Think about how hard it is at times to cope with the three great challenges that accompany us as while we still draw breath: the world, the flesh and the Devil.
The Devil and the fallen cohort of Hell hate everyone. They hate and fear priests with a particular viciousness.
Something must be up in the ongoing invisible battle on the spiritual place. In the last couple weeks, I have noted an uptick in hate-mail and mail which conceals more subtle forms of spiritual and psychological attacks. At the same time, however, I also have received email from lay people asking about how they can be of greater help to priests, to support them in their ministry.
Red flags are waving. Perhaps we should move to SpiritDefCon2.
So. What can people do to help priests? Here are a few quick and easy things.
- First and foremost, pray and fast for them.
- Volunteer to help in the parish.
- Say “thank you” occasionally. It isn’t expected, but it helps.
On another track, two organizations need your support.
The first, I have mentioned before: Opus Bono Sacerdotii
They assist priests who are in trouble in different ways. They need donations to do their work. I have had contact with someone who benefited from their help.
Also, Justice for Priests and Deacons
I haven’t mentioned them before, but I was recently sent back issues of their newsletter, which I have been perusing. Justice for Priests and Deacons gives canonical help in situations when clerics have been unjustly treated after an unfounded allegation or whose rights or due process has been denied. Priests would do well to take a look at the resources at that site. I am sure they need money, too.
I suggest that you all take a few minutes to scan the sites of both these organizations.
Remember that you are of the Church Militant. You need your officers, who are slogging along side you and yours.
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Dear Fr. Z. I will pray to Fr. Kapaun and Fr. Capodanno for their intercession. [Oorah!]
If the devil is desperate, you must be doing something right. I shudder to think of his hatred for holy priests and religious, knowing the contempt he’s shown me after doing only a little bit of good. I will pray for you.
I will offer my communion on Sunday for you and all of the priests I know, asking the intercession of Servant of God Fr. Walter Ciszek, S.J.
“Something must be up in the ongoing invisible battle on the spiritual place. In the last couple weeks, I have noted an uptick in hate-mail and mail which conceals more subtle forms of spiritual and psychological attacks.”
It is funny that you would mention this Fr. Z. Lately, I have noticed that there are many around me who are starting to wake up…. Spiritually and Socially. It goes without saying that God takes the worst human suffering as an opportunity to pour out his abundant graces.
Jesus, I Trust In You.
I guess now would be a good time to inform everyone about the Global Annual Day of Fasting for Priests, Saturday, October 19th http://www.annaprae.com/layfast2013onlinesignup.html. They aren’t following the traditional midnight to midnight fast, but nevertheless, it’s good to get the laity to do something for priests, and there’s nothing saying we can’t do the traditional canonical guidelines of fasting. Perhaps some people might want to pick a specific day of the week to offer everything up for priests and do extra penance that day.
Personally, I have a great love for priests and the priesthood. There are few things that make me more sad than priests who are struggling, falling short of the mark, completely out in left field, or fallen gravely from their vocation. I am of the firm belief that everyone should do something regularly for both the spiritual and temporal welfare of priests to the best of their abilities given their means, etc.
A great prayer book to use is published by Angelus Press and is called Prayer Crusade for Priests. I use it daily to pray for priests as it has a great number of traditional prayers. It is a wonderful resource and helps establish a daily prayer routine for priests.
Thank you Fr. for the image of the priest with the Consecration AND the Crown of Thorns. The image reminds me of the Sacrifices that a priest makes bringing Our God to the Altar in spite of his daily cross.
At coffee last Sunday, a young unmarried man said he guessed that marriage would be a cross. This Sunday at coffee I will mention that we should not forget the cross of the priest who serves us. Will offer a Rosary this evening for the cross our priests carry.
There is an apostolate that prays for priests and one can ‘adopt’ a priest to pray for at http://www.opusangelorum.org/english.html
I generally either invite my pastor over or take him out to eat 4 times a year. In fact, I have an invite suggestion out for both of our priests at this moment and just waiting for the schedules to be checked. We have invited our priests for supper from the earliest years of our marriage.
One memorable time was when Msgr. came for supper and my young sons had fun with a “fart machine”….
Father,
I offer up willingly all my sufferings for you, all our priests, bishops cardinals, seminarians, the Holy Father, sisters, all clergy. Especially priests. Actually, I give it all to Our Lady, as I have done the St. Max Kolbe consecration to her. So she gets first dibs, for her intentions.
I have MS, so I do have something to give her.
But always always, I ask her if she can give this to you all. That’s my intention. I can’t imagine shed say no to that. :)
And having said that, funny you should mention red flags and defcon2.
I’ve had quite the flare up during the last week. Very difficult.
Ora et labora.
La mama,
Dear Fr. Z. I will pray to Fr. Kapaun and Fr. Capodanno for their intercession. [Oorah!]
Our Lady of Good Help, pray for us.
Frs. Kapaun and Capodanno are the only two, soldier priests, memorialized on the grounds there.
“Say “thank you” occasionally. It isn’t expected, but it helps.”
THANK YOU!
Your commentary is an island of sanity in a sea of madness! God bless you and keep you!
I’m going to keep praying as well for Fr. George Byers who is still not blogging.
We just finished a novena today for priests, especially suffering priests. (Oops, but apparently I can’t count and said it for 10 days–oh well.) Sigh. I kept adding priests names and there just seem to be SO many that need prayers. I also added the priest in Great Britain (whose name escapes me now, but I did light a candle for him the other night too) and the priests who were helping to defend him and my daughter seems to really enjoy when I tried to say Bp Paprocki last night. We will all keep praying for you priests, Father. It seems a very difficult time for priests. Thank you. May God reward you.
Praying for priests and caring for them is utterly important! I’ve seen a marvellous example of how a group in a parish helped their priest and totally changed his life by praying for him and making life easier for him in different ways.
Our pastor OTOH, is quite impossible to deal with, despite prayers and all kinds of attempts to assist him et c. I am starting to suspect, that the problem with him lies on a level we can’t see. I pray that he genuinely doesn’t undrestand what he is doing. Please pray for Fr. M!
Thank you Father, your post is very timely. A young priest in our diocese is undergoing a lot of persecution for simply preaching the truth. It is now at the point where he has been removed from his parish and is no longer allowed to offer up the sacrifice of the Mass in public with the exception of his immediate family. I hope that this information will help him, but please prayer for Fr. P as well.
Just another very timely post, Father. Few things stir my soul like the desire to aid priests–that they should be human like me makes their existence all the more miraculous. Thanks, APX and Joseph-Mary for the links!
I’ve donated to Opus Bono before several times because of Fr. Z writing about them. I’ve also donated to the Servants of the Paraclete, but I can’t recall whether I heard about them on this blog or not. Now, I’ll have to check out Justice for Priests and Deacons.