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

"What"The"""344 THE CUR OP ARS.would have been his answer during his lifetime to the words which we have now applied to him ?Courage, good and faithful servant ;enter thou intothe joy of thy Lord. Would you believe it, belovedbrethren ;and ought I to make it known to you ? Yes,most assuredly ;and I ask of God, in the name of himwhom we have lost, that my words may bo wholly episcopal and apostolic.holy cur6 would not only have replied in thewords of the Gospel, / am an unprofitable servant; whycall you me good and faithful? but he would have felta desire (shall I say a temptation?)to deal still morehardly with himself. This was one of the secret trials,by which, as I have said, God was pleased to exerciseHis servant." *M. le Cure, said one of the missionaries to him,how, in the midst of all this concourse, which continually surrounds you, can you resist the temptation to vainglory ?Ah, my child, replied the holy priest, * say rather,how can I resist the temptation to fear, discouragement,and despair ?Strange excess of the grace of God, which explainsthe pertinacity with which this good and veneratedpastor clung to his desire to leave his flock, in order toend his days in penance and retirement !Ah, Monseigneur, he said to me, hardly a fortnight ago, * 1 shall soon ask you to let me go and weepover the sins of my life." *But, my good cure,* said I, * the tears of the sinnerswhom God sends to you are worth far more thanyours.wt l)o uot speakta me iu this ^aY. Qr 1 skali not