Today is the great Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of the Clergy. I was once told by one of my parishioners that she thought very few parishioners actually prayed for their priests. I don't know whether that is true or not, but it might explain why so many priests get into trouble (apart from the fact that they are not praying themselves). Please pray for us today - and every day - God knows we need it!
2 comments:
I find it perplexing that in so many dioceses and parishes the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests met with silence, indifference, and yawns of ennui. Many priests to whom I have spoken knew nothing about it! One would think that, after all the Church has suffered, the clergy would have promoted this magnificent initiative of Pope John Paul II with great enthusiasm. Thank you, dear Father, for posting about it.
Father Mark, we also don't hear much about the Sacred Heart. In 11 years at my parish the only mention of it I've ever heard was when our pastor identified the statue of the Sacred Heart during our RCIA tour of the church.
I remember seeing references or perhaps a prayer (?) to the Sacred Heart on television (probably as a public service/commercial sort of thing). I've sort of had the feeling that it's a devotion that's fallen out of favor among most contemporary Catholics around here.
I wonder why this is the case.
And I've never before heard of the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests, butI do pray for our priests, not as faithfully as I should, but I do pray for them.
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