You may have heard or the cure of Ars, now a Saint and the patron Saint of parish priests. Anyway Ars is about half an hour from Lyon and so I often visit it when I’m in the area.  This time I took some photos thinking of those who may not be able to visit.. 

One arrives in a very small French village. If you did not know that this was Ars you may well think that you are in the totally wrong place. To their credit they managed to build an underground basilica totally hidden, thus preserving the village feeling. 

Next we meet the Saint… 

Who invites us to visit his house… 

They have kept it as it was,  a simple kitchen 

His bedroom 

One is immediately taken by the simplicity and one senses the presence of God,  a peace beyond human understanding is there. 

Another bedroom where the saint slept when he arrived in Ars 

We then can move to the Church where His body is exposed.  Say a little prayer,  he’ll hear you from wherever you are… Even if it’s Cork!! 

Again inside they have kept the original simplicity.  A priest is available for confession and close by there is perpetual adoration and the divine office is recited.  

Ars is definitely a little treasure.  For €20 return one can easily make a day trip for Lyon.  It is quiet,  peaceful,  prayerfu and oozing with history! 

Peace!! 

I’ve always found a great contrast between Evangelisation ministry and healing ministry!  Often in the healing ministry I meet people who have been going to Church for years,  who have degrees and qualifications that I don’t have, people who love Jesus for far longer than I’ve known him,  people who pray….. Many times I feel like Mr Bean,  bluffing my way through it all and it somehow working out… 

And then God sends me evangelising and I meet people who don’t know  God in the same way, tattoos,  funny haircuts with funny colours that remind me of the coloured sheep the neighbours had when I was a child,  piercings and rings that bring back my woodwork days  and yet behind it all some of the nicest most interesting people who simply haven’t encountered Jesus yet. People I dare say that if they met Him would do a far better job with all this spiritual stuff than me! 

Yesterday brought its own share of such meetings!  When quietly sipping my tea in a busy Lyonnaise coffee shop a little boy of African decent sat beside me…. I felt like Mr Bean on that episode when he cuts a little boys hair as Mum dashes out to run a few errands .  A few minutes later his Dad came along who asked me if I could watch him for a few minutes as he went shopping!  So here I now was officially babysitting this little fella.  He told me he was 9 and that he was watching you-tube. A multitude of thoughts crossed my mind….is this a scam,  what if Dad doesn’t come back…… And that haircut!! 

About ten minutes later Dad did come back with a pair of shoes for his little man before bringing him back to mum’s house…. Maybe the couple had split.  I didn’t say much but just quietly prayed for them before they left thanking me. 

Afterwards I felt God say to me that Evangelisation isn’t about throwing bibles at people or annoying them with religious debates but rather by just being. It surprised me also the trust of this man to ask me to babysit, some may say even irresponsible and what touched me the most was that little pair of shoes. 

We are called to loving others and to meeting all sorts of people. I for one prefer the safety of sitting in Church where everyone will agree with me and where we can pray for sinners without getting to know them or their stories but God likes to send me out,  after all who better to understand the power of God to work in messed up lives than myself and the utter chaos that God pulled me out of and into!! 
Today,  let’s not fear getting to know and befriend people who don’t share our beliefs because they too are as much our brothers and sisters as our friends on the pews and often God will teach us so much through them such as  gratitude, love,  respect and the limitless borders of His mercy.  We also remember that God loves us not because we go to Church,  not because we are better than them, nope,  he loves us because he loves us. Free love!!