(c)Mary TV 2013
January 24, 2014
St. Francis de Sales
Dear Family of Mary!
I
received this wonderful nudge from the Holy Spirit, through our
shipmate Olga from Moscow. She suggested we begin a novena for priests
that will end on Sunday, February 2. (I believe it is the Feast of the
Presentation. At least in the USA we celebrate it even on Sunday.) Olga
writes:
I
was also thinking of asking you, if you think we could do a novena for
priests and consecrated souls. Unless I am mistaken, the Presentation
feast is not liturgically celebrated this year (maybe because it is Sunday?)
Still it will be a day of special prayer for consecrated souls. And you
know that Our Lady keeps urging us to pray for our shepherds. I feel we
need to do it, not just to say "Let them be, Lord, the way we want them
to be", but rather to ask for the grace to understand the gift of their
vocation, to be thankful for it. Like in that other recent reflection
you spoke about the need to give our hearts to Our Lady, to let Her
change them. And I feel that is one way to get closer to Her Heart, to
pray for the souls that Her Son chose and consecrated and gave as a gift
to us.
I
agree...we can ask for the grace to understand the gift of the
priesthood more deeply and with more gratitude in this novena. What
great good this could do for our priests, if we truly could support them
in our hearts through prayer.
We
will read Our Lady's words each day, asking for prayer and support for
our shepherds, and then pray a simple prayer for our priests. Sometimes I
may quote from other sources about the priesthood. But it will be good
to keep this novena short and simple.
Day One - Novena for priests:
January 02, 2013
"Dear children...My children, pray for the shepherds. May your lips be shut to every judgment, because do not forget that my Son has chosen them and only He has the right to judge. Thank you."
Sr. Briege McKenna wrote in her book "Miracles Do Happen" :
One day in the chapel, with all this on my mind, I asked the Lord, "What is wrong with the priesthood."
The
answer came back to me, "What do you mean, what's wrong with the
priesthood? Have I ever given a gift that is not perfect? What have you
done and how have you thanked me for the gift of priesthood that affects
your life and all mankind?"
It
was then that the Lord revealed to me that I couldn't just sit back and
criticize the priesthood. Actually, in the sacrament of holy orders,
the priest says yes to God so he can be a priest for me, for you, for
every one of us." (Sr. Briege McKenna. "Miracles Do Happen" p. 71)
A PRAYER FOR PRIESTS
Keep them, I pray Thee, dearest Lord. Keep them, for they are Thine -- The priests whose lives burn out before Thy consecrated shrine. Keep them, for they are in the world though from the world apart. When earthly treasures tempt, allure - Shelter them in Thy heart. Keep them and comfort them in hours of loneliness and pain, when all their life of sacrifice for souls seems but in vain. Keep them and remember Lord, they have no one but Thee. They have only human hearts, with human frailty. Keep them as spotless as the Host, that daily they caress; they every thought and word and deed, deign, dearest Lord, to bless.
Keep them, I pray Thee, dearest Lord. Keep them, for they are Thine -- The priests whose lives burn out before Thy consecrated shrine. Keep them, for they are in the world though from the world apart. When earthly treasures tempt, allure - Shelter them in Thy heart. Keep them and comfort them in hours of loneliness and pain, when all their life of sacrifice for souls seems but in vain. Keep them and remember Lord, they have no one but Thee. They have only human hearts, with human frailty. Keep them as spotless as the Host, that daily they caress; they every thought and word and deed, deign, dearest Lord, to bless.
(found at: http://www.motherteresa.org/
Thank you, dear Jesus, for our priests. May we recognize You working in them and through them which will fill us with gratitude.
In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen.
God bless you and keep you in Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
Mary TV 2013
PS. Tomorrow we await another message from Our Lady through Marija. I will send it out as soon as I get it!
"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world!"
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please no anonymous comments. I require at least some way for people to address each other personally and courteously. Having some name or handle helps.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.