Life of St John Vianney.pdf - the Catholic Kingdom!

"""THE, WORD OP GOD. 101always hope of a person who is well instructed. He maystray into all kind of evil ways, but there isalways hopeof his returning to God, though it were only at the hourof death ; whereas an uninstructed personis like one inhis agony who has lost consciousness. He knows neitherthe heinousuess of sin, nor the beauty of virtue, nor theworth of his own soul ;but grovels from siu to sin, likea reptile which crawls along in the mire.See, my children,in what estimation our Lord heldthe Word of God. To the woman who cried, Blessed isthe womb that bare Thee, and the breasts which fedThee, He replied, Rather, blessed are they who hear theWord of God, and keepit.You see, my children, that our Lord, who is Truth itself, makes no less account of His Word than of His Body.Idont t know whether it is worse to have distractions during Mass than during instruction. I see no difference. Bydistractions during Mass we lose the merit of the Deathand Passion of our Lord ; and by distraction during theinstruction we lose His Word, which is Himself. St.Augustine says it is as bad as to take the chalice after theConsecration, and spillit on the ground under our feet.My children, people would feel a scruple in missingMass, because they know that they would thereby commit a grievous sin ; but they feel no scruple in missingthe Catechism. They think that there is no fear of offending God grievously on this point. At the day of judgment,when you are all round me, and the good God says to you,*Give Me an account of all the instructions which you haveheard, and of those which you might have heard, you willthink very differently. My children, people go out in themiddle of the Catechism ;they themselves amus>e by laugh-Ing, they pay no attention, they think themselves too