Tuesday 4th August, 2009
ST JOHN VIANNEY.
 Numbers 12:1-13. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned—Ps 50(51):3-7, 12-13. Matthew 14:22-36.

  
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All who touched the fringe of his cloak were completely cured.

When Jesus reached Gennesaret, messengers were sent to the neighbouring towns and the sick were brought to him. All who merely touched his cloak were healed. There must have been great rejoicing in Gennesaret that evening. Were they grateful? Did they come to believe in Jesus? Or did some approach Jesus merely for what they could get?

Today’s feast reminds us of another person who touched the lives of many and healed them. St John Vianney, the Curé of Ars, touched people by his words, the example of his penitential life, his prayer, his counselling and his work in the confessional. Grant, Lord, that those whose lives we touch will be healed and made better through their contact with us.