Pray for Priests!

Why yes, I am turning into a little Pope Francis nerd! I'm not ashamed. I just read his Chrism Mass homily, and it is like BAM (and why yes, I do write like I talk)! Go read it... just do it! You won't be disappointed.

Actually, you'll probably be moved and stirred with a desire to pray for our priests, that they might be strengthened with holiness and love for the people they shepherd.

I've worked in various church/chapel offices for the past eight years or so, and so I've been privileged to get a more "behind-the-scenes" view of our priests than many people do. I am more and more convicted, every single day, that the holiness of the Church very much depends on the holiness of our priests. Is the laity called to evangelize? ABSOLUTELY! Is the laity called to holiness? OF COURSE! We are all meant to be great, great saints! But Christ has given us our shepherds for a reason. I am coming to see, more and more every day, the enormous role that the spiritual leadership of our priests plays in the overall zeal and holiness of a parish. I am also understanding, more and more, the intense responsibilities that they carry. Being in charge of souls (and many administrative duties as well), is NOT by any means an easy burden! It is a labor of love and grace, yes. But it is still quite a labor.

Therefore... dear brothers and sisters, we need to support, love, and above all, pray and sacrifice for our priests! Stop complaining that you didn't like Fr. So-and-So's homily - when was the last time you prayed for him, or affirmed him, or had him over for dinner, or even said hi to him after Mass? I am guilty of this as well (behind-the-scenes, you always see more of a person's faults than you might otherwise, and same goes for our priests. Luckily, you often also see more of a person's strengths, love, gifts and hard work!). Fr. So-and-So will be responsible to Christ for how he fulfilled his vocation. However - and here's the kicker - so will we! Are we going to be loving, obedient, spiritually mature children of our fathers? Or are we going to be the rebellious little kids who throw temper tantrums and yell "I hate you!" whenever things don't go our way?

(There is a place for not going along with whatever Fr. So-and-So says, by the way, whenever it's contrary to Church teaching, filled with liturgical abuses, etc. However, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about this - and that is a topic for another day.)

Something that a guest speaker said to my youth ministry class in college has always stuck with me: "Don't shoot your shepherd." Over this Triduum, let's do the opposite - let's lift up our priests in prayer, sacrifice, and lots of love! Let's lift our shepherds up to the Shepherd.

Happy Holy Thursday! I'm praying that we can all enter into the mysteries of our salvation in a profound way this weekend, so that we all become more in love with and united to Christ than ever.

P.S. Just a reminder... in a few days, this blog will be found at setapartblog.blogspot.com. Be ready!