Have you ever wanted something so much but felt overwhelmed by the seemingly insurmountable resistance you encountered? And we’re not talking about a little thing that made you rethink your goals. I’m talking about those big obstacles that would make you question whether what you wanted was part of God’s will for you. If so, you’re not alone. In fact, if St. John Vianney had heard your story he might’ve told you about all the obstacles he encountered on his path to becoming a priest.
His poor schooling growing up made his seminary days difficult. He couldn’t grasp the lectures in Latin so he had to temporarily discontinue his studies. However, he desired becoming a priest so much that he got himself a tutor and worked hard to be able to finish his studies. Not even being drafted into Napoleon Bonaparte’s army (during the French Revolution; he would go on to desert that army) kept him from abandoning that dream. Eventually, he was able to return to his studies and was ordained a priest.
You’d think that someone who met so many obstacles would be a little jaded, but not St. John Vianney. In fact, his trust in God’s divine providence was so strong that nothing ever deterred him from any mission he felt called to do. Whether it was helping establish a girls’ home or trying to win back lukewarm Catholics and wayward souls to the Lord, he did all he could to make it happen.
“But he’s not here to give me advice and I can’t see how my situation can get any better,” you might be saying right about now. Well, lucky for you, he left us many inspiring words when we’re in the midst of difficult trials.
Here are 7 inspiring quotes for trying times.
“I tell you that you have less to suffer in following the Cross than in serving the world and its pleasures.”
“We ought to run after crosses as the miser runs after money… Nothing but crosses will reassure us at the Day of Judgment. When that day shall come, we shall be happy in our misfortunes, proud of our humiliations, and rich in our sacrifices!”
“When we do something we dislike, let us say to God: ‘My God, I offer you this in honor of the moment when you died for me.’”
“Put a good bunch of grapes under the winepress, and a delicious juice will come out. Under the winepress of the Cross, our soul produces a juice that feeds and strengthens us. When we haven’t got any crosses, we are dry. If we carry them with resignation, what happiness, what sweetness we feel!”
“In your work, offer your difficulties and troubles quite simply to God… and you will find that His blessing will rest upon you and on all you do.”
“On the Way of the Cross, you see, my children, only the first step is painful. Our greatest cross is the fear of crosses… We have not the courage to carry our cross, and we are very much mistaken; for, whatever we do, the cross holds us tight – we cannot escape from it. What, then, have we to lose? Why not love our crosses, and make use of them to take us to heaven?”
“The virtue of obedience makes the will supple… It inspires the courage with which to fulfill the most difficult tasks.”
Remember that with prayer, faith, trust, and perseverance, we will be able to overcome anything that keeps us from moving forward.
St. John Vianney, pray for us!
