Sanctification

Three thoughts for today, a day of convergence.

Today is the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, a feast of particular importance to the Jesuits, and a subject on which I’ve written recently.
(A Wounded Heart)

We attend a Jesuit parish and Rev. Kenneth Baker, S.J. appropriately celebrated his first Mass there today as our new interim pastor. I only found out yesterday that this was the first Mass he has celebrated in English, rather than in Latin, in perhaps twenty years.

Today is also a day that the Congregation for the Clergy has designated as a World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests.

We strongly encourage each and every one of the faithful … to pray for our priests, today, this day this very moment … through prayer, celebration of the Mass and Eucharistic Adoration

It seems appropriate that on this Solemnity we should take a moment to pray for all our priests, and perhaps especially for past and future pastors. After all, the Roman Martyrology listing for today includes the Commemoration of Saint Aaron, the Levite, brother of Moses.

For our interim pastor, I offer a special prayer.

Prayer for Priests
St. Thérèse of of Lisieux

O Holy Father, may the torrents of love flowing from the sacred wounds of your divine Son bring forth priests like unto the beloved disciple John who stood at the foot of the cross; priests, who as a pledge of your own most tender love will lovingly give your divine Son to the souls of men.

May your priests be faithful guardians of your Church, as John was of Mary, whom he received into his house. Taught by this loving Mother who suffered so much on Calvary, may they display a mother’s care and thoughtfulness towards your children. May they teach souls to enter into close union with you through Mary who, as the Gate of Heaven, is specially the guardian of the treasures of your divine Heart.

Give us priests who are on fire, and who are true children of Mary, priests who will give Jesus to souls with the same tenderness and care with which Mary carried the Little Child of Bethlehem.

Mother of sorrows and of love, out of compassion for your beloved Son, open in our hearts deep wells of love, so that we may console Him and give Him a generation of priests formed in your school and having all the tender thoughtfulness of your own spotless love.

Amen.

And on that note, I’m off to the Cathedral to make a Holy Hour, having forgotten both my breviary and my iPhone (with breviary app) at home this morning.

I have scheduled this to post at noon, the start of the Holy Hour.