Prayer is nothing else but union with God. In this intimate union, God and the soul are fused together like two bits of wax that no one can every pull apart. This union of god with a tiny creature is a lovely thing. It is a happiness beyond understanding. My little children, your hearts are small, but prayer stretches them and makes them capable of loving God. Through prayer we receive a foretaste of heaven and something of paradise comes down upon us. Prayer never leaves us without sweetness. It is honey that flows into the souls and makes all things sweet. When we pray properly, sorrows disappear like snow before the sun.



From the catechetical instructions of St. John Vianney, the Cure of Ars, whose memorial is Sunday, 4 August.



Many, including Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II, have written of the extraordinary life and matchless example of this patron of priests and confessors. There are several modern biographies, including the very fine work of Rev. George William Rutler, pastor of the Church of Our Saviour in Manhattan.



Again, warm thanks to Terry Jones for his labor and devotion in compiling his vast store of information on our brothers and sisters in Christ.