THE SACRAMENTS OF GOD'S PRESENCE

SAINT JOHN MARY VIANNEY, PRIEST  

Num 11:4-15; Ps 81:12-17; Mt 14:13-21

The Food and the Sacrament

There is a sacramental aspect to things of nature, by which they represent an aspect of God above their respective natures. These different aspects of a thing of nature come from the fact that God made them by His creative word. Hence, the sacramental nature of created things is their ability to point us in the direction of God, beyond themselves as concrete realities. The ability of natural things to act as sacraments of God relies on faith to be effective. Without faith, we would not be able to see and follow the sacramental of the created things to God, who is their creator. Our faith in God as the creator disposes us to see and understand the sacramental nature of things we see and use daily. One without faith in God cannot see him in nature. He is called a fool in the scriptures, for the fool says in his heart, there is no God. He is a fool because he does not see the presence of wisdom in creation, which is visible through the sacramental aspect of natural things. It was on this basis that God called the man with an abundant harvest a fool; he failed to see God’s presence in the rich harvest.

First among the natural things that easily point us in the direction of God is the food we eat. Faith reveals to us the providence of God in the food we eat. The word of God provides us with food through these created things. In essence, therefore, what nourishes us is the word of God that brings things into existence. The lack of this understanding is also a sign or indicator of foolishness, a cause of sin against God. We often lack this understanding, like the sons of Israel who craved meat, fish, garlic, etc., in place of the manna God fed them. “The sons of Israel began to wail, ‘Who will give us meat to eat?’ they said. ‘Think of the fish we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic! Here we are wasting away, stripped of everything; there is nothing but manna for us to look at!’” The cause of their wailing and complaint was their lack of faith. Because of their faithlessness, they did not see and understand the sacramental nature of the manna God gave them to eat. A sacrament goes beyond what we see to a reality we do not see. The manna was the sacrament of God’s word and providence for his people. For the reality of the sacrament to bring about its effects on us, we must believe in the reality the sacrament represents. When we believe in God and commit ourselves to his loving hand, everything acts as a sacrament of his presence and providential care for us. They sinned against God by their unbelief.

Our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated this sacramental nature of everything before the word of God. The faith of the people who gathered around him was enough to manifest the presence of God through the ordinary things. “But the people heard of this and, leaving the towns, went after him on foot. So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd, and he took pity on them and healed their sick.” These people followed Jesus Christ to a desolate place, unlike the children of Israel, who refused to leave the pot of fish, onions, and garlic in Egypt, to follow God. He fed them with five loaves and two fish. “He gave orders that the people were to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing. And breaking the loaves handed them to his disciples who gave them to the crowds. They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected the scraps remaining; twelve baskets full.” These ate bread and fish truly, but in an actual sense, they ate of the word of God, who fed them in the form of bread and fish. As the bread and fish served as a sacrament of God’s presence in the hands of Jesus, Saint John Vianney served as a sacrament of Christ's presence among his people, through whom he fed them with spiritual food: doctrine and practice. He was born to a peasant farmer in 1786. He joined the seminary and struggled through his formation years as a slow and unpromising candidate for the priesthood. He was ordained due to his devoutness. After ordination, he was sent to Ars-en-Dombes as the parish priest, where he worked until his death. He was a noted preacher and a sought-after confessor. His reputation turned Ars into a place of pilgrimage. He was the Sacrament of Jesus Christ to many souls.

Let us pray: Almighty and merciful God, who made the Priest Saint John Vianney wonderful in his pastoral zeal, grant, we pray, that through his intercession and example we may in charity win brothers and sisters for Christ and attain with them eternal glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.