Today is the feast day of Saint John Vianney patron saint of priests. I am always struck from this teaching of his today on humility and prayer..’How unlike them we are. How often we come to Church with no idea of what to ask for….I often think that when we come to adore the Lord, we would receive everything we ask for, if we would ask with living faith and with a pure heart.’

I am now reading two pages a day from ‘Christ the Ideal of the Priest.’ by Blessed Columba Marmion ‘ Then, you will say perhaps, if God is really anxious to sanctify men, why have they so much difficulty in living the supernatural life? How is it that, although they live among the very sources of grace, the ministers who dispense it are sometimes so divorced from all contact with God? What is it which closes, so to speak, the divine hand?

The answer is -pride- if we were perfectly humble there would be no limits to the gifts from on high.’

Think about it… these two holy men say the major reason we don’t receive the gifts wants to give is because of pride. We don’t know how to receive without taking the credit or not giving the praise and glory to God..

Scripture says ‘God resists the proud but gives His grace to the lowly humble.’

We read in James 4: 3 ‘You ask and receive not, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your passion.’

The Our Father Prayers teaches us how our desires ought to formed.. The seven petitions help form our desires and how we ought to pray.. First giving honor to the Father..

If we were truly humble and with our heart soul mind solely in love with God.. we would ask the Cure of Ars says ‘ We would receive everything we ask for, if we would ask with living faith and with a pure heart.’