The Weapons of War

By Fred Vilbig

I am now reading a book about St. John Vianney, the Cure of Ars. When he was first assigned to the tiny village of Ars (population about 250), he found a very secular community. Although there were several pious souls, the ravages of the French Revolution and Napoleon Bonaparte were quite evident. Few people attended Mass. In fact, Sundays seemed to have been reserved for country dances and drinking.

Fr, Vianney was a devout and simple soul who was greatly troubled about the condition of the spiritual lives of his parishioners. So he brought out the 2 biggest weapons in his arsenal: prayer and fasting. He would spend hours in prayer at night, sleeping very little. A rosary was never far from his hands, with many in his pockets to hand out to anyone willing to take one.

And his fasting was epic.

 He lived on maybe five boiled potatoes a week. He would boil them early in the week and put them in a bucket to eat throughout the week. We can only imagine the condition of those potatoes toward the end of the week. And he continued this regimen throughout the year without pause.

His method was supremely successful. Within five years, much (though admittedly not all) of his parishioners were regularly attending Mass, going to confession, and otherwise practicing their faith.

Lent is a good time for us to practice prayer and fasting. As Fr. Vianney shows us, it is a tool, a spiritual weapon that is tremendously effective and can bear much fruit. Unfortunately, abstinence and fasting have gone out of fashion in our time. But do not be deceived. Prayer and fasting yield a great harvest, both in our own souls, but also in the souls of our loved ones. It has been observed that the only real tragedy in life is not to die a saint. I believe that prayer and fasting are two of the primary tools for us to use to gain heaven for ourselves and those around us.

Happy Lent!