p. 103Hope of M. Vianney

Although still kept down by the bonds of the body, the Curé of Ars was scarcely less absorbed in God than those pure intelligences which ever burn before Him in the light of eternal charity. The fear of the judgments of God was his predominant idea, and despair was his temptation; nevertheless, he desired and longed for death: “It is the union,” he said, “of the soul with the Sovereign Good.” He often spoke of writing a book on “the delights of death.” While others require all their strength to resign themselves to die, M. Vianney’s effort was to resign himself to live. In his conversation, he sometimes echoed the desire of St. Paul to be soon delivered from the tabernacle of his body, that what was mortal in him might be swallowed up by life.

His most graceful comparisons related to the desire of heaven. He often made use of that of the swallow, which only skims the ground and scarcely ever alights upon it; of the flame always tending upwards; of the balloon, which rises in the air as soon as the cords that hold it down are cut. He said:

“The heart is drawn towards what it loves most: the proud to honours, the avaricious to riches; the vindictive thinks of his revenge, the immodest of his wicked pleasures. But what does the good Christian think of? Towards what will his heart turn? Towards heaven, where God is, who is his treasure.”

“Man was created for heaven; the devil has broken the ladder by which he reached it. Our Lord has made another for us by His Passion; He has opened the door. The Blessed Virgin is at the top of the ladder, holding it with both her hands, and calling to us, ‘Come, come!’ Oh, what a beautiful invitation! What a beautiful destiny has man! To see God, to love Him, to bless Him, to contemplate Him throughout eternity!”

“When we think of heaven, can we have any regard for the earth?”

“After she had been in heaven, St. Teresa could look no more at the things here below. When she was shown any beautiful object, she said, ‘That is nothing; it is only dirt.’”

“St. Colette sometimes left her cell, beside herself with joy at the thoughts of heaven, and went through the corridors crying out, ‘To paradise! to paradise!’”

“In heaven our heart will be so lost, so drowned in the happiness of loving God, that we shall not be occupied with ourselves nor with others, but with God alone.”

“A good Christian ought not to be able to endure himself in this world; he languishes on earth. If a little child were down there in the church, and its mother was in the tribune, it would stretch out its little arms to her; and if it could not get up the staircase leading to her, it would ask for help, and would not rest till it was in its mother’s arms.”

“It is said that in heaven we shall be upon thrones, to signify that we shall be great. These thrones are formed by the love of God; there is nothing else in heaven … The love of God will fill and inundate every thing.” …

“When St. Teresa was asked what she had seen in heaven, she cried out, ‘I have seen! I have seen! … I have seen!’ … She stopped there; breath and words failed her: she could say no more.”

“Oh, the beautiful union of the Church on earth with the Church in heaven! As St. Teresa said, ‘You triumphing, and we fighting, we are but one in glorifying God!’”

“St. Augustine says that he who fears death does not love God; that is very true. If you had been long separated from your father, would you not be happy to see him again?”

“Oh, what a beautiful acquisition is heaven! But what is necessary that we may attain to it? Purity of heart, contempt of the world, and love of God.”

After he had given an enchanting instruction on heaven, the Curé of Ars was asked, “What is required that we may merit this recompense, of which you have given us so magnificent a picture?” “My friend,” he answered, “grace and the Cross.”

He was very fond of relating this story:

“There was once a good religious, who thought he should find the time long in paradise. The good God showed him plainly that he was mistaken. One day he was in the gardens of the monastery, and perceived a little bird hopping from branch to branch, which seemed more and more beautiful as he looked at it. At last, it was so very beautiful that the monk could not take his eyes off it; he began to pursue it, and wanted to catch it. However, he stopped, thinking he must have been half an hour running after his bird. He returned to the monastery, but was very much surprised to find at the door a brother whom he had never seen, and the brother did not know him either; his surprise was still greater, when he saw nothing in the house but strange faces and new people. He said, ‘And our fathers, where are they?’ The others looked at him in astonishment. At last he told them his name; and they looked in the registers, and found that it was a hundred years since he went away. … Thus the good God showed him that the time does not seem long in paradise.”