In thanksgiving for the gift of Saint Jean-Marie Vianney

In thanksgiving for the gift of Saint Jean-Marie Vianney to Ars!

Passing from the old man to the new man, as Saint Paul reminds us in the Letter to the Ephesians, is not simply a matter of accepting new words about Jesus Christ, about man or about society. The newness lies first and foremost in the new attitude into which the life of salvation calls us (according to 4 facets of the same mystery):

• Choosing (and knowing) whom to trust … for us: Christ who gives his life. And to really rely on it means: to enter into thanksgiving … because it’s about Salvation, and not just a ‘better life’ or a simple ‘cure’.

• The way of reasoning (St Paul: “reform your way of thinking” Eph 4:19): this consists in starting afresh from faith: what it says about God, what it says about man and society: what sin had wounded the world, even perverted and mortally affected it, is then restored. It’s not just one path among many, but the path of Truth, where we grow face to face with Truth. And so we move from ‘faith’ to ‘life of faith’… through the act of faith… repeated daily.

• To serve our brothers and sisters (as the embryo of a new society, a civilization of divine love) and to live mercy for all… we could also say “benevolence breathed by the Holy Spirit” who will sometimes reveal himself, sometimes remain hidden, but never be absent… even towards the pagan.

And reluctance or opposition on the part of society, or the ‘old world’ within us, is inevitable… but not insurmountable: “God’s work is that you believe in Him whom He has sent” Jesus Christ replies to his detractors… in front of his disciples who know full well that they are just beginning to “believe” because they are just beginning to accept to enter this new path. This week we celebrate the eminent Servant of God Saint Jean-Marie VIANNEY… not only to ask him to intercede with the Father to send us Shepherds according to His heart, but also to commit us to live, too, according to His heart…

Happy birthday,

Thank you to the Bishops, successors of the Apostles, who will be with us.

Thank you to the priests who will be stopping off with their big brother Jean-Marie VIANNEY,

Thank you to the Christians who live and bear witness to the joy of “living in God”…

P Rémi Griveaux. Curé d’Ars-Villeneuve-Savigneux. ^18th Sunday of Ordinary Time August 1, 2021