We should pray for priests to help them to live their vocation well.
Why Should We Pray for Our Priests?
The day our youngest child made his First Holy Communion was an incredible day. The church was beautiful, the people at Mass we cheerful and happy, the choir sounded angelic, filling the church with beautiful music, and the priest was amazing. Why was he so amazing?
The priest was full of joy. During the Mass, he was eager to share God’s Word with us in the Gospel and in his homily. At the consecration when the bread and wine were transformed into the body and blood of Christ, the priest’s love for Jesus in the Eucharist was apparent to us who were kneeling in the pews. As I watched him and participated in the Mass, I knew he was born to be a priest and was fulfilling his calling to the priesthood.
It was also a reminder to me that we as a Church need to pray for our priests. Why should we pray for our priests? The short answer is that we should pray for our priests because they are the ones who bring us the Sacraments which help us to gain Heaven.
Priests because they are human.
Priests should be respected because they are priests, marked with the seal of Christ as His ministers for His people, yet priests are also human. They make mistakes and they have faults. They are just like anyone else in that they like to go to the movies, they have favorite foods, and they may wonder sometimes if they are doing the right thing in their life.
Being a priest means that they are in the public eye even more and those faults and hurts that they may cause will be all over the parish shortly, maybe even distorted from the truth as they are recounted by parishioners. Just as we want to be given the benefit of the doubt in situations, priests don’t want to be misunderstood or judged, either.
We can offer up a short prayer for priests, asking God to bless and help them to be holy, loving, compassionate, and to be able to conquer the faults they have that can interfere with them living their priesthood well.
We should pray for priests because they need our help, love, and support to live out their vocation well.
Just as we work to live our vocations well, priests are called to do the same. We often have support from our spouses, friends, and other family members. Priests do not always have such support. If a priest is part of a religious order, he may live in a community with other priests where they can help and support each other. Sometimes, though, that support is not there.
Other priests live alone at a parish or are in the mission field and do not have support nearby form other priests or religous.
Being a priest can be a lonely, isolating, and draining life. A priest pours himself out in service to God’s people (you and me), yet he may not always have the opportunity or knowledge on how to fill himself up spiritually so he can serve to the best of his ability.
We can offer to God a thanksgiving prayer for priests and ask God to bestow on all of His priests the fortitude and strength that they need to serve as He calls them to serve. We can pray that priests are fulfilled in their vocation and have the support and help that they need to serve God’s people with joy.
Priests are chosen by God to be priests.
Being a priest is not a job. Being a priest is a vocation. It is a calling. Not every man is called to be a priest. Becoming a priest is something a man needs to discern carefully and prayerfully, talking with his local Diocese or the religious order he feels called to be a part of, so he can make sure that this is indeed what God wants for him.
After this discernment process, a man has many years of study and formation to prepare him to be a priest. During this time, he discerns even more to make sure he is doing what God is calling him to do.
We may know a priest who was born to be a priest and is fulfilling his vocation well. We may know another priest whose actions or attitudes cause us to wonder why he became a priest. The thing we need to remember is that God is the one who calls men to be priests and He knows why He does this. He has a purpose and a plan for each priest He has called.
We need to remember and recognize that God knows what He is doing! We may not understand why some men are priests and why some other men are not priests, but we can understand and trust that God knows what He is doing.
We can offer a prayer for priests and vocations. We can pray that the men who are priests will be strengthened in their vocation and live a holy priesthood. We can pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and pray that the men whom Jesus calls to be His priests will hear His call and answer Him with a “Yes!”
We should pray for priests because we are all part of the same Church.
Jesus created one universal Church. He appointed the Apostles as the first priests and Peter as the first Pope. We are One, Catholic, and Apostolic Church founded by Christ.
The Church is the Bride of Christ. We the people make up the Church. We are the Church on earth. Each priest is a representative of Jesus on earth, ordained by God to know, love, and serve Him by serving and bringing the Sacraments to His people. Just as the Chuch is the Bride of Christ, we, the Church, are the bride of each priest.
As Jesus laid down His life for His Bride, the Church, so each priest is called to the same sacrificial love for Christ and His Church. This can be very challenging, especially in a world that seeks to tear down God and all that is holy. The Pope and our priests need our prayers and support to help them to be strong and steadfast in faith and in devotion to the Church and to the true teachings of the Church.
We can pray for our priests and for our Pope that they may follow Jesus' example to lead the Church in faith and love, staying true to the teachings of the Church.
We can pray for priests and our Pope to be strong in their faith and grow closer to God each day, learning to love Christ and His Church more each day.
We should pray for our priests every day.
A man is transformed when he is ordained a priest. He is sealed forever as a priest-a mark that cannot be taken away. We should pray for priests because they are human and because they need our help, love, and support to live out their vocation well. We should pray for priests because they are chosen by God to be priests. They can be strengthened by our prayers to live their vocation well and as God calls them to live it-in a way that is holy and pleasing to Him. We should pray for priests because we are all part of the same Church.
Prayers we can use to pray for our priests every day.
More resources regarding praying for priests and encouraging vocations.
St. Therese was an advocate for praying for priests.
How to Encourage Religious Vocations in Your Children
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