John Vianney - The Man who fought the devil
Channel: Hakuna Matada
Date: 16/10/2020

The Man Who Fought the Devil
Chapter 4

By Eva K Betz

John Vianney, venerated as Saint John Vianney, was a French Catholic priest who is venerated in the Catholic Church as a saint and as the patron saint of parish priests. 

John Vianney is well known for his encounters with Satan. For 35 years Satan threw everything he had against the holy priest who would hear confessions for sixteen hours each day.

At night Vianney would hear taunts, harrowing voices, evil singing, or shouting. He was physically dragged from his bed and one night his bed caught on fire. This torment would prevent him from having much sleep, but it did not deter him from living a life of holiness.

Vianney accepted the torment from the devil and knew that he was attacking him because of the many sinners that were being reconciled. He would often get attacked the most the night before a “big sinner” came to town to confess their sins.

The attacks continued but he remarked later that, “The demon is very cunning, but he is not strong. Making a Sign of the Cross soon puts him to flight… when I made the Sign of the Cross they departed.”
He became so accustomed to the encounters that he gave a nickname to the devil, calling him “the grappin.” He said once, “Oh! the grappin and myself? We are almost chums!”

Audio content is a Librivox recording. Read by Marie Therese.

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