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

"HIS OUTWARD APPEARANCE. 223inwardly it is Jesus Christ. So was it with this greatservant of God. And this is the secret of the wonderfulpower which he exercised over the human heart.Withoutthinking of without it, knowing it, without willing it, thisman, so weak in 1bodily presence, drew all who approachechim within the sphere of his attraction. Once to meet hiseye or hear his voice was to be fascinated by his look andword. Men of the world, accustomed to the power of fardifferent spells, have acknowledged that, after they hadseen the Cure of Ars, his image seemed to haunt them, andhis remembrance to follow them, whithersoever they went.It would have been difficult indeed to image to oneself aform more cleany marked by the impress of sanctity."M. Monnin thus describes the outward appearancewhich, in his later years, so lightly veiled the indwellingof Jesus :V. Vianney was small of stature ; his form, thoughnot devoid of a certain degree of vigour, indicated a highlynervous temperament. Age and toil had not robbed hislimbs of their elasticity and suppleness. His movementswere quick and decided, and their agility bore tokens of achildhood developed in the healthy exercise of rustic labour.By a rare privilege, he preserved to the last the full use ofthe organs and faculties necessary for the fulfilment of hismission. Thus his hearing retained its acuteness, his sightits keenness, his mind its clearness, and his memory itsfreshness, even to the day of his death. Yet his body hadreached such a degree of extenuation as to seem almostimmaterial. There seemed to be nothing under the largefolds of his cassock. His step, though heavy, was rapid,as of a man who, weary and exhausted, yet hastens on inthe service of God. His head fell slightly forward on hiabreast, from the habit of recollection and adoration. His