Praying for Holy Priests

Fr. Mark has a great post up today dealing with the need for all of us to pray for our priests, those who stand at the altar of God in persona Christi and are thus used by God to offer us absolution for our sins and the possibility of literally being in communion with the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. What a tremendous gift they are to us all!

We who pray often for vocations are typically praying for new vocations, for the hearts of many young men and women to hear the voice of God calling them to the consecrated life. But do not ever forget to pray for those priests and religous who are already in their vocation, for their perseverence in following Christ and for their sanctification.

I would like to call attention to the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests, observed this Friday, May 30th (the Feast of the Sacred Heart, a feast near and dear to my heart!). Visit World Day of Prayer for Priests to find out more!

Fr. Mark also proposes considering making any of the following resolutions to pray for our priests:

...a hour of Eucharistic adoration every Thursday in thanksgiving, reparation, and supplication for priests. — the Litany of the Sacred Heart or the Litany of the Precious Blood for priests every Friday. — the Rosary offered for priests every Saturday. — consecration and entrustment of priests to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. — the acceptance of illness or pain, the offering of fasting or other prudent mortifications for the deliverance of priests locked in spiritual combat. — silence when tempted to speak ill of priests. — readiness to offer priests a simple word of encouragement and gratitude. Avoid sentimental gushing and fawning, but be affirming of your priest's efforts to serve Christ, preach His Word, and dispense His Holy Mysteries. — frequent prayer in reparation for the sins of priests.

I recommend the following chaplet prayed on ordinary rosary beads: At the beginning of each decade: Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Precious Blood of Thy Beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb without blemish or spot (1 Peter 1:18), in reparation for my sins and for the sins of all priests. On the decades: By Thy Precious Blood, O Jesus, purify and sanctify Thy priests. At the conclusion of each decade: O Father, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named (Ephesians 3:14), have mercy on all priests, and wash them in the Blood of the Lamb.