On the Importance of Becoming a Priest only if Called

Mass being celebrated in a nursing home

The following is from Father Michael Mueller's excellent book, Prayer: The Key to Salvation.  Father Mueller directed a chapter to seminarians to stress the importance of properly preparing themselves with prayer.  He also strongly enjoined them not to become a priest if they were not called by God.  Read what Father has to say about that:

First:  The importance of a pastor teaching his fold how to pray:

"One of the most important duties of a pastor is to teach the people the necessity and efficacy of prayer, and how they are to pray, and for what they are to pray....

Oh, how unspeakable is the pleasure given to Jesus Christ by a pastor, who often in public, as well as in private, fulfills this duty!

How, then, does it happen that so many pastors neglect to comply with this most essential duty?  It is principally because they themselves have never learned how necessary prayer is, and how efficacious, if performed well."

Second:  On those who enter priesthood for selfish purposes:

"Alas! There are but too many who study from low and worldly motives, and seek in the ecclesiastical state nothing but temporal advantages...

My dear young friends, I conjure you, by the love of Our Lord Jesus Christ, consider well that, in order to save your souls, you must embrace that state of life to which God has called you; for in that state alone you occupy the place for which God has destined you from all eternity, and in that state He will give you all the graces necessary to fulfill all your duties.  If you live out of the sate to which you are called, it will be very difficult, nay, almost impossible, for you to work out your salvation.    This is true of everyone who lives in a sate of life to which God has not called him, but it is especially true of all those who have chosen the ecclesiastical sate without being called thereto by God... everyone who enters this holy state without being called thereto by God, will be deprived of the proper means and graces to comply with the duties of this holy state...

Anyone who receives Holy Orders without having the sign of a true vocation from God becomes guilty of mortal sin...  This terrible fate (the punishment of Core, Dathan and Abiron, who wished to exercise the functions of High Priest without being called...) St. Ephrem considers as reprobates all those who dare become priests without a Divine vocation.  'I am astounded at the madness of those who are so presumptuous as to perform the functions of the priesthood without having grace for it from Jesus Christ.  Unhappy wretches!  They do not consider that by doing so they are preparing from themselves everlasting torments.'  I would therefore earnestly urge all those young men who are studying for the priesthood, without having an evident vocation, to give up the idea as soon as possible.  The sooner they do t his the better it is for themselves, and for thousands of others.

Third:  For those who are called to the priesthood:

"My dear young friends, consider well the high dignity to which you are called.  The priesthood is the highest dignity on earth.  Innocent III says, 'The priest is placed between God and man; he is less than God, but more than man.'...whosoever intends to embrace the ecclesiastical sate must not only be free from mortal sin, but he must also be enriched with every virtue.  The Church during eleven centuries, excluded from this holy state everyone who had committed even one mortal sin after Baptism; and if anyone, after having received Holy Orders, fell into a mortal sin, he was deposed forever from his sacred office, for the simple reason that he who is not holy should not touch what is holy.

This severe discipline of the Church... has been greatly mitigated; but it has been always required that he who had in his past life become guilty of grievous sins, and desired to receive Holy Orders, should first lead a pure life for some time previous to his ordination.  It would certainly be a mortal sin to receive any of the Holy Orders while still addicted to a sinful habit.  

...A certain author says, 'those who know that their hearts are enslaved by sinful habits, and still dare to receive Holy Orders, should rather be led to a place of execution than to the Church of God.' ..."

There is a lot more written but I will stop here as there is much food for thought.  As always, please remember to pray for our seminarians and our priests.

Note:  Emphasis are mine.

Priest's Father … To Become Father - Baltimore, Maryland News Story - WBAL Baltimore

Priest's Father … To Become Father - Baltimore, Maryland News Story - WBAL Baltimore

Mahalo to Melissa for sharing.

Fighting Back - Attacks on the Priesthood

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There should be no doubt left in our minds that the devil has declared war on the Church and is putting all his efforts into destroying her by the ruination of her priests.

Will he succeed? Of course not! But that does not mean we should just let things happen and hope for the best. We must fight back!

The laity can do one of two things:

1. Give up on the Church because we feel we have been betrayed by the fallen priests;

-or-

2. Fight back with all our might, fortified by the strength God will give us and in turn declare war against evil.

We must constantly pray for these fine, yet frail men of God and offer many, many sacrifices on their behalf.

Our priests MUST:

In all humility realize that they will be at the mercy of these continued satanic assaults unless:

1. Get on their knees in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament as often as they can during the day, beginning as soon as the awake. This must be their first priority.

2. Become true sons of Mary by permitting her to guide and protect them by asking for her constant guidance and protection, especially through her most Holy Rosary.

They should totally consecrate themselves to Our Lady and clothe themselves with her Brown Scapular.

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3. Be obedient to our holy Father, the Pope, the holy magisterium and their immediate authority, their bishop.

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The devil's grip on our priests will be loosened if we fight back together, both priests and laity.

Lastly, until our bishops and pastors lead the congregation in praying the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, we can do it privately at the end of the Holy Mass.

PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL

St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen..

St. Michael Prayer courtesy of EWTN

Changes in Our Parishes - Priests

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Seems like the summertime always seems to brings difficult changes in parish churches. Priests that we have come to know very well and to love and care for, are reassigned by their bishops.

Many people do not like change. It is only natural that we like things just the way we have grown accustomed them to be.  This seems to be apparently true when it comes to our priests remaining with us.

One priest has been at the same parish for eight years. He was supposed to be reassigned two years ago but was able to remain at the parish he had come to love, for an additional two years. Now it is his time to leave. He mentioned that he told three people about his departure and they all cried. He then stopped telling individuals, instead opting to tell everyone after the conclusion of Sunday Mass. He like all faithful priests knows he must be obedient to his bishop.

Why is it that the knee-jerk reaction of some individuals is to blame the bishop? Some go as far as to get angry at the bishops and to criticize them to others. We seem to forget that a priest should not be attached to anyone or anything. He must always be obedient. He must be ready to shepherd his flock no matter where he is sent. I know the priests know this and respect their bishops' decision. Why can't we?

I remember when I was younger, the parish my family belonged to grew very close to the Franciscan friars...the Capuchins. Each time one of the friars was reassigned, some of the people were ready to protest and to sign petitions. One wise priest admonished them. This kind of reaction on the part of the laity is not at all helpful.  It will not help to change a bishop's decision.

Another thing I have noticed is that those who volunteer to help out sometimes have a problem with the way the new priest does things. We have to remember, we have to accommodate and change to suit the new priest, not the other way around.

We must remember a priest is in persona christi or alter christus....another Christ.

In this month of June, our holy Father's prayer intention is for our priests. Please pray for your priests, especially the new ones assigned to your parish.

The Church: The Mission: The Priest

"The Church is the mystery of the Incarnation prolonged throughout the centuries, the Church is essentially a mission. That is the meaning of the word "apostolate." It is sent. It is a mission: "As the Father has sent me, so I send you." (John 20:21).

This mission character of the Church is of infinite importance because the authority of the Church is derived from this mission. It is because it is sent that the Church can address itself to the entire world, because, precisely, it is totally entrusted with the presence of Jesus it bears throughout history in order to gather all humankind in one flock under the leadership of one sole Shepherd.

We are all sent by the One who sends us, by the Only One who sends us, who is Jesus Christ, ad each degree of authority is essentially the repetition of being sent, of mission: Ite Missa est. This is of absolutely prime importance. It is clear that as a priest I am not myself. I am a priest precisely so as not to be myself, in order to be the sacrament of Jesus Christ.

It is clear that if men entrust their soul, their deepest secrets, to a priest, it is because the priest is not himself, it is because he is the sacrament of Jesus. It is clear that the priest could never enter into the mystery of man if he was not sent. And, even if he is mediocre, he is sent. And even if he is mediocre, he has the grace of the mission.

It happens that the priest gives some souls some counsels that are infinitely beyond him, because he is a sacrament and that , insofar as he conforms to this mission, he can count on the help of God.I have experienced that, I know that I must never undertake anything on my own, because I am sent.

- Father Maurice Zundel

From the Magnificat, September 2010, Vol.12 No. 7

23 Reasons Why A Priest Should Wear His Collar

1. The Roman collar is a sign of priestly consecration to the Lord. As a wedding ring distinguishes husband and wife and symbolizes the union they enjoy, so the Roman collar identifies bishops and priests (and often deacons and seminarians) and manifests their proximity to the Divine Master by virtue of their free consent to the ordained ministry to which they have been (or may be) called.

2. By wearing clerical clothing and not possessing excess clothes, the priest demonstrates adherence to the Lord’s example of material poverty. The priest does not choose his clothes – the Church has, thanks to her accumulated wisdom over the past two millennia. Humble acceptance of the Church’s desire that the priest wear the Roman collar illustrates a healthy submission to authority and conformity to the will of Christ as expressed through his Church.

3. Church Law requires clerics to wear clerical clothing. We have cited above number 66 of the Directory for priests, which itself quotes canon 284.

You can read the entire list over at Courageous Priest

The Catholic Priest in the Modern World: A Living Martyr for His Faith in the Priesthood

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...Consequently, as a society becomes more secularized and materially preoccupied, there will be a corresponding lack of interest in the priesthood. Once flourishing Catholic cultures that have become materially wealthy, become proportionally de-Catholicized and, to coin a term, desacerdotalized. Vocations to the priesthood decrease, as departures from the active priesthood increase. As we might add, naturally.

The modern media in societies like our own are, with rare exception, not friendly to the Catholic priesthood. Or, more accurately, the media are friendly in so far as Catholic bishops and priests do not challenge the secular values of a society—like contraception, sodomy or adultery. But once these values are challenged, the opposition is a plain fact of contemporary history.

However, this is not, in my judgment, the main grounds for claiming that a Catholic priest must expect to live a martyr’s life in the modern world. I believe the main reason is the spread of alien ideas in nominally Catholic circles about what exactly is a priest...

You can read Father John Hardon's article in its entirety here.

Thanks Sue Cifelli.

The worst-dressed priests in the world

"You Are a Priest Forever"

Thanks to Ed of In God's Company 2

The Priesthood: Come Be a Hero

A big mahalo to Father Daren for this video.

"Answer the Call, Young Man..."

...because God Himself has called you...Fr. Corapi



H/T to Padre Steve

In Honor of the Late Great Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Confessions of a Gypsy Priest

Now, I find this recent story of a Gypsy man being ordained a priest after much hardship, very interesting because of the all the stories told to me as a child.

None of the stories concerning Gypsies, whether they were Gypsies in Peru or in the United States, were ever favorable. In fact, they often had a dark or sinister tone about them. However, contrary to these stories scaring me, they intrigued me. I am sure most of them were quite exaggerated such as those I heard or read about Gypsies stealing children or just about anything that they came across. I often wonder what is it about the Gypsy that other people hated or were afraid of them. There must be something about them that is special otherwise, Hitler would not have placed them in concentration camps to suffer along with the Jews, Catholics, Homosexuals, etc.

Nothing Could Stop Father Muñoz Cortés

Neither slaps from his father, nor his friends' ridicule, nor discrimination by some of his fellow seminarians, nor serious cancer were able to stifle this young gypsy's vocation to the priesthood.

Born 35 years ago in the marginal neighborhood of La Mina, in Barcelona, Juan Muñoz Cortés felt called to the priesthood at the age of 12, a call which was supported by a number of individuals, whom he holds dear in his heart, but also by intense spiritual experiences.

The interview can be read HERE

Priesthood Sunday

I want to wish all our beloved priests a very happy and blessed Priesthood Sunday. You will all be especially remembered in my prayers today.

Prayer for Priests

O my Jesus, I beg You on behalf of the whole Church:
Grant it love and light of Your Spirit,
and give Power to the words of priests
so that hardened hearts might be brought
to repentance and return to You, O Lord.

Lord, give us holy priests;
You Yourself maintain them in holiness.
O Divine and Great High Priests,
may the power of your mercy accompany them
everywhere and protect them
from the devil's traps and snares which are
continually being set for the souls of priests.
May the power of Your mercy, O lord, shatter
and bring to naught all that might
tarnish the sanctity of priests for You can do all things.
Amen.

(Diary of St. Maria Faustina, 1052)

Pope Benedict: Year of the Priests

As you may already know our Holy Father Benedict XVI has proclaimed the Year of Priests commencing on June 19th, 2009 until June 19th, 2010. He has also proclaimed that he will grant plenary indulgences to the faithful, for the Year of Priest.

The year will begin with the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, “a day of priestly sanctification,” according to a press release from the Vatican. On that day, the Holy Father “will celebrate Vespers before relics” of St. Jean Marie Vianney, patron saint of priests.

The Year will end in St. Peter's Square, in the presence of priests from all over the world "who will renew their faithfulness to Christ and their bonds of fraternity."

The means to obtain the indulgence are as follows:

(A) All truly penitent priests who, on any day, devotedly pray Lauds or Vespers before the Blessed Sacrament exposed to public adoration or in the tabernacle, and ... offer themselves with a ready and generous heart for the celebration of the Sacraments, especially the Sacrament of Penance, will be granted a Plenary Indulgence, which they can also apply to their deceased confreres, if in accordance with current norms they take Sacramental Confession and the Eucharist and pray in accordance with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. Priests are furthermore granted a Partial Indulgence, also applicable to deceased confreres, every time they devotedly recite the prayers duly approved to lead a saintly life and to carry out the duties entrusted to them.

(B) All truly penitent Christian faithful who, in church or oratory, devotedly attend Holy Mass and offer prayers to Jesus Christ, supreme and eternal Priest, for the priests of the Church, or perform any good work to sanctify and mold them to His Heart, are granted a Plenary Indulgence, on the condition that they have expiated their sins through Sacramental Confession and prayed in accordance with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. This may be done on the opening and closing days of the Year of Priests, on the 150th anniversary of the death of St. Jean Marie Vianney, on the first Thursday of the month, or on any other day established by the ordinaries of particular places for the good of the faithful.

The elderly, the sick and all those who for any legitimate reason are unable to leave their homes, may still obtain a plenary indulgence if, with the soul completely removed from attachment to any form of sin and with the intention of observing, as soon as they can, the usual three conditions, "on the days concerned, they pray for the sanctification of priests and offer their sickness and suffering to God through Mary, Queen of the Apostles."

Additionally, a partial indulgence will be offered to the faithful each time they pray five “Our Father,” “Hail Mary” and “Glory Be,” or any other duly approved prayer "in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to ask that priests maintain purity and sanctity of life."

CNA Article

In a recent audience the Holy Father stated that a priest's calling is to become a saint.

"The Lord wants us to be saints," he affirmed, "in other words, entirely his, not concerned with building a career that is interesting and comfortable in human terms, not seeking success and the praise of others, but entirely dedicated to the good of souls, ready to do our duty unto the end, aware of being 'useful servants' and happy to offer our poor contribution to the spreading of the Gospel..."

Zenit Article Benedict XVI Calls Priests to Be Saints

I encourage you to read Fr. Trigilio's blog post regarding the Zenit article

Please pray for our priests!

Priestly celibacy: Sign of the charity of Christ

A big mahalo to @Immaculatae for sharing this on Twitter

Note: Anything in bold has been added by me.

Source and copyrighted by Clerus-Congregation for the Clergy

Priestly celibacy:

Sign of the charity of Christ

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

We read in the Scriptures how Jesus came to proclaim the Good News that God loves us. He wants us today to be that love. Jesus said: "You did it to me": I was hungry, naked, homeless and lonely and you did it to me. I call this — the Gospel on five fingers.

Everyone is called to love God with their whole heart and soul and mind and strength and to love their neighbour out of love for God. But on the night, before he died, Jesus gave us two great gifts: the gift of himself in the Eucharist and the gift of the priesthood to continue his living presence in the Eucharist.

Without priests, we have no Jesus.

Without priests, we have no absolution.

Without priests, we cannot receive Holy Communion.

Just as God our Father prepared a worthy dwelling place for his Son in the immaculate womb of a virgin — so it is fitting that a priest prepares himself to take the place of Jesus, the Son of God, by freely choosing priestly celibacy. Marriage and procreation are miracles of God’s love by which men and women become his co-workers, to bring new life into the world. But Jesus has clearly spoken to something even greater than that, when he said that in heaven people neither marry nor are given in marriage but live like the angels; and that there are some who have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of God.

Priestly celibacy is that gift which prepares for life in heaven. Jesus calls his priest to be his co-worker in the Church, to fill heaven with God’s children.

One day, two young people came to our house and they gave me lots of money to feed the people, because in Calcutta, as you know, we have many many poor people whom we feed daily. And I asked them where they got so much money. They said: "Two days ago we got married. Before marriage we decided that we were not going to buy wedding clothes, we were not to have a wedding feast, but that, instead, we would give you the money to feed the poor." It was something extraordinary for Hindu high-class people to do that. I asked them again: "Why did you do that?" and they said: ‘We loved each other so much that we wanted to share the joy of loving with the people you serve."

To me, this beautiful, living story of two people in love with each other is a living sign of that oneness of Jesus and his priest. Here the sacrifice is not money or material things but a higher and better gift — that of priestly celibacy. The greatest gift that one can give to Jesus on the day when one joins the priesthood is a virgin heart, a virgin body. We call it priestly celibacy. It is like the virginal love of Christ for his Church, whom the priest represents. The Church is the body of Christ, it is the spouse of Christ.

Celibacy is not only our ability to give but more our ability to accept God’s gift, God’s choice. Prayerfully reflect how he, the Creator of the universe, has time for you, his little creatures.

Priestly celibacy creates an emptiness to receive that other wonderful gift that only Jesus can offer and give — the gift of divine love. First of all, Jesus offers his precious gift of himself for a life-long, faithful and personal friendship with him, in tenderness and love. Nothing will make him give up his faithfulness. He remains faithful.

Dear co-workers of Christ, you have said ‘Yes’ to Jesus and he has taken you at your word. The word of God became Jesus, the poor one. Your priestly celibacy is the terrible emptiness you experience. God cannot fill what is full, he can fill only emptiness — deep poverty, and your ‘Yes’ is the beginning of being or becoming empty. It is not how much we really ‘have’ to give, but how empty we are — so that we can receive fully in our life and let him live his life in us. In you, today, he wants to relive his complete submission to his Father. Allow him to do so. It does not matter what you feel, but what he feels in you. Take away your eyes from yourself and rejoice that you have nothing, that you are nothing, that you can do nothing. Give Jesus a big smile, each time your nothingness frightens you. This is the poverty of Jesus. You and I must let him live in us and through us in the world. Cling to Our Lady, for she too, before she could become full of grace, full of Jesus, had to go through that darkness. How could this be done? she asked. But the moment she said ‘Yes’ she had need to go in haste to give Jesus to John and his family. Keep giving Jesus to people, not by words, but by your example, by your being in love with Jesus, by radiating his holiness and spreading his fragrance of love everywhere you go. Just keep the joy of Jesus as your strength. Be happy and at peace, accept whatever he gives, and give whatever he takes with a big smile. You belong to him. Tell him, I am yours, and if you cut me to pieces, every single piece will be only all yours. Let Jesus be the victim and the priest in you.

By freely choosing priestly celibacy the priest renounces earthly fatherhood and gains a share in the Fatherhood of God. Instead of becoming father to one or more children on earth, he is now able to love everybody in Christ. Yes, Jesus calls his priest to carry his Father’s tender love for each and every person. For this reason, people call him ‘Father’.

Priestly celibacy is not just not getting married, not to have a family. It is undivided love of Christ in chastity. Nothing and nobody will separate me from the love of Christ. It is not simply a list of don’ts, it is love. Freedom to love and to be all things to all people. And for that we need the freedom and poverty and simplicity of life. Jesus could have everything but he chose to have nothing. We too must choose not to have or to use certain luxuries. For the less we have for ourselves, the more of Jesus we can give, and the more we have for ourselves, the less of Jesus we can give. As priests, you must all be able to experience the joy of that freedom, having nothing, having no one, you can then love Christ with undivided love in chastity. That is why, a priest who is completely free to love Christ, the work that he does in obedience is his love for Christ in action. The precious blood is in his hand, the living bread he can break and give to all who are hungry for God.

Let those who are called to follow Jesus in priestly celibacy and to share in his priesthood, pray and ask for the courage to give — ‘to give until it hurts’. This giving is true love in action and we can do it only when we are one with Jesus, for in him, with him and through him only, Jesus will be able to do great things, even greater things than he himself did.

There is no comparison with the vocation of the priest. It is like a replacing of Jesus at the altar, at the confessional, and in all the other sacraments where he uses his own ‘I’, like Jesus. How completely the priest must be one with Jesus for Jesus to use him in his place, in his name, to utter his words, do his actions, take away the sins, and make ordinary bread and wine into the Living Bread of his own body and Blood. Only in the silence of his heart can he hear God’s word and from the fullness of his heart can he utter these words: "I absolve you" and "This is my body". How pure the mouth of the priest must be and how clean the heart of a priest must be to be able to speak, to utter the words, "This is my body", and to make bread into the living Jesus. How pure must be the hand of the priest, how completely the hand of Jesus must be the hand of the priest, if in it, when the priest raises that hand, is the precious Blood of Jesus. A sinner comes to confession covered with sin, and leaves the confessional, a sinner without sin. O how pure, how sacred a priest must be to lift away sin and to utter the words, "I absolve you."

For me, the priesthood is the sacredness, the holiness for which Christ has come on earth to become man, to live his Father’s love and compassion, and to wash away sin. We have a wonderful example of that in the experience with our people.

The sisters found a man and did everything possible for him that love could do for a man who has been shut in like that for years. He did not speak for two days. On the second day, he told the sisters, "You have brought God in my life, bring Father also." So the sisters went and brought a priest and he made his confession after sixty years. The next morning he died.

This is what the priest is — he is the ‘connecting link’ between humanity and God, just as Jesus was — to take away sin. God had come into this man’s life, but that forgiveness for his sin had to come through the priests to make the connection with God total. This was a miracle of grace that came to that man who had been away from Jesus for so many years, and he expressed it ~ "You have brought God into my life, bring Father also." That connecting, that mercy, that washing away of his sins came through the hands of the priest, and the words of the priest.

The priest has also to proclaim Christ. And he cannot proclaim him unless his heart is full of God, and God is love. That is why he needs in the silence of his heart to hear the word of God, for only then, from the fullness of his heart, he can speak the word of God.

You, as God’s priest are to be his living instrument, and so you must ever give him permission to do with you exactly as he wills for the glory of the Father. The same spirit will invite you to live an ever closer oneness with Jesus — in mind, heart and action — so that all you say and do will be for him, with him and to him. As he is one with the Father, so must you be one with Jesus. As it is with his own priesthood that you have been sealed, so he must be the one to live that priesthood within you. Nothing and nobody must separate you from Jesus, so that you can say with St Paul: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me."

Christ made himself bread of life to satisfy our hunger for his love, and then he makes himself the hungry one so that we may satisfy his hunger for our love. When St Paul was going to destroy the Christians in Damascus, he was thrown down, and he heard the voice: "Saul, Saul, why dost thou persecute me?" and Paul asked him: "Who art thou, Lord?" Christ did not mention the Christians of Damascus. It is the same thing. "Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it me." If in my name you give a glass of water, you give it to Me. If in my name you receive a child, you receive me. And he has made that a condition also, that at the hour of death we are going to be judged on what we have been and what we have done. He makes himself the hungry one, the naked one, the homeless one, the sick one, the lonely one, the unwanted one, the rejected one, and he says: "I was hungry and you gave me to eat." Not only for bread, I was hungry for love. I was naked, not only for a piece of cloth, but I was naked for that human dignity of a child of God. I was homeless, not only for a home made of bricks, but I was homeless, rejected, unwanted, unloved, a throw-away of society, and you did it to me.

Jesus in the Eucharist made himself bread of life to satisfy our hunger for God, for we have all been created to love and to be loved. And it is very clear what Jesus meant, because how do we love God? Where is God? God is everywhere. How do we love God? And therefore, he gives us the opportunity to do to others what we would like to do to him. To put our love for him in a living action. So, therefore, every priestly vocation is not just to do this or to do that; a priest has been created to belong totally — body, soul, mind, heart, every fibre of his body, every fibre of his soul — to God because he has called him by his name. A priest is very precious to him, a priest is very tenderly loved by God, by Jesus who has chosen him to be his ‘second self. And the work that the priest has been entrusted to do is only a means to put his tender love for God in living action. And therefore, the work that he does is sacred. And the work must always lead not only himself to God, but must be able to lead souls to God. That is why Jesus said: "Let them see your good work and glorify the Father."

You are to be a radiance of Jesus himself. Your look must be his, your words his words. The people are not seeking your talents, but God in you. Draw them to God, but never to self. If you are not drawing them to God then you are seeking yourself, and people will love you for yourself, not because you remind them of Jesus. Your desire must be to "give only Jesus" in your ministry, rather than self. Remember that it is only your communion with Jesus that brings about communication of Jesus. As Jesus was so united to the Father as to be his splendour and image, so by your union with Jesus, you become his radiance, a transparency of Christ, so that those who have seen you have in some way seen him.

To be able to really be a priest according to the heart of Jesus, you need much prayer and penance. A priest needs to unite his own sacrifice with the sacrifice of Christ, if he really wants to be completely one with Jesus on the altar.

When our Holy Father Paul VI died, I received a trunk call from London asking me what I thought of the death of the Holy Father, and I said: "He was holy, he was a loving father. He had a great love for children and the poor and a special love for the Missionaries of Charity. He has gone home to God and now we can pray to him."

What I said was true of the Holy Father because when he was dying, Mass was being said by his secretary by his bedside. Just at the consecration he suffered the fatal heart attack. Connect this with what he said the year before, when somebody said to him that he was suffering so much, that he was continuing the Passion of Christ, that he suffered more from within the Church because of bishops, priests and religious who were leaving the Church.

Holy Father did not discuss or explain but expressed one short clear sentence: "I am only living my Mass."

By your life woven with the Eucharist, God’s love in Jesus, hidden under the humble appearances of bread and wine, can be lived in all its greatness and beauty in the humble events of daily life. You must continue your Mass after its daily celebration during the Liturgy, by your sincere fidelity to the little moment-to-moment things of life. Like the drops of oil that feed the sanctuary lamp which burns continually near the living Jesus in the tabernacle, your life must continue as a living extension of the Eucharist that you offer. With this Bread you must be broken for many, with this Cup your life must be poured out. Charity is love in action.

Today, many priests are becoming involved in social work and social development, and neglecting the work of their priesthood. But there are many people who can do that. What the people need in a priest is a man who will take them to God, who will give them Jesus. They do not need a priest to do social work. There are many good people who can do these things a thousand times better and it is not right for us to take away the work that other people can do so beautifully. No one can do the work of a priest that you are called to do, but only you, as his priest. So, do not substitute any other work, however beautiful it may be, for that of your priesthood.

The Missionaries of Charity Fathers — founded in October 1984 — combine the greatness and power of the priesthood with the charisma of the Missionaries of Charity, and so witness to the truth of the Gospel preached to the poor.

I think many, many priests are being called, even without their realizing it, to give themselves totally to the Lord. Yes, the world is in great need of priests, of holy priests, of priestly celibacy, for the world is in need of Christ. To doubt the value of one’s priesthood and one’s priestly celibacy in today’s world is to doubt the very value of Christ and his mission — for they are one. Christ’s mission is ours.

It is inconceivable how we can turn away from the almighty God and stoop to a creature, however good that creature may be. Is Jesus not the one who can fill you up to the brim with God’s love? It is not surprising then, that married people are questioning the Church. In the Catholic Church, there is no divorce. How is it that the Church cannot divorce a married couple and yet a priest can leave his priesthood? A priest may get dispensation but nobody can take away his priesthood. Once a priest, he is a priest forever. In hell also he remains a priest. The Church however, can withhold the use of his priestly power.

Mary, Mother of priests: Contemplate Our Blessed Lady, the Mother of Jesus standing at the foot of the cross of her Son, our only High Priest — with St John the beloved apostle and priest close by her, to whom Jesus said: "Woman, behold your son" and "Son, behold your mother." No one could have been a better priest than the Virgin Mother of God, because she really could without difficulty say: "This is my body... This is my blood" — for it was really and truly her body and blood that she gave to Jesus. And yet she remained only the handmaid of the Lord, so that you and I may always turn to her as our Mother. And she is one of our own, so that we can always claim her, turn to her and be one with her. And of course, that is why she was left behind — to establish the Church, to strengthen the priesthood of the apostles, to be a mother to them, until the Church, the young Church was formed. She was there. For just as she helped Jesus to grow, so she also helped the Church to grow in the beginning. She was left behind for so many years after Jesus ascended to heaven, so that she was the one who helped to form the Church. She is the one who helps to form every priest; and no one can have a greater claim on Our Lady than a priest. And I can imagine she must have had, and she still has, a very tender love and special protection also for every priest, if he only turns to her.

How wonderful then, it is to see that likeness to Mary. We need her. Let us pray to her that she may obtain for us that great and beautiful gift of priestly celibacy, the sign of the charity of Christ. To this God calls you when he calls you by your name, if he has chosen you to be his very own priest, if he has chosen to espouse you with tenderness and love, be not afraid, follow him. She will help you, guide you, love you — that you as priests may make the presence of Jesus even more real in the world of today.

Put your hand in Mary’s hand and ask her to lead you to Jesus. When Jesus came into her life, she went in haste to give him to others. You, as his priest, go with her in haste to give Jesus to others. But remember, you cannot give what you do not have. To be able to give, you need to live that oneness with Christ, and he is there in the tabernacle where you put him. Make it a point that first thing in the morning that Jesus be the centre of your life. During the day, learn to pray your work: work with Jesus, work for Jesus. Always keep close to Mary. Ask her to give you her heart so beautiful, so pure, so immaculate, her heart so full of love and humility that you are able to receive Jesus and give Jesus in the bread of life to others. Love Jesus as she loved him and serve him in the distressing disguise of the poor — for we read in the Bible that one of the signs that Jesus was the Saviour to come was that the gospel is preached to the poor.

Catholic Identity Card Launches at Easter to Proclaim Personal Faith & Promote the Priesthood

Worldpriest, a group of committed Catholic communications lay people, will launch their latest initiative to promote the Priesthood -- a Catholic Identity Card -- on Easter Sunday, 12th April 2009.

Based in both the United States and Ireland Worldpriest is made up of a group of communications professionals who love and cherish the Priesthood of Jesus Christ and employ their skills to promote the Priesthood.

Read the rest here

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.

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;

And when we are tempted and wander,
To pathways of shame and of sin,
It's the hand of a priest that will absolve us--
Not once, but again and again.

And when we are taking life's partner,
Other hands may prepare us a feast,
But the hand that will bless and unite us--
Is the beautiful hand of a priest.

God bless them and keep them all holy,
For the Host which their fingers caress;
When can a poor sinner do better,
Than to ask Him to guide thee and bless?

When the hour of death comes upon us,
May our courage and strength be increased,
By seeing raised over us in blessing--
The beautiful hands of a priest.

This came off of an old prayer card, anonymous author.

Source: EWTN

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