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

"No"how184 THE CURE OF AR6.the desire of solitude a temptation irresistible, because itseemed to him to come from God. He prayed for prolonged life and restored strength ; not that he mightlabour for others, but that he might do penance for himself. The one cry of his wounded spiritwas for somelonely cell, where he might weep over his poor sins.one knows," said he, to his faithful friend, theComte des Garets, many tears I have shed uponmy poor pallet. Ever since I was eleven years old, Ihave asked of God that I might live in solitude ;but myprayer has never been heard."CHAPTER XIII.First flight of M. VianneyHis return.PERHAPS the most severe of all the spiritual conflicts ofthe holy cur was the continual wrestling with whatseemed to him to be his vocation. Of the intensity of thistrial,those only can judge who have a hunger and thirstlike his to do the will of God, and have found that will tobe their stay and their shelter in all temporal sorrow andin all spiritual desolation. To be where God has placedhim, to do or to suffer what God has given him to do andto endure, is the meat and di ink of the servant of God,ind he is content to hold on his way, even in such obscurity as shrouds all the beauty of earth, and darkensall the face of heaven, if only he has light enough toshow him that he is in the right path.Even this was withheld from the Cure of Ars ; he hadto toil in rowing with the wind and tide of his attractionto solitude full against him ;to do the work of a pastorand evangelist with, as it seemed, the vocation of a Car-