Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday

“The priest is not a priest for himself;  he does not give himself absolution;  he does not administer the sacraments to himself.  He is not for himself, he is for you.”  - St. John Vianney

Today’s Thankful Thursday post is about the blessing of the priesthood.
There’s no doubt about it - life right now is not easy.  We’re being stretched and pulled in all sorts of new, different ways.  The same is true in our spiritual lives.  The faithful are without the Mass, the reception of Holy Eucharist, and the peace that the sacrament of reconciliation brings.  It’s challenging us to rediscover ways in which we can live out our faith and develop our relationship with Jesus in our homes. 

What about our priests?  Yes, they still celebrate Mass and are able to spend time with our Lord in the Eucharist.  But this is not easy for them, either.  Mass is not meant to be celebrated so frequently without a congregation.  Priests rejoice when penitent souls encounter Christ through the sacrament of penance.  They want to be there to celebrate the joys of baptism and the sorrows of sickness and death with us.  And yet that is forbidden these days as well.  As quoted above, “a priest is not a priest for himself.”  Like all vocations, the life of the priest is best lived when it becomes a gift for others. 

We are all feeling the loss of the communal life of the Church during this time.

The fact is that we need each other.  The life of a priest blesses his people, and the life of the laity inspires the priest.  With the challenges we currently face we need to reach out to each other and maintain mutual support for each other. 

There are many ways in which we can do so.  We can email, call, or even write a quick note.  But I think there is something even more powerful that we can do. 
St. Mother Teresa once said, “We cannot underestimate the power of prayer and the difference it will make in our world.”  Prayer not only unites people from around the world, but it transcends time and space, uniting us even with those souls in purgatory and heaven, and connects us in an intimate way with God, our Creator.  Prayer is so powerful! 

Now is a great time to share this power of prayer with our priests.  There are many forms of prayer:  personal prayers, the rosary, chaplets, litanies, and novenas.  There are beautiful prayers which are offered specifically for our priests as well.  And I would be remiss if I didn’t share with you the power that little sacrifices offered up for another bring into this world.  In all reality, these spiritual gifts are more needed and more efficacious then other ways we could show our appreciation.

So my suggestion – or challenge – is for you to make time on a regular basis to show your appreciation for our priests through the blessings of prayer and penance.  But then take it one step further.  How edifying would it be for the priests of our diocese to receive cards from the faithful, sharing with them messages of gratitude and support, listing the acts of prayer and penance you have been offering for their benefit?  Whether they live in the city or in farm country, whether we know them personally or not, we are blessed by their vocations.  Please take the time to share your appreciation by blessing them.

I’ve created two spiritual bouquet cards which can easily be printed on paper or cardstock.  One can be folded like a card, and the other can be printed off like a notecard. 

Please share this information with others.  Let’s storm heaven in gratitude for the blessings of the priesthood!