A couple of extreme traditionalists have been criticizing and persecuting devotion to Jesus’ Divine Mercy. How many likes of reparation can we get for Our Lord? Praised be Jesus’ mercy! Let’s start a spiritual bouquet for the conversion of these souls and the comfort and guidance of those being persecuted in the comment section below.
Catholics and Protestants–what we have in common:
We believe in the Trinity.
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s2c1p2.htm
We believe in a personal relationship with Jesus.
http://www.catholicbasictraining.com/apologetics/coursetexts/2k.htm
We don’t worship Mary or the Saints.
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/customs/rosary/mary_worship.asp
We believe grace can’t be earned.
We believe Jesus rose from the dead.
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p122a5p2.htm
We believe marriage and having children are good things.
We believe in praying from the heart.
We believe Jesus died to save us.
http://www.uscatholic.org/church/2012/03/us-and-our-salvation
We are Christians.
http://catholicbridge.com/catholic/are_catholics_christian.php
We love the Bible.
http://catholicbridge.com/catholic/bible_catholics.php
We participate in community worship and Bible reading on Sundays.
https://stpaulcenter.com/studies/lesson/lesson-one-a-biblical-introduction-to-the-mass
We believe in the sanctity of human life, traditional marriage, the humanity of the unborn, and only voting for those who will respect these truths.
http://www.stjoseph-marysville.org/faqnonnegotiables.html
We believe in serving the poor and all the “least of these”.
http://www.loyolapress.com/corporal-and-spiritual-works-of-mercy.htm
We believe in the Two Great Commandments and the Ten Commandments.
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2.htm
We believe God is the Creator of all things.
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s2c1p4.htm
We have a passion for evangelization.
http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/evangelization/
We believe faith in Christ is necessary for salvation.
http://www.shsu-catholic.org/are-catholics-saved.html
We celebrate Christmas and Easter.
We believe in living a virtuous life.
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c1a7.htm
We believe in Heaven and Hell.
We believe in angels and devils.
We believe in the Virgin birth.
http://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/virgin-birth-of-christ
We believe in miracles.
http://catholicism.org/category/miracles-and-apparitions
These are simply a few of our many common grounds.
“Giuseppe Sarto, the future Pope Pius X, visited his 70-year-old mother after being ordained a bishop. She kissed her son’s ring and, suddenly pensive, pointed out her own simple silver wedding band saying, ‘Yes, Giuseppe, you would not be wearing that ring if I had not first worn mine.’” — Eucharistic Adoration for the Sanctification of Priests and Spiritual Maternity by Congregatio Pro Clericis
In 1963 Pope Blessed Paul VI declared Good Shepherd Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Easter) to be World Day of Prayer for Vocations.
Prayer For Vocations to the Priestly and Religious Life
“Lord, Jesus Christ, Savior of the world, show forth, we beseech Thee, in Thy Church the Holy Spirit with whose power the apostles were so abundantly filled. We thank Thee for the blessings bestowed upon the work of priests and religious; and we pray that Thou wilt add to the number of those who now pray, labor, and sacrifice themselves for Thy glory. O good Jesus, give us more priests and religious after Thine own Heart! Amen.”
(The Prayer Book: Imprimatur-Samuel Cardinal Stritch Archbishop of Chicago May10, 1954)
“At that hour of the Sacrifice, at the words of the Priest, the heavens are opened, and in that mystery of Jesus Christ, the choirs of Angels are present, and things below are joined to things on high, earthly things to heavenly, and the service is both a visible and an invisible event.” St. Gregory the Great
There is a very good reason Mother Church uses the term “assist at Mass” where most would use the term the term “attend Mass” or “go to Mass”. This term the Church uses is full of rich meaning, though typically misunderstood. As one wise priest put it: “In paragraph 14 of the Vatican II document on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Church encourages us to be fully conscious and actively participating in Mass. The document states: ‘Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithful should be led to that fully conscious and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy.’ Many people interpret this exhortation to mean that ‘everyone has to be doing something at Mass’ such as taking up the collection, serving at the altar, reading the readings, singing in the choir, etc. Here is what it really means: We are to be so focused at Mass–body, mind and soul–that everything we do, we do consciously and intentionally.”* If we are open to the Lord’s graces, we will find that our participation from the pews can truly be a ministry, so long as we are willing to give our all to the One who gives His all, and then the Lord will use each of our unique and individual gifts and personalities for His Kingdom in beautiful ways for which we can never thank Him enough.
I’d like to share how I feel Our Lord has moved me in this “ministry in the pews”. My brothers have been blessed with the incredible privilege of serving at the altar. I’m very happy for them in their ministry, but I wouldn’t trade places with them for anything in the world. For me, the opportunity to assist the priests at Mass through active participation and intercessory prayer is the greatest privilege of all…and here is why:
Our parish has been blessed with very inspiring priests who truly love God above all else. When they celebrate Mass you can see how true this is. They’re also very humble, and will sometimes share struggles they experience as they strive to celebrate the Mass in an even more holy manner. They’re also bold and not afraid to speak out for God concerning the lies of the world, and sometimes receive persecution on the subject. In addition, they are very busy and sometimes stressed, as our cathedral parish is among the largest in the diocese. What they need most is our prayers!
As a member of my parish prayer group for girls, I’ve grown more and more in our group’s charism of intercessory prayer. It creeps into every aspect of my spiritual life and it’s very welcome to do so. As I do my best to be “fully conscious and actively participating in Mass”, watching our priests celebrate the Mass causes me to recall my gratitude for our priests’ holiness. My pity for their struggles, persecution, and any sufferings that they might be currently experiencing triggers my “intercessory instinct” as a Little Flower and I feel led to pray my participation in the Mass (the Church’s most powerful prayer) especially for them. Different moments in the Mass will inspire different prayers. The Church herself has included prayers for the celebrant in the Order of the Mass, such as: “V. The Lord be with you. R. And with your spirit.” and “V. Pray, brethren (brothers and sisters), that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father. R. May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church.” The Mass becomes a wonderful opportunity to both offer Christ my prayers of worship and intercede for the priests as they celebrate the Mass.
Just as my brothers, as altar servers, wait on the external needs of the celebrant, I in my “ministry” get to wait on the internal needs that may exist in sort of “spiritual altar service”. (And it is the soul that counts most.) This seems to really fit with our different genders if you think about it. God made men tough in heart and body, making them able to detach from any emotional complications that would distract them from being strong defenders. Physical service of God, such as holding our heavy gold candles at just the right level, is their specialty. Women have the gift of a tender and maternal heart, making them more sensitive than the typical male to the thoughts and feelings of others and more passionate in advocating for those needs. Interior work for the kingdom, such as on-fire intercession, is their specialty. Each has a unique gift not as fully possessed as the other, so their particular talent can be employed without interruption. My brothers wouldn’t be able to get things for the celebrant as quickly if they were praying in the pew with me, and I would be unable to notice and pray for which ever graces are needed as well if I were rushing around in the sanctuary with them. Each of us has a very important role to fill.
The role that I fill greatly benefits my soul as well. Many will probably agree with me that we often learn something best when we share it with others. As I try to pay as close attention to the Mass as possible (not always easy for my ADD brain), and pray to Our Lord over the celebrant’s benefit from the Mass, I myself get to be more enriched by it. It is also a very awesome experience when I see the prayers I pray answered in a very powerful way. When you see someone having an amazing encounter with the Lord, it gets to you as well, and I can never thank the Lord enough for this amazing privilege that results in such wonderful marvels of the Lord’s goodness.
Lord Jesus, as Your faithful servants have given up everything to follow You in Your Passion, hear this prayer I offer for them in thanksgiving for Your sacrifice, and theirs.
By Your agonizing sweating of blood in Gethsemane, shield our priests from stress and all other interior agonies.
By Your cruel and unjust scourging, protect our priests from pains of the back.
By Your awful crowning with thorns, may our priests be spared from headaches and other torments of the head.
By Your excruciating carrying of the cross, sustain in our priests an ever high energy level with an abundant supply of supernatural strength.
By Your tortuous death on the cross and the spiritual darkness You suffered there, preserve our priests from desolation of spirit so they may always feel You near.
Guide, guard, and bless our priests always so that they may never be without Your grace and favor. May they be constantly supplied with love, joy, and peace from above every moment of their lives. In Your Most Powerful Name, O Jesus, I pray. Amen.
For us laypeople, Holy Week is a glorious time of great excitement. I look forward to it every year. For our priests who make it all happen, it is also glorious and exciting, but their ability to enjoy it as such is limited. Multi-hour Confessions almost daily, new members of the Church, and preparing for festivities and special liturgies, while beautiful privileges they cherish, also form a very heavy, stressful, and sometimes agonizing cross. These consecrated men of God truly lay down their lives for the sheep. I spend every Holy Week in prayer and fasting for them, and find my own Holy Week experience nourished as a result. Out of love, gratitude, compassion, and reverence for their holy gift of self for us, let us relieve them as much as possible through prayer and sacrifice.
For a collection of prayers for priests, see here: http://www.cureprayergroup.org/devotions.htm
ALTER CHRISTUS! I thank God every day for this amazing mystery! You can totally see Jesus in the priest, not just in his administering of sacraments and sacramentals, but even in his words, his smile, his fatherly and self-giving attitude, his teaching and good example! The saints had the utmost reverence for this sacred vocation, and St. Francis of Assisi died a transitional deacon because he didn’t think himself worthy of the priesthood!
Saints’ Quotes on the Priesthood:
“If I saw an angel and a priest, I would bend my knee; first to the priest and then to the angel.” — Saint Francis of Assisi
“The entire Church cannot give to God as much honor, nor obtain so many graces, as a single priest by celebrating a single Mass; for the greatest honor that the whole Church without priests could give to God would consist in offering to Him in sacrifice the lives of all men.” — St. Alphonsus Liguori (The Dignity and Duties of the Priest)
“As the Word of God created Heaven and earth, so the words of the priest create Jesus Christ.” — Saint Jerome
“They (priests) are My anointed ones, and I call them My Christs, because I have given them the office of administering Me to you, and have placed them like fragrant flowers in the mystical body of the holy Church. The angel himself has no such dignity, for I have given it to those men whom I have chosen for My ministers, and whom I have appointed as earthly angels in this life.” — Jesus to Saint Catherine of Siena (Dialogue)
“Oh, how very great is their power. A word falls from their lips and the body of Christ is there substantially formed from the matter of bread, and the Incarnate Word descended from Heaven, is found really present on the table of the altar! Never did Divine goodness give such power to the Angels. The Angels abide by the order of God, but the priests take Him in their hands, distribute Him to the faithful, and partake of Him as food for themselves.” — Saint Laurence Justinian
“Who is the priest? He is the man of God who brings to souls enlightening truth, conquering love, edifying sanctity. He must show forth in himself the beauty of the God-Man Whom he represents.” — Saint Pius X
“When people wish to destroy religion, they begin by attacking the priest, because when there is no longer any priest there is no sacrifice, and where there is no longer any sacrifice, there is no religion” — Saint John Vianney
“Let Christian families consider it one of their most sublime privileges to give priests to the Church; and so let them offer their sons to the sacred ministry with joy and gratitude.”
— Pope St. John XXIII (Sacerdotii Nostri Primordia)
“O wonderful dignity of the priests in their hands, as in the womb of the Blessed Virgin, the Son of God becomes incarnate.” — Saint Augustine
“Without priests there would be no Saints on this earth.” — Saint Ignatius
“After God, the priest is everything. Leave a parish 20 years without priests; they will worship beasts.” — Saint John Vianney
Amo Iesu by Grace Pax 