Why God Allows Suffering
The Gift of Priests
Photo by Michel Grolet on Unsplash
Today we receive a special blessing from the Church as it remembers the patron saint of parish priests, John Vianney, who by the 150th anniversary of his death, inspired Pope Benedict XVI to establish 2009-2010 as the "Year for Priests."
Also known as the Curé of Ars, John Vianney's endless preachings, good works, sacrifices and prayers stirred countless conversions in and around his assigned parish in Ars, France in the early 1800's. His greatest gift was his deep humility, and although he was well loved by the people, he disliked praise and remained profoundly humble throughout his life.
The holy Curé of Ars taught us that we'd receive everything we ask for, if only we'd ask with an honest, pure heart and living faith.
In today's Gospel, St. Peter shows his faith in the face of fear as he gets out of the boat and walks on the water toward Jesus, but when he sees how strong the wind is, his faith begins to sink – and so does he! "Lord, save me!" (Matthew 14:30) At once, Jesus reaches out His hand and catches Peter, but then questions the fullness of his faith, "Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Matthew 14:31)
What a gift we have in the faith-filled examples of Ss. Peter and John Vianney, who help our parish priests stay close to the truth of the Gospel so they can assist us when we come upon frightening, stormy waters and guide us safely into the hands of the most humble High Priest, our Lord.
Elizabeth
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About the Author
Elizabeth Tichvon is a Catholic writer and Consecrated Marian Catechist under the Direction of His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke. Always faithful to the Magisterium, she spreads and defends the Catholic faith as a true witness of Christ, confessing the name of Jesus boldly, never ashamed of the Cross.
Elizabeth became aware of the need for the New Evangelization while in the two years of her formation as a Marian Catechist and wrote over 200 published meditations on Sacred Scripture from the daily Liturgy of the Word for various Catholic websites, and following Jesus' example, now teaches through her own parables so that by sharing her stories through social media, might bring others closer to the heart of Christ. She is currently a regular columnist at Catholic365 and as a Marian Catechist, her spiritual life is the foundation of her writing.
She completed UCLA's Graduate Program With Honors and worked as a Paralegal for 32 years before retiring from Chrysler's Office of the General Counsel in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
