The Objective of this Year for Priests

"The objective of this Year for Priests...

is to support the struggle of every priest 'toward spiritual perfection,

on which the effectiveness of his ministry primarily depends.'

It is to help priests first of all

--and with them all of God's people--

to rediscover and reinvigorate their awareness

of the extraordinary and indispensable gift of grace

that the ordained ministry is

for he who receives it,

for the whole Church,

and for the world,

which would be lost without the real presence of Christ."

~Pope Benedict XVI~

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"There can be no Eucharist without the priesthood,

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

~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.

Saint Faustina, Priests, and Divine Mercy

To Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Jesus appealed for Eucharistic adoration in these words,

"Adore, in the Blessed Sacrament, My Heart, which is full of mercy."

Jesus also stressed the importance of praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and of priests proclaiming His mercy.

"Say unceasingly the chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation."

"Tell My priests that hardened sinners will repent on hearing their words, when they speak about My unfathomable mercy, about the compassion I have for them in My Heart. To priests who will proclaim and extol My mercy, I will give wondrous power, and I will anoint their words and touch the hearts of those to whom they will speak."

"I desire that priests proclaim this great mercy of Mine toward souls of sinners. Let the sinner not be afraid to approach Me. The flames of mercy are burning Me--clamoring to be spent. I want to pour them out upon these souls."

Divine Mercy Chaplet and prayers here.

Lord, thank You for Your mercy!

Please draw all souls to Your merciful Eucharistic Heart!

Have mercy on priests and on the whole world!

Pope John Paul II had this to say about praying for God's mercy:

"...at no time...especially at a moment as critical as our own--can the Church forget the prayer that is a cry for the mercy of God...the Church has the right and duty to appeal to the God of mercy 'with loud cries' " (Rich in Mercy, 15).

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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.

Precious Blood of Jesus Prayers for Priests

Eternal Father,

I offer Thee the merits of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

for the sanctification of priests.

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The Precious Blood of Jesus would be a powerful offering for priests. In the words of Blessed Pope John XXIII,

"Unlimited is the effectiveness of the God-Man's Blood--just as unlimited as the love that impelled Him to pour it out for us...

"You know well enough that your ransom was not paid in earthly currency, silver or gold; it was paid in the Precious Blood of Christ; no lamb was ever so pure, so spotless a victim...God wants all men to be saved, for He has willed that they should all be ransomed by the Blood of His only-begotten Son; He calls them all to be members of the one Mystical Body whose head is Christ. If only men would be more responsive to the promptings of His grace, how much the bonds of brotherly love among individuals and peoples and nations would be strengthened. Life in society would be so much more peaceable, so much worthier of God and the human nature created in His image and likeness."

Prayer for Priests and Those Destined for the Priesthood.

This beautiful prayer of St. Catherine of Siena, O.P. could be adapted to include specific mention of priests.

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Precious Blood,

Ocean of Divine Mercy,

Flow upon us!

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Precious Blood,

Most Pure Offering,

Procure us every grace!

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Precious Blood,

Hope and Refuge of sinners,

Atone for us!

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Precious Blood,

Delight of the Holy Souls,

Draw us!

Amen.

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Pope Benedict recently said,

"It is written in Genesis that the blood of Abel killed by his brother Cain calls to God from the earth. Unfortunately, today as yesterday, this cry has not ceased as human blood continues to flow because of violence, injustice and hatred. When will men learn that life is sacred and belongs only to God? When will they understand that we are all brothers? To the cry for spilt blood which rises from so many parts of the earth, God responds with the Blood of His Son Who gave His life for us. Christ did not respond to evil with evil, but with good, with His infinite love.

The Blood of Christ is the pledge of God's faithful love for humankind. By gazing at the wounds of the crucified Christ each man, even in conditions of abject moral poverty, can say: 'God has not abandoned me, He loves me, He gave His life for me', and thus rediscover hope."

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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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Brother Lawrence Lew, O.P. comments on his above photograph here.

The Beautiful Hands of a Priest

The following poem by an unknown author reminds us of all the ways that we depend on priests in important moments of our lives.

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THE BEAUTIFUL HANDS OF A PRIEST

We need them in life's early morning,

We need them again at its close;

We feel their warm clasp of true friendship,

We seek them when tasting life's woes.

When we come into this world we are sinful,

The greatest as well as the least,

And the hands that make us pure as angels

Are the beautiful hands of a priest.

At the altar each day we behold them,

And the hands of a king on his throne

Are not equal to them in their greatness,

Their dignity stands all alone.

For there in the stillness of morning

Ere the sun has emerged from the East,

There God rests between the pure fingers

Of the beautiful hands of a priest.

When we are tempted and wander

To pathways of shame and of sin.

'Tis the hand of a priest that absolves us,

Not once, but again and again.

And when we are taking life's partner,

Other hands may prepare us a feast,

But the hands that will bless and unite us

Are the beautiful hands of a priest.

God bless them and keep them all holy,

For the Host which their fingers caress.

What can a poor sinner do better

Than ask Him, who chose them, to bless?

When death's dews on our eyelids are falling,

May our courage and strength be increased

By seeing raised o'er us in blessing

The beautiful hands of a priest.

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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.

Be Attentive to the Holy Spirit

If you feel inspired to do something spiritually beneficial for God's priests, don't let discouragement or fear stop you--they are two of the greatest weapons that the prince of darkness uses against us! He and his cohorts are always around to discourage us from any expression of love for God and neighbor. He uses our inclination toward pride in hopes of immobilizing us--our fear of failure, fear of looking foolish or inept in the eyes of others, fear of criticism, fear of unfavorable comparisons to others who are more gifted. What does it matter how gifted we are as long as we are as gifted as God wants us to be!

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There will always be someone who can do IT better than you whether it is leadership, writing, speaking, thinking, praying, etc., but no one can do it exactly like you. God made you who you are because He loves YOU and has given you the gifts you need to do what He wants of you. Thank God for the gifts He has given you and the ways He wants to use YOU! The important thing is to be attentive to what the Holy Spirit is asking of you and to do it to the best of your ability--as limited as that might be--and leave the results to Him.

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I admit that not so very long ago I did not even know what a blog was. I am a novice on the computer, not knowing much and learning as I go. That explains any lack of technical skills you might notice. I had to call for help to learn how to embed a video and how to highlight a link in the text without showing the whole long url address. When you see *** or +++ between paragraphs or lines, it is not because of some notion of style, but because I had problems with the spacing on the post not appearing where it should (and too busy to read all the blog helps to see how to correct it).

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I have much to learn, but I am confident that I will be able to learn what God considers important for me to know. If I had waited until I knew what I was doing--I still wouldn't have started; and before I knew it the Year of the Priest would be over, and I would not have followed the inspiration to start this blog. I am not someone who has ever kept a diary or journal and is naturally inclined to write. I depend every day on the Holy Spirit to inspire me.

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A beginning blogger might unwisely become discouraged after checking out some of the other Catholic blogs whose authors are much more knowledgeable, eloquent, computer savvy, and experienced. However, I am in absolute awe at what the Holy Spirit is doing through them--and also overjoyed! It is an encouraging and hopeful sign for the Church!

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As part of the mystical body of Christ, with Jesus as our head, we all benefit from the healthy spirituality of other members and from all of the good that they do. We should rejoice and thank God when others are spiritually enriching the mystical body of Christ!

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For many years I have been inspired to pray for priests. God has impressed upon me the great need to support and shield them with all of the spiritual means at our disposal. Because He gives me no rest on this issue, I want to share this urgency with others, but am usually able to share it with so few. This blog gives me the opportunity to reach out with an appeal on behalf of priests to all my brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world who might be led by the Holy Spirit to read it.

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I think most Catholics love and appreciate their priests, but think of them as providers and nurturers--spiritual Fathers providing for our needs. They often will do many things to support priests in temporal matters, but don't think of their spiritual needs, considering them to be stronger, more faithful, less tempted because of the graces of their vocation.

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The Holy Spirit has inspired the Congregation for the Clergy to ask for Eucharistic Adoration and Spiritual Motherhood for Priests (December 8, 2007), and has inspired the Holy Father to declare a Year of the Priest (June 19, 2009-June 19, 2010). It is obvious that He is asking us to spiritually uplift our Catholic priests. THEY NEED OUR HELP! He is asking it of all Catholics, including priests who are called to spiritually support their brother priests.

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With more than a billion Catholics in the world, if each of us who are able to do SOMETHING would offer spiritual gifts for priests DAILY, the benefits could be immense for priests, the Church, for Catholics, and for all the people of the world!

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I suggest that you pray and ask God what He wants YOU to do for His priests. Sincerely seek His enlightenment, if you haven't already. Some are called to do more than others, but most of us are called to do SOMETHING--and best if it is done DAILY because then it becomes a good habit. I encourage you to begin today to offer your spiritual gift for priests, if you haven't already started. Don't put off what you can do today. The prince of darkness loves it when we procrastinate and opportunities to do good are wasted!

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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.

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.

Saint Padre Pio

Saint Padre Pio, beloved modern day Saint, died in 1968 after suffering the wounds of Christ (the stigmata) for fifty years. People who were blessed to attend one of his Masses said it was an unforgettable experience. His Masses lasted more than two hours, but native Italians and pilgrims from other countries came by the thousands. In speaking of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, St. Pio said,

"Go with your mind to Calvary and think and meditate on the Victim who offers Himself to divine justice, absorbing the price of your redemption."

"While assisting at Holy Mass renew your faith. Have your mind elevated to the mystery that is happening before your eyes."

He never sought fame, but he became famous. He only sought to be close to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. He was a Eucharistic soul, in love with Jesus in the Eucharist. Father Anthony Cipolla has written here about the Eucharist in the life of St. Padre Pio.

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Saint Padre Pio, pray for priests and pray for us!

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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.