Sr. Marie André with
Fr. John Ehrich,
from St. Thomas the Apostle
Catholic Church in Phoenix.
Fr. Robert Clements,
Rector of Sts Simon and Jude
Cathedral in Phoenix
during Eucharistic Adoration
in Black Canyon City.
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March 2010
by Sr. Mary Fidelis
The Priesthood & Suffering -
A Holy Thursday Reflection |
Holy Thursday is one of my favorite celebrations of the Liturgical Year. It is a multi-faceted day. Our Blessed Lord washes the Feet of His Apostles. He offers the Last Supper Discourse to His Apostles. He offers His Priestly Prayer. The Holy Eucharist is instituted. The Holy Priesthood is instituted. Jesus is betrayed. He is alone in His Agony. He is arrested. And so the Passion begins.
Holy Thursday begins as a day of solemnity and ends a day of great pain. It is a day for all of us to accompany Our Dear Lord. This Holy Thursday, let us not leave Him alone. Let us offer our support of His Priests. This Holy Thursday let us reaffirm our love for the visible Head of the Church, Pope Benedict XVI. Let us reaffirm our love for the ministers of the Church, our Priests.
In his wonderful book on the Priesthood (Meditations on the Catholic Priesthood), Fr. Charles Connor speaks of the late Cardinal Hume. In one section of the book, the reality of the Priest as Alter Christus sharing uniquely and intimately in the suffering of Christ is brought to the forefront. In this union with the suffering Christ, the Priest has the courage to respond in the affirmative when the Lord asks: "DO YOU LOVE ME?"
Cardinal Hume offers the following words about the suffering of the Priest: "Because when I am suffering, whether it is mental or physical, whether in union with Our Lord in His Agony in the garden or in union with Him as He is actually carrying His burden, being flogged and spat upon, going up the hill to Calvary - there is nothing that brings me closer to Our Lord, and through Him to the Father than actually suffering with Him."
Dear Priests of Jesus Christ: Thank you for suffering for the flock of Christ. Thank you for your faithful service. In this holy time and always, the PCPA's remember you with gratitude, pray for you with fervor, and support you with our sacrifices.
To close, I'd like to offer the following thought from Fr. Connor's book: "The passion of Christ continues in a conscious way in the life of every priest. Conscioiusly, whenever he unites any trial to those of Christ, the passion is present. Unconsciously, in the loneliness he experiences with the rest of humanity, the passion is equally present. In whichever manner the cross is present in the priestly life, it can never be experienced in a vacuum - on one's own, apart from the rest of the world. Such would be wasted pain, futile and devoid of sense. What makes suffering fruitful is joining it to a life of prayer: 'There comes a point when one is overburdened and hurting, when the only prayer possibleis the prayer of Our Lord on the Cross, 'My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?' You can find an extraordinary peace, I believe in sharing that experience of the Lord. When prayer in the verbal sense, in the sense of using my mind, does not come easily, what better prayer than to take the crucifix and just look at it and allow it to give you something of its secret. If you are sharing the experience of the Lord in some manner, then it reveals to you something of the secret. Whatever the secret says to you can bring you its own peace, its own joy.' (Hume)
Suffering and prayer are, therefore, the essential ingredients of the priestly life..." |
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October 2009
By Sr. Esther Marie
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When Sister came and told me that it was my month to write a meditation for the ‘Priest’ page I was overjoyed; and in my joy I began to think about what I could say, for the beauty of the priesthood is the Beauty of Jesus Christ, and His Beauty always (happily) smotes my heart.
But now, almost a month later, and I am still mulling over what I could say...say about something as dear to me as my love and reverence of Christ. It is a mystery I bow before, yet it is a mystery I am blessed to live in the midst of daily.
When I think about the Priesthood, I immediately think about the priests I know and have been blessed to know (and all the priests I will never meet, yet love and reverence all the same). I see these men, these intrepid followers of Christ with all their humaness and weakness, lay down their lives daily for their flock. I see the suffering and death of Christ in the priest at Holy Mass. I am fed, guided and shepherded by Christ through the hands of His Priest. I am instructed, corrected and encouraged by Christ through the mouth of His Priest. What can I say except that I am blessed daily by the friendship and fatherly care of these men of God, not only by what they do, but first and foremost by the reality of WHO they are.
As Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, our vocation is wholly Eucharistic and side-by-side with this, it is a life dedicated to praying and supporting the priest’s of the Church. I’d like to close with a word of encouragement to all priest’s from the late John Paul II, who did so many great things...all of which flowed from his Priesthood.
Pro Christo in Sacerdote Suo!!!!
“ May we always celebrate the Holy Eucharist with fervor. May we dwell long and often in adoration before Christ in the Eucharist. May we sit at the ‘school’ of the Eucharist. Through the centuries, countless priests have found in the Eucharist the consolation promised by Jesus on the evening of the Last Supper, the secret to overcoming their solitude, the strength to bear their sufferings, the nourishment to make a new beginning after every discouragement, and the inner energy to bolster their decisions to remain faithful”
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August, 2009
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Like the month of May, I often think of August as the Month of Mary. It starts off on August 2nd with the Feast of Our Lady of the Angels (at least for us Franciscans it does!), then on August 14th, we celebrate the Feast of St. Maximillian Kolbe - the Franciscan martyr who was totally dedicated to the Immaculata! Then on the 15th, we have the Solemnity of the Assumption, only to be followed one week later by the Feast of the Coronation of Mary! To honor so wonderful a Mother - Mary, the Queen of the Clergy - I want to share with you a conscracation of priests to Our Lady that I found on the Congregation for the Clergy's website:
ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE VIRGIN MARY
Virgin Mary of Tá Pinu, Stella maris,
O Mary, in hope we entrust to You our priestly ministry, that fully conforming with Your Son, Supreme and Eternal Priest, we may introduce all humankind to the ministry of Redemption and guide them on the path to sainthood.
You who are the first fruit of the new life, preserve for us all our "fiat" that intends to be a generous, humble and fecund Yes at the service of the Kingdom of God. Mary, full of grace, Regina Pacis,
protect with a mother’s delicate strength our priestly life: eradicate from it all that might estrange us from Your Son, and transform it into a safe path where every man may joyfully experience divine mercy, meeting He who is "the true light which enlightens everyone" (John 1,9).
You who shaped the human features of the Word of life, mould us according to the holy image of the Risen Christ, that they who approach us may hear His Wordand receive as food the Bread of life that unites and provides peace.
Mary, "Eucharistic" woman, Mother of Hope, give us Jesus! You who gave your virginal womb for the incarnation of the Word of God, help us to experience the Mystery of the Eucharist with a radical donation of ourselves to God and to humankind. You are the living icon of all that God fulfils in those who entrust their lives to Him, in You the Saviour’s freedom has exalted the freedom of each creature, freedom from the devil’s slavery, from the domination of sin and death.
May our lives be eternal praise to the Lord of the cosmos and of history hidden beneath the humility of the Eucharistic signs and of our existence. Mary, Mother of all priests, Mother of the Church, Ensure that Jesus is always at the centre of our ministry and that we may be united with Him at all times. Standing with You at the feet of the Cross, the Tree of new life, we will be victorious and will rise at the end of time to be welcomed by Your Son.
You who are "totally saintly" support the sanctity of our priesthood, that it may be an effective sign, elevated among all people, like a "city set on a mountain" and a "lamp set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house" ( Mt 5,14-15). Amen. |
July, 2009
by Sr. Mary Fidelis |
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When I think of the Priesthood, I think of Divine Mercy! The two are so intimately connected. How often does God's Mercy reach us through the instrumentality of His Priests?!
Pope Benedict XVI recently said: "The Church needs holy priests; ministers who can help the faithful to experience the merciful love of the Lord and who are his convinced witnesses." Our Holy Father describes priests as "transmitters of the mercy of God to the world." He also says that when the priest hears confessions, he is an "active instrument of God's Mercy."
In the Jubilee Year on the occasion of St. Faustina's canonization, Pope John Paul II spoke these prophetic words: "What will the years ahead bring us? What will man's future on earth be like? We are not given to know. However, it is certain that in addition to new progress there will unfortunately be no lack of painful experiences. But the light of divine mercy, which the Lord in a way wished to return to the world through Sr Faustina's charism, will illumine the way for the men and women of the third millennium."
Upon reflection, I am more and more convinced that the Year of the Priest is a fulfillment of these words. In the last few years there has been a turn in tide. A painful purging has run its course and faithful priests have been 'tried by fire'. Certainly they have not lacked painful experiences. But, now there seems to be a new wind of hope blowing through the Church, an increased interest in vocations to the Priesthood, a renewed sense of fidelity among Priests. And with Pope Benedict's proclamation of the Year of the Priest it is as if the light of Divine Mercy has indeed been strengthened in the hearts of both priests and the faithful alike. There is a new springtime for the Priesthood.
Let us give thanks to the Father of Mercies for the gift of Mercy and the gift of the Priesthood. THANK YOU, POPE BENEDICT XVI, for the Year for Priests - which helps us to deepen our commitment to praying for Priests and for having recourse to the Mercy of God through their mediation!
"O Jesus, give us fervent and holy priests! Oh, how great is the dignity of the priest, but at the same time, how great is his responsibility! Much has been given to you, O priest, but much will also be demanded of you ..." - Diary of St. Faustina, 941
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June, 2009
Beginning of the
Year of the Priest
by Sr. Marie André |
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In above photgraph: Fr. Jim Parker (Rockford), Fr. Tim Hoag (Rapid City), Sr. Marie André and her long time friend, Fr. Brian Christensen (Rapid City)
We as Poor Clares look to the coming year for Priests with great anticipation, cognizant of our role as spiritual mothers to all the men who act in Persona Christi as ministers in our Holy Mother the Church. The priesthood is dear to us as consecrated Religious because as Pope Pius X said: “Every priestly vocation comes from the heart of God but passes through the heart of a mother”.
And what better day to have Pope Benedict XVI inaugurate the Year for Priests than on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. That Heart is the source and cause of all His gifts…it is the feast of His love for us. And how grateful should we all be for the gift of the priesthood! With the beginning of this special time, let us show reverence and a filial love for all of God’s ministers. Let us continuously offer our prayers and good works for priestly vocations. Let us call to mind that if there were no priests, there would be no Holy Eucharist! (As a Poor Clare of Perpetual Adoration of Our Dear Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament, what would be my reason for existing if there was no Jesus!)
So, what prayer, comments Pope Pius XI, can be more pleasing to the Sacred Heart of the Redeemer than to ask for good, holy priests? Ask and the Lord will not refuse to send them to His Church. This coming year contemplate what it means to have the holy priesthood instituted by Our Savior and the Master Himself. Through His priests, Jesus graciously effects among us His work of salvation, intercession and sanctification. Let us encourage our priests, pray for their perseverance and support them in every way possible…because then you will be counted as blessed for the tribute and veneration you give to the holy priesthood which, in the words of St. John Vianney, is the love of the Heart of Jesus.
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LET US JOIN IN FERVENT PRAYER
FOR OUR PRIESTS
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Let us pray for our Fr. Paul Sullivan, the new Director of Vocations for the Dioces of Phoenix (above) and his associate director, Fr. Matt Lowry (below)
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Let us pray for Fr. Greg Menegay and St. Mary Magdalen Parish who will begin construction on their new Church
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Sacred Heart of Jesus
Have Mercy on us!
JESUS CHRIST, reign as the
King of my heart,
Reign as King in the hearts
of all Your Priests!
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