Friday, 21 February 2014


Come follow me

 

These words spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ to the Apostles, over two thousand years ago, has continued down through the centuries to this present day.  Religious vocation is a very precious gift which is reserved for a few who are frowned upon, especially at this present time.  The Church weathering these storms, could elevate its position in the world to a dimension of love and safety.  The Apostles opened the way, which was followed uninterrupted by their successors.  The Apostles and their successors were called to fulfil Christ’s Ministry, in the preaching of the truth, administration of the Sacraments, the celebration of Holy Mass, Confession, comforting the afflicted, the poor and all of God’s people.  It is a great gift of God, that of a vocation, a ‘double gift’ for the priest himself and for the people who benefit from his assistance.  However a vocation carries with it a great responsibility to respond to this call.  The Priesthood has taken a devastating hammer-blow by the evils and scandals over the last hundred years.  But the resilience by the many faithful priests who remained steadfast to their calling for the Salvation of the souls of all God’s people who still remain faithful.  Many people do not grasp the true value of the Priesthood, that to spread God’s word entails great sacrifices, living in isolation, and much prayer.  For example when we gather to celebrate Holy Mass, it is the Priest who is the Celebrant and who invites us to join with him.  If for instance nobody turned up for Mass, the Priest will still celebrate Mass to the Glory of God.  When we fall from God’s grace by sinning, a Priest is there to reconcile us to God in the Confessional, the Anointing of the sick, the Blessing of Marriages, Christening of new born babies, Funeral Services and much more is done on our behalf.  So the next time we come in contact with any Priest, treat them with love and respect, for they are truly worthy of it.  It is easy to criticise, but criticism is acceptable only if it is constructive.  Criticism for its own sake is useless and empty.  I plead guilty to judging Priests because sometimes i would want things done differently for my own selfish reasons.  The many, many sacrifices young men have made to join the Priesthood should prove they care about us, and truly love us.  So whoever reads my blogs, I implore you to Pray daily for our Priests, from our Holy Father the Pope to the Parish Priests.

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