BIG C CATHOLICS

August 10, 2016 Saint John Vianney was passionate about speaking out against sin, and equally as passionate about bringing his parishioners into the confessional so that they could be forgiven. He believed the worst crime people could commit would be to receive the Eucharist in vain. He used to say that it was a miracle that people who did this were not struck dead on the spot. Today, we pray for the desire to seek reconciliation with God so that we may be worthy to receive the Eucharist. Novena Prayer, Day Seven: Saint John Vianney, in life you have shown your veneration of the Blessed Sacrament. To this end you spent long hours in the confessional to help the faithful become worthy to receive the holy sacraments. Obtain for me the fervent desire to always remain worthy to receive the holy sacraments that I may also one day be rewarded with God’s favor, and spend life in His kingdom with all the saints for all eternity. Believing in the power of your kind intercession, I

August 9, 2016 Prayer was at the center of Saint John Vianney's faith and led to the subsequent conversion of his parishioners. He once observed, "Private prayer is like straw scattered here and there, If you set it on fire, it makes a lot of little flames. But gather these straws into a bundle and light them, and you get a mighty fire, rising like a column into the sky; public prayer is like that." Novena Prayer, Day Six: Saint John Vianney, you rejoiced at every opportunity to spend time in prayers and contemplation. Your dedication was such that, had it not been for practical considerations, your bishop would have granted your wish to be a monk. Teach me the power of prayer, that I may slowly understand God’’s will for me. Obtain for me the conviction that through fervent prayer, nothing is impossible. Believing in the power of your kind intercession, I humbly ask you to pray for me and the special intention I am hoping God will grant me through this nove

August 8, 2016 Saint John Vianney was plagued by many trials and besieged by the devil, yet he remained firm in his faith and continued to live out a life of devotion to God. This was possible due to his dedication to the Blessed Sacrament, his time in spent in prayer, and the frequent mortifications he practiced. Vianney labored all hours of the day and night. He ate and sleep little, fasting regularly. He completely trusted the Lord and surrendered his life to Him. Novena Prayer, Day Five: Saint John Vianney, God’s grace saw you through all the trying moments of your life. Inspired by the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, you sacrificed your entire life in order to serve him fully. Your complete trust and surrender to His will allowed you to enter priesthood in spite of the many trials you had to endure. Obtain for me the same complete trust in the will of God, that will allow me to see hardships and trials as sacrifices I need to joyfully accept in His name. Let my anxie

August 7, 2016 Saint John Vianney set out to save souls by confronting sin and spiritual lethargy wherever it was found. Soon the effects of his preaching and tireless promotion of the sacrament of penance became so renowned that people traveled great distances just to have him hear their confessions. His bishop requested that Vianney forego retreats in order to continue saving souls. May we be as single-minded in our determination to love God and others, even if it requires sacrifice. Novena Prayer, Day Four: Saint John Vianney, when you saw social ills and sin in your parish, you sparked moral and spiritual renewal through your homilies and work in the confessional. Your unrelenting efforts to win back souls to God’s grace has caused many to repent. By your soft words you were able to convert many sinners like me. Pray for me that God may bless me with the same outrage for sin and for me to have the compassion for sinners that you did. Let me choose my words carefully, le

August 6, 2016 St. John Vianney's call to the priesthood faced difficulty when the major seminary rejected him for being too slow. He was later admitted at the request of his mentor, Father Balley, who reasoned that his piety compensated for his ignorance. Vianney was ordained on August 12, 1815, and said his first Mass the next day. He was assigned as an assistant to Father Balley in Ecully. In 1818, a few years after the death of his mentor, Vianney was appointed parish priest in Ars. Novena Prayer, Day Three: Saint John Vianney, your successful journey to the priesthood is a testament to your determination to serve our Lord Jesus Christ. Your life as a priest is a shining example of what we should expect from the chosen leaders of God’s flock. Your perseverance in the face of many hardships has saved numerous souls. By contemplating on your life, may I be imbued with the same determination to be the best that I can be in the many roles I play in life. Let everything

August 5, 2016 Saint John Vianney was an extremely selfless priest who prayed and worked unceasingly for his parishioners' conversions. He listened to confessions up to 16 hours each day during summer. His homilies on the mercy and love of God were so powerful, it is said that upon hearing his words sinners were converted. Novena Prayer, Day Two: Saint John Vianney, you dedicated your life towards saving souls for the greater glory of God. You were even blessed with an almost supernatural ability to obtain what you needed to help our less fortunate brothers and sisters in Christ. You freely gave of yourself in imitation of the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. Teach me also to see God in each person around me, and especially in those who have wronged me. Help me to see service to my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ as a responsibility that I should joyfully and willingly fulfill to gain a chance to live with you, with our Lord, and all the saints for all eternity. B

August 4, 2016 Though a simple and humble parish priest, Saint John Vianney was renowned for converting sinners with gentle words. He would spend eleven to sixteen hours per day hearing confessions just to accommodate the pilgrims coming to Ars. May we imitate his tireless devotion and faithfulness in doing the will of God. Novena Prayer, Day One: Saint John Vianney, you were blessed with a loving and devout family who supported your desire to increase your faith and devote yourself fully towards imitating the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. In your quest to pursue your holy vocation, you were not deterred by the many obstacles that came your way. Your strong faith carried you through all of life’s trials to your place in God’s kingdom. Obtain for me the same courage and faith that allowed you to give all to God without counting the cost. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide me to the right decisions that will best serve God and my neighbor. Believing in the power of your kind int

August 4th is the Memorial of Saint John Baptist Mary Vianney (1786-1859). He was born May 8, 1786 in Dardilly, France and baptized the same day. He was the fourth of six children to Matthieu and Marie Vianney. During Vianney's youth, the French Revolution forced priests to work in secrecy and Catholicism underground. The future saint was initially catechized and confirmed in private by two nuns who had lost their convent in the violence against the Church. Against many obstacles and difficulties, (including seminary professors who considered him slow) Vianney suffered and struggled to become an exemplary priest. He was ordained in 1815. Shortly afterward, he was assigned to Ars, a town of 230 inhabitants (hence his designation the Curé d'Ars). John Vianney was internationally known for his priestly work and for the spiritual transformation of the community of Ars. People traveled for miles to attend his Masses, hear him preach, and go to confession. Men of all ranks and

Besides Jesus, there may be no better model for priests than St. John Vianney, who is the patron of parish priests. Only a handful of parish priests have been canonized. Most are religious priests, missionaries, bishops, cardinals and popes. Vianney lived from 1786 to 1859. For forty-one years, he was the Cure (pastor) of the French town of Ars. The Curé d'Ars is known for his prayerfulness and piety. People would travel for miles to attend his Masses, hear him preach and go to confession. As a result, the small town of Ars became a center of virtue and faithfulness. The Novena to St. John Vianney begins Thursday, August 4th. Consider praying this novena on behalf of the priesthood or for a specific priest. St. John Vianney is known for his intercessory prayers for priests, miracles and other impossible situations. 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 ma

In today's world, it's hard, and even dangerous in some situations , to be a follower of Jesus. In many ways, it's even harder to be a faithful priest. The demands on our priests' time and the hostilities they face while preaching the Good News are numerous. The Novena to St. John Vianney begins Thursday, August 4th. Consider praying this novena on behalf of the priesthood or for a specific priest. St. John Vianney is known for his intercessory prayers for priests, miracles and other impossible situations. Our priests need our prayers. Think of the priests in your life; those who have brought you closer to Christ, those who are struggling in some way, or those you happen to know. Pray this novena for them, and for all ordained pastors of souls serving Christ's Bride, the Church. St. John Baptist Mary Vianney is known for overcoming many obstacles to become a priest and serve God and his parishioners. He did so selflessly, displaying heroic virtue. He is t

June's blog of note, Domine mihi hanc aquam! , has long been a fixture of the Catholic blogosphere. Since November, 2005, Fr. Philip Neri Powell, a Dominican seminary professor, formation advisor and parish priest, has preached and commented about Christ, the Church, popular culture and events of consequence. Featured are Fr. Powell's thought provoking homilies through which readers know and love the mind of Christ. The wide ranging scope of HA's subject matter is reflected in a quote from Pope Benedict XVI displayed on the blog's masthead: "A [preacher] who does not love art, poetry, music and nature can be dangerous. Blindness and deafness toward the beautiful are not incidental; they are necessarily reflected in his [preaching]." In addition to faithful homiletics, readers are just as likely to see advice for discerning a religious vocation , a presentation of original paintings or a polemic against the "Culture of Death." Domine mihi hanc

St. Thérèse composed, and recited daily, the following prayers for priests: O Almighty Eternal God, Look upon the face of Thy Christ, and for the love of Him, Who is the Eternal High Priest, have pity on Thy priests. Remember, O most compassionate God, that they are but weak and frail human beings. Stir up in them the grace of their vocation which is in them by the imposition of the Bishop’s hands. Keep them close to Thee, lest the enemy prevail against them, so that they may never do anything in the slightest degree unworthy of their sublime vocation. O Jesus, I pray to Thee, for Thy faithful and fervent priests; for Thy unfaithful and tepid priests; for Thy priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields; for Thy tempted priests, for Thy lonely and desolate priests; for Thy young priests; for Thy aged priests; for Thy sick priests; for Thy dying priests; for the souls of Thy priests in purgatory. But above all, I commend to Thee the priests dearest to me: the pries

Besides Jesus, there may be no better model for priests than St. John Vianney, who is the patron of parish priests. Only a handful of parish priests have been canonized. Most are religious priests, missionaries, bishops, cardinals and popes. Vianney lived from 1786 to 1859. For forty-one years, he was the Cure (pastor) of the French town of Ars. He is known for his prayerfulness and piety. People would travel for miles to attend his Masses, hear him preach, and go to confession. As a result, the small town of Ars became a center of virtue and faithfulness. There is an excellent novena in honor of Saint John Vianney here .