St John Vianney’s Illumination of Conscience, Fr Mark Goring [and a Fr George anecdote]

I very much appreciate the painting of the angel during the proclamation of the vocation of Isaiah as being the background image for this video. Great choice Father Mark.

I have spoken and written many times about my own little illumination of conscience after I asked my Guardian Angel to help with my examination of conscience. Unlike the Patron Saint of Priests featured in the video above, Saint John Vianney, who had no fear, I was fearful enough to ask my guardian angel to be gentle in this illumination. And still it was like being hit with clarity so hard as to throw me into a kind of PTSD event, repeatedly.

It wasn’t all at once. But it was like my guardian angel was saying: “Remember this?” (wham!) and then after a minute, “Remember that? (wham!), and then after a minute, “Remember this other thing? (wham!)” And so on. Yikes! I have a great confessor. Jesus is good and kind. The angels rejoice.

Should you do this, just be sure to ask your guardian angel to be gentle with you, lest you get a heart attack and die unconfessed. Even having done this, mind you, I’m still way too afraid to do as Saint John Vianney did. And even he repented right away and asked our dear Lord to take the piercing illumination away. And you still wonder why it is that Saint John Vianney did such great penances? I feel like a little ant next to him.

It’s Advent. Go to Confession.

2 Comments

Filed under Confession

2 responses to “St John Vianney’s Illumination of Conscience, Fr Mark Goring [and a Fr George anecdote]

  1. pelerin

    I visited the little village of Ars in 2007 where St John Vianney lived. It was a wonderfully peaceful experience with few visitors. I was completely alone walking round his presbytery …. I met up with an old school friend of my husband who taught in the Seminary there before his retirement. It is not as easy to get to by public transport as Lourdes but it is possible by train from Lyon then taxi.

  2. sanfelipe007

    And I thought I was already terrified!

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