Power of the Priest--Sunday 22 May

Last Sunday’s first reading (Acts 6) dealt with vocations. The apostles, who needed uninterrupted time to pray and do God’s work, realized that not only does God’s work entail listening to Him and taking His word to the people, but to fulfill the human needs of the people as well. As a result, seven men were appointed to take up this other part of God’s work and fulfill these human needs, while the others went on with praying and fulfilling the spiritual needs of the people.

There are so many people capable of filling the human needs of the world, but how few can fulfill the spiritual needs of the world today! When I think of those whom I trust to influence, guide, lead, or challenge me, without question, they are often priests. Its seems strange at first but if you look deeper into the mission of the priest, his foremost job is to do all four of these things because he is called to do what Jesus would do. Though it is the authority of the Church that leads the people, the ones who are entrusted to carry it out are the priests. The ones with all the political pressure may be the faces we see on  TV, but it’s the parish priests who have the real, worldly pressure. It is the parish priest who has to lay it on the line to the faces he sees and personally knows, and who know his faults, and still tell them the hard facts about right and wrong and the teachings of the Faith—no matter what his personal feelings or habits may be concerning the matter.

The priest is so very important, crucial, he is so very powerful. He comes from such a long line of authority, and with power invested in him through the Catholic Church, it is easy to forget that he is human and he can fall too. With the level of responsibility a single priest has in bringing the Word and the teachings of the Church—untainted to the people—it is no wonder the Apostles wished to simplify their lives in order to spend extra time in prayer.

So let us not forget to pray for our brothers the priests, they have such a powerful position to hold without room for error. It is in our best interest, and theirs, to uphold them in prayer, fasting, and support so that they may not fall, so that we may not fall.

Grasping Prayer (Sunday, April 10)

Prayer is often difficult to balance for me. How often we hear pray for this, that, and the other thing several times every day? By the end of the day I feel like I should have said about four Rosaries and two Masses to cover everything, so what is the balance? How much does God want us to pray and for what things? Today I heard a little analogy. (It didn't say anything about thankfulness, so I added my own thought on it.)

* It goes like this: start with your open hand. Think about what God has placed in it/given you or is trying to give you and thank Him for it—even if it’s not what you want or can understand, it is part of His plan for your happiness, so thank Him for all of it regardless.

* Next, look at your thumb, its closest to you so pray for those whom you are closest to in any way (loved ones and enemies).

* On your pointer/index finger, pray for those who instruct, teach, or heal (teachers, doctors, parents, religious—those who help/heal and point out the way for us in the world; they need strength and support in their call to minister to others).

* On your tallest/middle finger, pray for those who are high in leadership (the president, politicians, Pope; anyone in charge of anything important. They too need guidance and support to courageously lead and guide the rest of the world.)

* On your ring finger, which is also the weakest finger of your hand, pray for those who are weak, sick, in need, or trouble.

* Finally on your pinkie finger, the smallest and the last, pray for yourself. After you have prayed for everyone and everything else, you will have put your own requests into proper perspective and effectively put yourself as the least of all.  I hope this helps you simplify and improve your prayer life! 

May God Bless You Abundantly for You Efforts! =)