1 Corinthians 7:32-35
I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord; but the married man is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried woman or girl is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit; but the married woman is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.
Ever since the days of Jesus, one of the ways in which men and women have shown their devotion to God is by imitating Jesus in his single-minded love for the Church and adopting a celibate life. Paul did this and countless priests and bishops have followed in his footsteps. Such a choice, like all real choices, is not without cost and our priests need our love and prayers as they pursue Jesus, just as we need theirs in our daily lives. If you have not prayed for you priest today, be sure to do so and to thank God for the gift he has made of that man (and the gift that man has made of himself) to you and the ones you love. If you have prayed for your priest, make a point of telling him so and thanking him for his “undivided devotion to the Lord.”
July 13th, 2008 at 6:05 am
Here is a lovly prayer…
Joseph son of David do not be afraid, to take Mary home as your wife, she will bear a son, you must name Him, Jesus
Jesus is the One who save us from our sins, O foster father of Jesus, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of thier death. Amen.
July 13th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Oh Jesus, our great High Priest, hear my humble prayers on behalf of your priests.
Give them a deep faith, a bright and firm hope, and a burning love which will ever increase in the course of their priestly life.
In their loneliness - comfort them.
In their sorrows - strengthen them.
In their frustrations - point out to them that it is through suffering that the soul is purified, and show them that they are needed by the Church, they are needed by souls, they are needed for the work of redemption.
O Loving Mother Mary, Mother of Priests, take to you heart your sons who are close to you; because of their priestly ordination, and because of the power they have received to carry on the work of Christ in a world which needs them so much.
Be their comfort, be their strength and especially help them to live and to defend the ideals of consecrated celibacy.
by John Joseph Cardinal Carberry, Archbishop of St. Louis
repeat daily - more often as required.
(p.s. - Wallet size prayer cards can be gotten from:
Canopy of Prayer
3835 Westminister Place
St. Louis, Mo. 63108
for $1.25 per hundred)