Our God, thank You for Your priests. Grant that they be true shepherds of their people, living the gospel, and serving with holiness and faithfulness.
Please surround them with Your light and love.
Keeping watch
Jesus, please inspire laity to assist and collaborate with Your ministers. Even those who see priests and religious as set apart by their vocation may lack appreciation of their human and apostolic needs. Therefore, Your ministers may experience isolation or overload with tasks that should be shared by their parishioners and others.
Many priests and religious, while perhaps enduring periods of particular difficulty, may feel the anguish of little visible return for labour and may sometimes encounter opposition or apathy. Therefore, contemplation of life sacrificed to their people for Your sake may cause them inner conflict or discouragement, especially when they experience doubt, weariness, boredom or spiritual dryness. Out of such trial, offer them grace and opportunity to mature into wholeness in You. While ensuring this growth within them, please grant them others’ prayer and assistance. Please give them sufficient enthusiasm and satisfaction to allow them to persevere.
Although we must seek to serve rather than to be served, You, who are concerned with the entire human personality, know the need to sustain not only the soul destined for eternal communion, but all aspects of human nature. Abuse of any element of humanity may lead to discouragement and stress that may crush the human spirit.
Faith and courage may be overwhelmed if there is little love of God in others to assist Your ministers. Each person is called to mutual service, in communion with the sacred office of the priest’s Sacramental ministry. Help them in us where possible, Jesus, remembering that while You suffered greatly, grievously alone, You accepted ministry offered by others, and at times sought aid unasked. Your weary walk to Calvary required another’s assistance to carry Your cross.
Jesus, You know when faith is best served by consolation or by its absence. Please grant what is required. At least prevent unnecessary hardship where others, by prayer, penance, word or kind support may encourage Your priests.
Like many people, I endure stress, uncertainty, and the discouragement of failing to see positive results of prayer, good intentions and self-sacrifice. I know discomfort and inconvenience, tiresome temptations, doubts, and guilt. I experience loneliness, yet also the burning desire to be alone. I offer all these experiences in prayer for Your priests.
Unite all pain in the hearts of Your priests and of each disciple, with Your own sufferings, so that You may present all things, redeemed in You, to the Father. Offer them in reparation for our sins and negligence and in atonement for the compromises that weaken our apostolate. Offer them in plea for consolation and hope, for faith and fidelity, for growth and wholeness of Your suffering servants. Offer them also for Your many faithful ones who endure imprisonment, persecution or death for Your word.
These things Jesus, so that in their struggles, Your chosen may glorify You—and that in their ministry and witness they may intercede with increasing efficacy and holiness for Your gifts and graces upon Your children in their charge.
