The Man Who Fought the Devil: The Cure of Ars

by Eva K. Betz

Young people will find an exciting hero in St. Jean Marie Vianney, Cure of Ars and patron of all parish priests. They will, through these pages, get to know him as a real and lovable person and one to whom they can turn with the feeling that he will understand their needs and they can count on his intercession. Jean Marie Vianney always found it hard to learn. In fact he made history receiving low marks on his examination after his first year of study in the seminary. But by determination, and with God s help, he became a priest. Week by week, year by year, his fame as an adviser and a confessor grew. People flocked from great distances to his little church, and privately, among themselves, they called him saint. The devil, furious at the ever-increasing number of souls being saved by the Cure, tempted and taunted the priest and even persecuted him physically. But Satan found he had met his match.

Genres: Catholic

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

Eva J. Kelly, born in Massachusetts in 1897, began her writing career at age nine when she sold a story about horses to the children’s page of her local newspaper. This success was not a surprising one, as she grew up in a home in which writing, books and storytelling were vital parts of daily life. Eva’s father, a doctor, who was also a writer of poetry, “used to come upstairs after office hours were over and read or tell us legends and stories of Irish saints and scholars.” Likewise her mother “had her own collection of tales...all dramatic and all, I realize now, inspirational.”

As a school teacher for several years, Miss Kelly did some varied writing including one-act plays for children. Then she married Joseph Betz, and when her son Peter began to ask for a new story each night, she was stimulated to put some of these down on paper. Later she aired a selection of them on a radio station where she had a program at that time.

Having always been an omnivorous reader, Eva Betz was delighted to discover “the world of book reviewing where you get all the new books free and are paid for saying what you think of them.” She enjoyed doing just that, whether in various local magazines and journals, on the radio or while lecturing. By now, she was up to her ears in activities of family life and in community organizations.

One day a new writing focus came her way when a disgruntled librarian complained to Mrs. Betz that she was tired of teachers sending children for reading books about New Jersey during the American Revolution—because there were no such books. The librarian suggested that Eva write some. Although Mrs. Betz, a New Englander, felt that on the whole, “the Revolution belonged to New England,” she delved into research. She wanted to make the point “that the Revolution was not the effort of one single religious or racial group but the work of many people of many backgrounds; people similar only in their love of liberty.” Mrs. Betz soon discovered that New Jersey, “lying as it did between the prize cities of New York and Philadelphia, was the cockpit of the Revolution.” From papers, diaries, and records, she had great fun writing a series of historical fiction books for teenagers set in this area, carrying the story “through four volumes from 1774 to 1781.”

This project encouraged her to continue to write books for teenagers. Mrs. Betz turned her attention to telling the stories of real life people for youth: Damien of Molokai; Francis X Ford (20th century missionary to China); and Fr. Farmer (Priest on Horseback), who also appears in her book about Bishop Carroll. “My tomboy youth cultivated in me a love of excitement and approval of people who get things done. Such people are fun to write about.... Goodness and dullness are not necessarily synonymous.”

Eva Betz died in Passaic, New Jersey on April 9, 1968.

Reviews

[Jeff Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a novelization of the story of St. John Vianney the Cure D'Ars by a prolific Catholic author who specialized in historical novels. This is geared towards the young adult audience, but of course is very suitable for all. She focuses half of the novel on the young John Vianney and his life on the farm, conscription, and effort to become a priest followed by his life as a priest and the major effect he had on the town of Ars that transformed the people there and drew crowds from across Europe for confession and spiritual direction.

Gives a good look at the saint and an idea of his spiritual life and the demonic attacks on him.

I listened to the Librivox version of the book that was narrated quite well from Marie Therese who has narrated other bits of pious Catholic fiction. This is solid family listen.

For a more detailed look at this great saint, I would highly recommend The Cure D'Ars Today by Fr. Rutler which is a great read.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I forgot to rate this...

I 'read' it via Librivox, the free audio site. It was easy to listen to and gave me a better appreciation for St John Vianney.

[Sotiris Makrygiannis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Το "The Man Who Fought the Devil" της Eva K. Betz είναι ένα βιβλίο για τη ζωή του Αγίου Ιωάννη Βιαννέη, ο οποίος ήταν ένας απλός επαρχιακός ιερέας στο Ars της Γαλλίας κατά τον 19ο αιώνα. Ο Άγιος Ιωάννης Βιαννέης ήταν γνωστός για την ευσέβειά του, την απλότητα και την ακούραστη προσπάθειά του να βοηθήσει τις ψυχές των ενοριτών του. Ο τίτλος "The Man Who Fought the Devil" αναφέρεται στις πνευματικές μάχες του αγίου με το κακό καθώς προσπαθούσε να οδηγήσει το κοπάδι του προς τον Θεό.

Εδώ είναι μια γενική ανασκόπηση βασισμένη σε τυπικές αντιδράσεις σε αυτό το είδος του βιογραφικού έργου:

Οι αναγνώστες συχνά βρίσκουν το "The Man Who Fought the Devil" ως μια συγκινητική και εμπνευσμένη ανάγνωση. Το βιβλίο τείνει να είναι καλά ερευνημένο, και η Eva K. Betz κάνει εξαιρετική δουλειά μεταφέροντας τους αναγνώστες πίσω στη Γαλλία του 19ου αιώνα για να εξερευνήσουν την εκπληκτική ζωή του αγίου. Η αφήγηση συχνά εκτιμάται για την δέσμευση και προσβασιμότητα, πράγμα που είναι χρήσιμο για τα άτομα που μπορεί να μην είναι εξοικειωμένα με την ιστορία του Αγίου Ιωάννη Βιαννέη.

Επιπλέον, η απεικόνιση της Eva K. Betz της ταπείνωσης, της αποφασιστικότητας και της πνευματικής ανθεκτικότητας του Αγίου Ιωάννη Βιαννέη μπορεί να εμπνεύσει τους αναγνώστες, ανεξαρτήτως της πίστης ή του θρησκευτικού τους περιβάλλοντος. Η απεικόνιση της Betz των μαχών του Βιαννέη εναντίον του κακού - και κυριολεκτικά και μεταφορικά - συχνά βρίσκεται ως συναρπαστική και προβληματιστική.

Ωστόσο, μερικοί αναγνώστες μπορεί να βρουν το βιβλίο λίγο υπερβολικά ευγενικό, πράγμα που σημαίνει ότι παρουσιάζει το θέμα του με έναν πολύ ευνοϊκό τρόπο χωρίς να εμβαθύνει απαραίτητα σε κάποιες πολυπλοκότητες ή κριτικές. Αυτό μπορεί κάποιες φορές να είναι χαρακτηριστικό των θρησκευτικών βιογραφιών που στοχεύουν στην εμπνευση πίστης και θαυμασμού για τα θέματά τους.

https://librivox.org/the-man-who-foug...

[Mary Rubega · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prior to reading this, I had no idea who Jean Marie Vianney was or that he is thte patron saint of parish priests. The book details his pious life, beginning at the age of 8, tended sheep and the many trials he experienced throughout it.

Take aways:
* Extreme difficulty learning
* Moving to live with relatives in another town, so he could learn his catechism and receive communtion.
* Finally being enrolled to study for the priesthood (in classes with children much younger then he), only to be enrolled into Napoleons army, because of a clerical error, then being considered a deserter because he missed the march out with his troops (because he was busy praying).
*Being assigned as a parish priest, where he heard confessions of hundereds of pilgrims per day. Throughtout this time, he always thought he wasn't doing a good job.
* He longed for quiet solitude, so he could pray to save souls, but was always denied the permission to to the a retreat or transfer to a monastery.
* Nightly disturbances of banging, creaking and screeching to which he attributed to "old screatch", the devil.

Listen to the audiobook

[ShepherdsDelight · Rating 1 out of 5]

38/100 (= 1.8/6) ≈ 1 Stars