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

VISIT OF M. LACROIX. 167moment relaxed or suspended his labours, i had comeinto the church four hours after him, and though I hadbeen all the time a simple spectator, I was overpoweredwith fatigue, and began to think of retiring. But beforegiving up hope, I determined to mako one more attemptupon the inaccessible sacristy. Aided by the saint s obliging auxiliary, I continued to place myself just at theopening of the door, and when the cure itopened to admita new penitent, he saw me straight before him, seemed torecognise me, and allowed me to enter. We remainedstanding opposite to each other. Being unwilling to takeup much of his precious time, I put to him briefly andrapidly the two questions which I had prepared. He replied at once decidedly,without apparent reflection,witlioutthe slightest hesitation, but at the same time without precipitation; his replies were in the highest degree wise andjudicious, and his advice susceptible of the easiest andmost beneficial application. Generally speaking, men arecompelled to deliberate, and maturely weigh a plan, beforethey can decide what will be the wisest course to take.The Cure of Ars seemed to improvise wisdom. I wasamazed to see this calmness, attention, arid presence of mindunder the circumstances. Ever since midnight he had beenbesieged as he was even now ; he had not given himself amoment s rest ; he had returned answers to hundreds ofpersons. There was a man kneeling beside us at the prie-Dieu of the confessional, waiting his turn. Masses of otherswere pressing to the door, like the waves of the rising tide.Yet the holy priest was present to all, giving himself to all,without impatience or apparent fatigue. Assuredly thiswas not natural, or simply human ;and no one can reflectfor a moment upon such facts without being compelled torecognise the intervention of Divine grace, raising a man