In an attempt to bring honor to the godly men and women from centuries past, many well-meaning authors have exaggerated the truth about the saints’ lives to the point that the facts have become fiction. Others have written about the lives of the saints fifty to a hundred years after their deaths, without ever meeting them.
A good example of this type of over-exaggeration comes from the life of Saint John Vianney as portrayed by the publisher of his biography. According to The Life of the Curé ďArs, Saint John Vianney was born in 1786 and died in 1859. Almost sixty-eight years after his death the first copy of his biography was published in 1927, and was later preprinted in 1953, by The Newman Press.1
According to his biography, Saint John had spent “the greater part of his day in the confessional.” It was during this time that “he inflicted on himself bloody disciplines.”2 The text is not clear as to what form of “bloody disciplines” Saint John inflicted upon himself, but it leaves the reader with the impression that he participated in some form of self-mortification to the point that he injured his own body.
Saint John’s biography continues by saying, “When that was over he stretched himself on his thin straw mattress and sought repose. Just as he was about to fall asleep he would start up, awakened by shouts, mournful cries, and formidable blows. It seemed as if the front door were being battered in with a sledge-hammer. Suddenly, without a latch having been moved, the Curé ďArs perceived with horror that the devil was close to him. The evil spirit remained invisible, but his presence could be plainly felt. He threw over the chairs and shook the heavy furniture of the room. Roaring like a beast, growling like a bear or snarling like a dog, he rushed at the curtains of the bed, which he shook violently.”3
When Catholics read stories portrayed in this manner, it leaves the impression that the devil is extremely powerful, God’s protection is almost nonexistent, and Saint John must be one of the greatest, super-human saints of all time. The problem with this kind of over-exaggeration is that it imparts fear, leaving the faithful with the wrong impression about spiritual warfare. It also leaves the door open for the reader to question, “Wow, if the devil has the ability to kick Saint John around the room like a rag doll, what would happen to the rest of the parishioners in our modern-day parishes?”
Even though this type of over-exaggerated writing makes Saint John appear like a super-hero, it actually does not bring him any honor, especially for those who know the truth about Sacred Scripture. For example, in Luke 9:1–2, “Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.” When the disciples commanded an evil spirit of sickness to get out of a person, the demons obeyed the command just as if it had been given by the Lord himself.
Not only did Jesus extend this authority to the twelve Apostles, he also gave it to the rest of his followers. In Luke 10:1, Jesus sent seventy men and women on their first missionary assignment. Upon their return they proclaimed, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!”4 When the Lord’s followers returned to give a report, Jesus described their situation by saying, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you.”5
If power and authority over unclean spirits has been given to the Lord’s disciples, why would Saint John fail to use his authority in Christ when he was being attacked? The only reason the author of the biography can offer is a quote from this famous saint that says, “‘I do not ask him to enter,’ he used to say, half laughing, half annoyed, ‘but he comes in all the same.’”6
Another problem with fictionalizing the lives of the saints is that it has the tendency to distort spiritual truth. If Saint John needed to “inflict on himself bloody disciplines,” it makes it look like self-punishment is pleasing to God. After Saint John participated in some form of self-mortification, the devil is then portrayed as an instrument of God to inflict further chastisements. Although these types of stories may draw a large following of book buyers, they also have the ability to leave the faithful with the wrong impression about God.
According to Sacred Scripture, God is a loving healer. When Philip wanted to know more about God the Father, Jesus responded to him by saying, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”7 From this passage, we can discern the characteristics of God the Father by looking at the life of Christ. We know that God is a loving healer because Jesus never inflicted pain and suffering on anybody. In fact, Jesus is the “Great Physician.” Jesus went around all day healing the sick, casting out demons, and proclaiming the Good News.
Another problem in over-glamorizing the lives of the saints is that it elevates them to a place of worship, at the expense of devaluing the rest of our modern-day heroes. According to the Catechism, “The Church, then, is the holy People of God, and her members are called saints.”8 Everyone who is born of God’s Spirit and lives a life pleasing to the Lord is called a saint. When Saint Paul wrote the book of Ephesians he addressed his letter to “the saints who are in Ephesus.”9 In the book of Acts, all the Lord’s followers who were living in Jerusalem were called the “saints in Jerusalem.”10
From God’s perspective, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus are considered saints. Instead of trying to over-glorify the lives of the saints from centuries past, many leaders and members of the Church would be better off by encouraging Catholics to live lives of modern-day saints.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:1–2
“For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths.”
2 Timothy 4:3–4
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.”
Ephesians 2:19–20
Notes The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition copyright © 1993 and 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America, © 1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc.—Libreria Editrice Vaticana. English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Modifications from the Editio Typica copyright © 1997, United States Catholic Conference, Inc.—Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission.
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