This week I thank God for the gift of the priesthood. With the pastor of my parish being so ill I've been reflecting a great deal on this precious gift. Through the hands of these servants of the Lord we are baptized and receive all of the Sacraments. Each and every day these men serve their parishes tirelessly, and many, with such a shortage of priests these days, go above and beyond the call of duty.
I was thinking about how the very same hands that were giving my daughter her first Communion last month will soon be touching the hands of Jesus in heaven. The eyes that gazed at Jesus veiled in the Eucharist each day will soon behold the beauty of Christ, unveiled, in all His glory. The ears which listened to the Confessions of his flock day after day will soon be listening to the singing of angels. The mouth which sang Holy, Holy, Holy so often will be uniting his voice in an unending hymn of praise to the Lord of all Creation along with the Church Triumphant.
Just imagine.
Thank you to all my fellow bloggers who responded so quickly to my prayer request. May God bless each and every one of you.
Still praying for Fr Kelly.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Thank you for sharing Mary.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Victor. God bless you, too :)
ReplyDeleteHi JBR,
ReplyDeleteYou have been in my thoughts a lot, my friend. I know it must be very hard to have your brother visiting along with everything else that is going on with your Mom's health and the struggles at work. I pray that Jesus will keep you in his peace and help you carry this burden.
I'm praying for you.
God bless your pastor and may he have a happy death. He did a great thing providing the Extraordinary Form for your parish and I hope that he will do so again from heaven. We must ponder the great gift the sacred priesthood is to all of us as you have done here. Even if we don't like the priest we've been given, we must pray for him always and thank God for him. The devil wants to destroy priests more than he wants to destroy any other life.
ReplyDeleteBarb,
ReplyDeleteThis is so true. Satan knows that if he attacks the shepherds the sheep will be scattered - so they need our prayers so very much. As for the Latin Mass - who knows if or when we will get this back? I guess it's going to depend on who our next pastor is. Time will tell.
The priesthood is truly a gift to us that we should remember to thank God for. And of course we mustn't forget to show gratitude toward our priests for the work they do. :-)
ReplyDeleteA good "sabbath moment" idea!
Evan
Mary you are such a comfort to come back to. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteEvan,
ReplyDeleteYes, over the years I am learning to appreciate this gift more and more each day!
You are so sweet, JBR :) I'm glad my words bring you comfort. Hugs!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the prayers, Colleen.
ReplyDeleteYes, I finally got your e-mail! Hurray! I was happy to hear that you will be joining us!
Mary, it sounds like your life has been touched by a very special person. May your priest's work soon be over and may Heaven rejoice. With prayers.
ReplyDeleteMary this is beautiful! Would you mind if I shared your words in an email with my Monthly Prayer Request for Priests email list? It will inspire many and I will be sure to send them the link to this lovely blog!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sue. Yes he's very special. We will miss him dearly. My husband Randy was received into the Church by Father Kelly and was given his first Communion and Confirmation by him, also.
ReplyDeleteAnne,
ReplyDeleteOf course you may! You can also edit them as you wish (I know the beauty of your writing skills) and need not trouble yourself about the link. Thank you and God bless!
Prayers for your pastor, Mary.
ReplyDelete