Hang In There

Saint John Vianney (1786-1859), known as the Curé of Ars, started out as a farmhand and catechist who needed extra time in his studies for the priesthood because he wasn’t the most brilliant student. At first, he was not authorized to hear Confessions, but later would spend 10 to 16 hours a day hearing the Confessions of the 100,000 people a year who trooped to visit him. Sometimes it’s necessary to struggle, even fail, before you find your true calling. When you get to the place where your gifts match what’s needed, though, you’ll know. There, in the words of author Frederick Buechner, “your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”