Splinters From the Cross, Offerings for Priests

If you are a Catholic, have you ever thought of what the world would be like without priests? There would be no Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, no Holy Communion, no Blessed Sacrament reserved in church tabernacles for the sick and for the dying, and no opportunities for Eucharistic adoration. Pope John Paul II once said,

"There can be no Eucharist without the priesthood,

just as there can be no priesthood without the Eucharist."

There are more than a billion Catholics in the world to be ministered to by less than 500,00 priests. The priests have said "yes" to God's call to the priesthood and to all of the responsibilities and sacrifices involved in their vocation as other Christs and shepherds of souls.

If you love Jesus in the Eucharist and appreciate our Catholic priests, one way to express that love and appreciation could be to offer up some or all of your little daily splinters from the cross for the sanctification of all priests and for more vocations to the priesthood.

SPLINTERS FROM THE CROSS

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Little headaches, little heartaches,

Little griefs of every day,

Little trials and vexations,

How they throng around our way!

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One great cross, imense and heavy,

So it seems to our weak will,

Might be borne with resignation,

But these many small ones kill.

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Yet all of life is formed of small things,

Little leaves make up the trees,

Many tiny drops of water

Blending, make up the mighty seas.

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Let us not then by impatience

Mar the beauty of the whole,

But for love of Jesus bear all

In the silence of our soul,

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Asking Him for grace sufficient

To sustain us through each loss,

And to treasure each small offering

As a splinter from the Cross.

Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests, and our Mother, help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests. Amen.