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By John Fencik
In his “Instruction: Christ the Fountain
of Life,” St. Columban writes: “For the
more they drink, the more they thirst … if
you thirst, drink from the fountain of life;
if you hunger, eat the bread of life!”
When St. John Vianney arrived in Ars, he
found both a run-down church
and apathetic parishioners who seldom
received the sacraments. He worked diligently
by his faith, love and
prayer to draw his flock
back to the Good Shepherd.
He sought out the lost just
as the Good Shepherd loves
his own and lays down his
life for them. At the very
heart of his personal spirituality
and priestly ministry
was his love for the Holy
Eucharist. He strove to
make it the heart and soul of
his little parish.
In his Catechism, he
devoted a chapter to the
Real Presence and another
on frequent communion.
“There is nothing so great, my children, as
the Eucharist! Put all the good works in
the world against one good Communion;
they will be like a grain of dust beside a
mountain.”
He constantly reminded his people of
how our souls need to be fed and that this
food is Jesus, the Bread of Life. He saw
people in post-Revolutionary France who
did not even recognize their hunger and, if
they did, they sought “food” in the things
a secular society ultimately could never
satisfy. He took to heart the words of Jesus
in John 6:53: “…if you do not eat the flesh
of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you
have no life in you.”
He wanted them to have “real” life. His
daily celebration of the Mass was the
source of the fire that filled him with such
passionate love for Jesus and the people
entrusted to his pastoral care.
People today are just as hungry and
they often seek the “superficial bread” the
secular world offers – instant gratification
lasting but a moment. How many books
and advertisements flood our senses with
promises of everything from eternal youth
to eternal life? Why do so many seek the
answer to life’s mysteries and meaning in
the latest pop culture fad? Why have so
many embraced the “religion” of narcissism,
truly believing that they are the center
of the universe and that everything
revolves around “me”?
Jesus saw this in the crowds that came
to him and he was moved with compassion.
In Matthew 14 the disciples ask Jesus
to dismiss the crowd so that they might
find food. He said to them: “Give them
something to eat yourselves.” They
replied: “We have nothing here, but five
loaves and a couple of fish.”
Was Jesus referring to their physical
hunger? To some degree, but he saw the
deeper longing and restlessness in their
hearts. The disciples thought they had
“nothing” to give them,
when in reality in Jesus
they had everything anyone
needed. And so, in anticipation
of the Eucharist, Jesus
feeds the more than 5,000.
And in the Eucharist today
he continues to feed his
flock. This was the heart of
the priesthood of John
Vianney, to feed the sheep
entrusted to him with Christ
himself.
In this Year for Priests
we are reminded of the
challenging ministry that
our bishop and priests have
also received from the Lord: “Give them
something to eat yourselves.” Like John
Vianney, they have readily accepted this
calling. Like John Vianney they are
refreshed each day by their celebration of
the Eucharist, knowing that they renew for
us the loving sacrifice of the eternal High
Priest. Like John Vianney, how important
it is for them to spend time each day with
our Lord in prayer to better understand his
will.
Like John Vianney, may the Eucharist
remain the very center of their priestly
ministry, giving them the strength to seek
out the “lost sheep.” Like John Vianney,
may they see our thirst and our hunger and
continue to give us both food (bread of
life) and drink (precious blood) for this
journey of faith that we share with them.
John Fencik is the director of
Catholic Formation Services for the Diocese of
Helena. He may be reached at
jfencik@diocesehelena.org.
Published in The Montana Catholic Online, Volume 25, No. 8, August 21, 2009.
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