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

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD. 13afterwardsconsumed together with the poor, and seatedat the same table with them. After supper all said nightprayers together, and then the master of the house wentto marshal his guests to their resting places some in thebarn, some in the cellar. The great delight of Jean Mariewas to assist his parents in the exercise of their noble andHe brought in all the beggars whom heholy hospitality.could meet with, and once succeeded in collecting fourand-twenty.His greatest joy was to find little boys orgirls of his own age, or younger still. He brought themto the fire, one after the other, beginning with the youngest ;he would beg fruit from his parents table for them,and add to it all that he could save from his own food.Then he inspected the state of their clothing, and beggedfrom his mother, whose tender compassion he well knew,a shirt for one, a vest for another, a pair of trousers for athird, and shoes for a fourth.When he met with children of his own age, he set towork to teach them the Our Father, the Hail Mary, theActs of Faith, Hope, and Charity, and the chief truths ofreligion. He taught them that they must be very good ;that they must love the good God very much ; never complain of their lot, but bear its hardships patiently in theprospect of eternal life.Though he discreetly addressedhis exhortation to the children, their elders would listento him with grateful and admiring wonder.Such was theearly childhood of Jean Marie Vianney, such the freshnessof the morning dew sent to prepare his soul to bear theburden and heat of the day which was before him.The grace which, like an aureola, had surrounded himfrom his cradle, increased from year to year. As he passedout of early childhood,it was but to advance from theignorance of evil to its detestation.Such was the iimo-