From time to time, I enjoy reading through the thoughts of St. John Vianney because they bring comfort and consolation when I am enduring daily trials. Although I firmly believe in Jesus Christ and His Catholic Church, it doesn’t go without saying that daily life is a grind…it’s hard. Nowhere in the Gospels does Jesus say that life is a bed of roses, actually, he tells us to pick up our cross and follow him. Even in the Resurrection; the Cross is present.

So knowing that daily life is toil, what must we do to successfully make it through each day? In the life of the saints, particularly St. John Vianney, believed that if we sanctified our days, in other words, we made our days holy through prayer and sacrifice, we could endure the daily struggles of life and grow in holiness.

With today being the feast day of St. John Vianney, here are 7 Quotes on the Sanctification of Daily Life from him. I would encourage you to read through these, truly take them to heart and always remember that Jesus Christ is in control, no matter how difficult life may seem.

1. “In your work, offer your difficulties and troubles quite simply to God…and you will find that His blessing will rest upon you and on all you do.”

2. “Receive, O my God, all my thoughts and all I am going to do today, in union with all You bore out of love for me during Your life on earth.”

3. “When we do something we dislike, let us say to God: ‘My God, I offer you this in honor of the moment when you died for me.’”

4. “OH! How easily we could win Heaven day by day just by doing what we have to do – but by doing it for God!…”

5. “Do not try to please everybody. Try to please God, the Angels, and the Saints – they are your public.”

6. “When we cannot come to church, let us turn towards the Tabernacle and make a spiritual Communion. A wall cannot separate us from God.”

7. “Those who go often to Mass during the week, do their work very much better than those who, for want of faith, think they have no time for it.”

Let us pray: O, St. John Vianney, you endured daily struggles as the Priest of Ars, but through daily prayer and sanctification brought many souls to Jesus Christ. Intercede for us daily and assist us in sanctifying our day, so that we, through your guidance may bring those we encounter on a daily basis closer to Jesus Christ and His Catholic Church. Amen.