Today is his feast day of Saint John Vianney. The focus of this reflection is how we can learn from the lives of our Saint of the Day and give us new respect for the men and women who serve us as priests and religious.
Saint John Vianney was born in the year 1786 and baptized the same day. The Clerical terror of the French Revolution stated in 1790, but it did not stop his family of eight from attending Mass in secret at local farm houses. One of the most important things I would like to point out is that is he was part of a family and a greater community at large. He was nurtured by family to become a priest but still he was an integral part of a family.
One of my old pastors, Father Tom, used to laugh at the comments of some of his flock who said ” Father, you were never married and you just don’t understand.” Father Tom would gently explain that he came from a family of 6 brothers and sisters. He said that all priests come from families and just like us are all connected.
Another priest who was part of our lives Father “M” a lovely man who retired from an active ministry in New York City. One of his accomplishments was editor of a local Italian speaking newspaper. He used to say that his greatest joy was celebrating Mass. He was great friends with a local Italian family who would share birthday and anniversaries parties with him and speak Italian which was always accompanied by lots of ethnic food. His health failed and he was in a coma before he died. The family that adopted him would take turns holding his hand and being with him day and night in the hospital. My wife, Anna who is a retired nurse, took some shifts staying with him in the hospital so he would not be alone and giving the other family respite care. We would tell him that he was loved. We were all his family.
Many of our priests do not become priests by a simple straight line. Saint John Vianney had to avoid being drafted into Napoleon’s Army to get to become a priest. One of my old high school friends became a priest after his wife died and his children were grown. The one thing that kept all these stories together was family and community who encouraged them.
In our first reading the King saved Jeremiah from certain death ( Jeremiah 26:24 ) But the hand of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, protected Jeremiah, so they did not hand him over to the people to be put to death.
In our Gospel today even John the Baptist was family to Jesus. Spreading the Word of God is neither easy or safe but it is the duty of all of us to encourage and in some small or large way help spreading the Kingdom of God side by side with them.
If you go and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation today, make sure you tell your confessor how much you appreciate him as family.
Prayer: Praying for all priests and religious who server God and us.
God Bless
Bob Burford
Readings: Jeremiah 26:11-16, 24; Psalm 69:15-16. 30-31,33-34; Matthew 14: 1-12
