven’t seen the movie in a few years, I recommend watching it again. It was the first movie I ever saw in a theatre; my mother took all of us kids to see it, saying something like “you children have to see this movie. It’s the best one ever made.”
And perhaps that was the beginning of my vocation to the diocesan priesthood. I love big families, and the movie awakened in me a love for big religious communities as well. Maria von Trapp goes from sisterhood to nannyhood to marriage with seven children. All of these relationships are “tutti insieme appasionatamente,” and it is being together that makes us happy. Of course, "being together" can be mighty hard at times, but human relationships are worth the price of admission.
A parish priest helps Jesus build human relationships into communities through God’s passionate love for all of us, together. A parish, like a family, can be a real community, if we work hard at it, with God’s grace. St. John Vianney turned out to be a remarkable parish priest in many aspects, but at the core was his burning love for Le Bon Dieu and God's people. The collect, or opening prayer for his Mass today, points this out:
Almighty and merciful God,
who made the Priest St. John Vianney wonderful in his pastoral zeal,
grant, we pray,
that through his intercession and example,
we may in charity win brothers and sisters for Christ
and attain with them eternal glory.
Through Christ Our Lord, your Son, in the Holy Spirit. Amen.
St. John didn’t want just to get to heaven alone. He wanted to attain eternal glory with them. He would spend 16 hours a day in the confessional to bring everybody into eternity with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. A parish priest is a father, who will do anything to get every one of his children into eternal happiness. What would heaven be without even one of these children?
St. John Vianney blessing a child. Painting by Paul Borel (1828-1913), Sanctuaire d'Ars, Ars-sur-Formans, France
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