THE DUTIES OF THE PREGNANT WOMAN a Sermon by St. John Vianney

The duties of the pregnant woman by St. John Vianney.

THE DUTIES OF THE PREGNANT WOMAN (a chapter from: Sermons of the Cure of Ars)

I am going to talk to you as simply as I possibly can, so that you can easily understand what your duties are and carry them out. I tell you:

1. That as soon as a woman is pregnant, she should say some prayers or give some alms. Better still, if she can do so, she should have a Mass said to ask the Blessed Virgin to take her under her protection, so that she may obtain from God the blessing that this little child may not die without having received holy Baptism. If a mother truly had the religious spirit, she would say to herself: "Ah! If I could only be sure of seeing this little child becoming a saint, of seeing him for all eternity by my side, singing the praises of God! What a joy that would be for me!"

But no, my dear brethren, that is not the thought which occupies the mind of an expectant mother. She will experience, rather, a devouring resentment on beholding herself in this state and perhaps the thought of even destroying the fruit of her womb will come to her. Oh, dear God! Can the heart of a Christian mother conceive such a crime? Yet we shall see some of them

who unashamedly will have entertained such homicidal thoughts!

2. I tell you that an expectant mother who wishes to preserve her child for Heaven should avoid two things. The first is carrying loads which are too heavy and lifting her arms to take something; this could be injurious to her poor child and cause its death. The second thing to be avoided is the taking of remedies which could be too harsh on her child or which could heat her blood to an extent

which could be fatal to it. Husbands should overlook a great many things which they would not put up with at any other time. If they will not do this for the sake of the mother, let them do it for the sake of the little child. For perhaps the child might lose the grace of Holy Baptism, which would be the greatest evil of all!

3. As soon as a mother sees her confinement approaching, she should go to Confession -- and for many reasons. The first is that many women die during their confinements, and if she should have the misfortune to be in a state of sin, she would be damned. The second is that being in a state of grace, all the sufferings and the pains which she will endure will gain merit for Heaven. The third is that God will not fail to give her all the blessings which she will desire for her child. A mother at her confinement should preserve modesty as far as is possible in her state and never lose sight of the fact that she is in the presence of God and in the company of her Guardian Angel. She should never eat meat on the forbidden days without permission, a practice which would draw down punishment upon

herself and her child.

4. A child should never be left longer than twenty-four hours without being baptised.

DEVOTIONAL PENDANT OF ST. GERARD MAJELLA

St. Gerard Majella

Prayer to St. Gerard Majella

Who is St. John Vianney?

St. John Vianney was born in 1786, the fourth of six children to devout Catholic parents in the region of Lyon, France. Vianney’s early life coincided with the horrendous and anti-Catholic French Revolution, so he grew up attending clandestine Masses offered in private residences and on farms by priests in hiding. This heroic, defiant dedication made a profound impression on the faith of the young Vianney.

In 1815, he was ordained to the priesthood as a sort of exception, having struggled to shine in his seminary / academic studies. His evident holiness superseded these weaknesses.

John Vianney, was a humble parish priest, and was regarded by the Church as one of its great figures simply because he was faithful. He was known for his devotion to the Virgin Mary and to St. Philomena and was dedicated to the sacrament of reconciliation (confession) for his parishioners.

John Vianney was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1925. He is the only diocesan priest ever to be canonized. He is the patron saint of clergy throughout the world.

He was beloved by popes:

He is the patron saint of priests, as officially declared in 1929 by Pope Pius XI. His process of canonization formally began in 1874 when Pope Pius IX proclaimed him Venerable. In 1905, Pope Pius X declared him Blessed, and twenty years later he was canonized a Saint by Pope Pius XI in 1925.

Pope St. John XXIII issued a beautiful encyclical, Sacertotii Nostri Primordia, in 1959, on the subject of St. John Vianney, a tribute to his holiness.

In 1986, Pope St. John Paul II paid a visit to Ars for the bicentenary of Vianney’s birth, and proclaimed the Curé a “rare example of a pastor..

In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI issued two letters pertaining to the Curé of Ars…