Monday, September 21, 2009

Priestly Celibacy

"As the Mediator, the Lord Jesus was, in all the dimensions of His being, the man for God and for others. The same is true of the priest; and this is why he is asked to consecrate his whole life to God and to the Church, in the depths of his being, his faculties, and his sentiments.

"The priest, who by choosing celibacy renounces human love so as to offer himself completely to the love of God, gains the freedom to give himself to others by a gift that does not exclude any person but includes all in the flow of charity that comes from God (Rom 5:5) and leads to God. Celibacy, by binding the priest to God, frees him to give himself to all the works demanded by the care of souls."

~ Pope John Paul II ~

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.

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