Sermon by St. John Vianney the Curé of Ars

[Onegin]

Below is a Sermon given by St. John Vianney. Most likely this sermon would be considered “harsh” or uncharitable by today’s standards but I would argue that sermons like this are all the more necessary.

We can only find our happiness on earth in loving God, and we can only love Him in prayer to Him. We see that Jesus Christ, to encourage us often to have recourse to Him through prayer, promises never to refuse us anything if we pray for it as we should. But there is no need to go looking for elaborate and roundabout ways of showing you that we should pray often, for you have only to open your catechism and you will see there that the duty of every good Christian is to pray morning and evening and often during the day – that is to say, always.

Which of us, my dear brethren, could, without tears of compassion, listen to those poor Christians who dare to say that they have not time to pray? You have not the time! Poor blind creatures, which is the more precious action: to strive to please God and to save your soul, or to go out to feed your animals in the stable or to call your children or your servants in order to send them out to till the earth or to tidy up the stable? Dear God! How blind man is!

You have not the time! But tell me, ungrateful creatures, if God had called you to die that night, would you have exerted yourselves? If He had sent you three or four months of illness, would you have exerted yourselves? Go away, you miserable creatures; you deserve to have God abandon you in your blindness and leave you thus to perish. We find that it is too much to give Him a few minutes to thank Him for the graces which He is giving us at every instant!

You must get on with your work, you say.

That, my dear people, is where you are greatly mistaken. You have no other work to do except to please God and to save your souls. All the rest is not your work. If you do not do it, others will, but if you lose your soul, who will save it?

Here is a link to some more sermons: catholicbible101.com/stjohnvianneysermons.htm

http://www.oakdiocese.org/pastoral/images/st-john-vianney.jpg

 

[Advocatus_Fidei]

St Alphonsus Liguori spoke the same way, they were not hampered by the evil of self love which makes people want to be liked and afraid of offending people.

 

[Onegin]

I agree. It is the Priest’s duty to do what he must to help us save our souls, not to feel better about ourselves and thus fall into apathy.

Sermons like these would be like rain falling on a barren desert. They are so needed.

 

[Musicadmirer]

Every word that I have read from the Cure of Ars is both refreshing and in my opinion, from God (of course!). He and Padre Pio are such fine examples of what selfless priests are.
Now if we as laypeople would only try to be a fraction of said selflessness…

 

[Shin]

Such a moving priest!