Pray for our beloved priests

[Eldee]

Please pray for the innocent priests who have dedicated their lives to serving God and folks like us.
It’s not easy today to be a priest. Let’s reach out to our priests and let them know that we support them. Just a hi and goodbye on Sunday morning is not enough. Many of them go back to an empty rectory after mass and suffer from isolation. We need to not only pray for them but to include them in our lives, even if only in a small way. An invitation to a meal would be nice. Or perhaps remembering a birthday, or a note or card on another special occassion. Or better yet, a “Call me when you need me.” would be great.

Celibacy is a great path to take in order to serve effectively in a pastoral capacity. Just ask any busy Protestant minister, or rabbi, who’s juggling husbandry and fatherhood to boot. Still better, ask the poor minister’s wife who has to share her hubby with his flock.

But celibacy is obviously tougher for some than for others. While it would be nice to hang onto that wonderful celibate option, perhaps it is time to also offer the marriage option, as in the ancient church. But that’s another discussion and not my point here.

We all know about the many who have fallen prey to the snares of the world. And then there are those who should never have chosen the priesthood in the first place.
It will take years for the truth about their guilt or innocence to be exposed. We are too close to the situation now to see it objectively. But thank God that what was once dark is being brought into the light. All the victims need to be rescued now, and all the false plaintiffs need to be exposed in a timely way.

So for now my prayer will go something like this:

Oh Lord, strengthen my parish priest(s) and give him the grace to resist the temptations of this world. Help him to remain focused, and to uphold Christ as the measure of all things. May his heart find both power and comfort in your Holy Word.

 

[Trishie]

Vulnerable human reality

Jesus, You chose Your priests from amongst Your people, yet in the sacramental ‘laying of hands’ You do not perfect them. Like those they serve, they need pardon, healing, prayer and faith as they seek grace to become humble, genuine witnesses of Christ. Through Sacrament and intercession, teaching and act, they encourage and instruct Your people as You call them in their personal human history and reality, to be instruments of Your grace for others.

By your honest expression of rightly directed human emotion, intelligence and personality, You witnessed the wholeness of our nature when creatively lived in God’s love. In Your authenticity as a vital human, You revealed that each person’s salvation is projected around reality, not around some ideal self. Wholeness is found in one’s actual situation with its limitations and advantages. It is offered within one’s true personality in its abilities and handicaps.

Allow Your priests to recognise Your unique expression of love in each other person. Give them the gift of revealing to everyone they meet and serve—the image within him/her of the glorious, loving beauty of You amid his/her human frailties and strengths. Your priests thus encourage their peoples’ trust and affirm their hope in Your patient lifelong moulding of them in the overwhelming love of Your personal plan for them.

In Your priests, therefore—who are no less human than any other person—is manifest the wise charity and the gentle humility of Christ, to each person who comes before You in contrition, thankfulness, faith and joy. We thank and praise You Jesus, who shared all weakness of our nature except sin.

Help Your priests to respect and encourage everyone, pardoning those who offend or inconvenience them. In liberty of spirit born of obedience, faith, and of freedom from undue attachments—Your priests allow Your grace and witness to flow through them to others. We trust that You accomplish this even where there is no evidence of Your action.

Please sustain Your priests as generous, inspired instruments of grace for Your continuing mission, as they alert others to the light of the Spirit in their lives. Your priests glorify You, as they daily accept this joyful cross of their priestly ministry, while managing the challenges of their own vulnerable humanity!

Thank You Jesus, Who throughout the ages lovingly uses Your imperfect human creatures as instruments of love, service, and glory!

 

[wild_thing]

Oh Lord, strengthen my parish priest(s) and give him the grace to resist the temptations of this world. Help him to remain focused, and to uphold Christ as the measure of all things. May his heart find both power and comfort in your Holy Word.

Lord, hear our prayer.

 

[thequeen]

Lord look after our priests keep them safe and protect them from all harm

 

[Blessed1934]

Dear Lord hear our prayers for our beloved priests.
Please watch over them and guide them and keep
them from being misjudged in any way.

Hail Mary full of grace the Lord is with Thee
Blessed art Thou among women and
Blessed is the fruit of Thy womb Jesus
Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners
now and at the hour of our death Amen.

 

[ready]

Oh Lord, strengthen my parish priest(s) and give him the grace to resist the temptations of this world. Help him to remain focused, and to uphold Christ as the measure of all things. May his heart find both power and comfort in your Holy Word.

Amen.

 

[ProVobis]

PATER NOSTER,
qui es in caelis,
sanctificetur nomen tuum.
Adveniat regnum tuum.
Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra.
Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie,
et dimitte nobis debita nostra
sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris.
Et ne nos inducas in tentationem,
sed libera nos a malo. Amen.

 

[Blessed1934]

Still praying for our beloved priests.

Hail Mary full of grace the Lord is with Thee
Blessed art Thou among women and
Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus
Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners
now and at the hour of our death Amen.

 

[poor_clare]

Hail Mary, full of grace.
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen