Saturday, January 06, 2007

For our Leaders

With news that up to 25 US Bishops could retire this year, we should be especially mindful to pray for holy men and women of the faith... that the Holy Spirit allows newly elected bishops to be filled with His grace, wisdom and humility.

Someone remarked to me that it's our own fault that we may have "bad" priests or "bad" bishops because we aren't doing our part to pray for them! What a concept. Below I've reprinted my favorite prayer for holy priests.


-Ellie

Almighty God, look upon the face of Him who is the eternal High Priest, and have compassion on Your priests in today's world. Remember that they are but weak and frail human beings. Stir up in them the grace of their vocation. Keep them close to You lest the enemy prevail against them, so that they may never do anything in the slightest degree unworthy of their sublime vocation.


O Jesus, I pray for Your faithful and fervent priests, for the unfaithful and tepid ones; for those laboring at home and abroad in distant mission fields; for those who are tempted; for those who are lonely and desolate; for those who are in purgatory.

But, above all, I recommend to You the priests dearest to me; the priest who baptized me; the priests who absolved me from my sins; the priests who instructed me or helped me by their encouragement. I pray devoutly for all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way, in particular for [ ...]. O Jesus, keep them all close to Your heart and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen.

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one of us :: 9:37 AM :: 0 Comments

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