The CAPG's Blog
Refusing to Share in the Priesthood of Christ
Source: The Priest in Union with Christ, Father Reginal Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P.
Posted at 12:00AM Jul 01, 2020 by VP in Quotes | Comments [0]
Prayer to Saint Paul
O Glorious Saint Paul, after persecuting
the Church you became by Godʼs grace its most zealous Apostle. To carry
the knowledge of Jesus, our divine Savior, to the uttermost parts of
the earth you joyfully endured prison, scourging, stoning, and
shipwreck, as well as all manner of persecutions culminating in the
shedding of the last drop of your blood for our Lord Jesus Christ.
May your example inspire our parish priests today to be zealous in
their service to Godʼs people. Obtain for our priests the grace to labor
strenuously to bring the faith to others and to accept any trials and
tribulations that may come their way. Help them to be inspired by your
Epistles and to partake of your indomitable love for Jesus, so that
after they have finished their course they may join you in praising him
in heaven for all eternity. Amen.
Source: CAPG
Posted at 12:00AM Jun 30, 2020 by VP in Prayers | Comments [0]
Lines on a Deceased Priest
Breathe not his honored name,
Silently keep it.
Hushed be the saddening theme,
In secrecy weep it.
Call not a warmer flow
To eyes that are aching:
Wake not a deeper throe
In hearts that are breaking.
Oh! “tis a placid rest;
Who could deplore it?
Trance of the pure and blest,
Angels watch o’er it!
Sleep of his mortal night,
Sorrow can’t break it;
Heaven’s own morning light
Alone shall awake it.
Noble thy course is run;
Splendour is round it.
Bravely thy fight is won,
Freedom hath crowned it
In the high warfare
Of heaven grown hoary,
Thou art gone like the summer sun,
Shrouded in glory.
Twine, twine the victor’s wreath,
Spirits that meet him!
Sweet songs of triumph breather,
Seraphs that greet him!
From his high resting-place
Who shall him sever?
With his God, face to face,
Leave him forever.
Callanan. Messenger of the Sacred Heart 1891
Posted at 09:45AM Jun 29, 2020 by VP in Poetry | Comments [0]
Prayer to the Sacred Heart for Priests
Remember, O most loving Heart of Jesus, that they for whom I pray are
those for whom You prayed so earnestly the night before Your death.
These are they to whom You look to continue with You in Your sorrows
when others forsake You, who share Your griefs and have inherited your
persecutions, according to Your word: That the servant is not greater
than his Lord.
Remember, O Heart of Jesus, that they are the
objects of the worldʼs hatred and Satanʼs deadliest snares. Keep them
then, 0 Jesus, in the safe citadel of Your Sacred Heart and there let
them be sanctified in truth.
May they be one with you and one among themselves, and grant that multitudes may be brought through their word to believe in You and love You. Amen.
Source: CAPG
Posted at 10:44PM Jun 11, 2020 by VP in Prayers | Comments [0]
Trinity Sunday
There is a God : this is the first truth which we profess to believe when we recite the Creed, a truth which is the foundation of all the other truths of religion, and of salvation ; a truth which nature as well as religion alike inculcate ;a truth better known than all others, and which is as clear to our eyes as the light of day. Hence, we always regard as monsters, rather than men, that small number of wretches who arrive at such a height of impiety that they dare deny or even doubt that there is a God. If they have the hardihood to say so, “it is only in their heart,” saith the prophet. Indeed, the corruption of their hearts makes them desire that there were no God, that they may with greater ease and freedom abandon themselves to the disorders of their passions ; but their intellect never admits such an absurdity, and always convicts them of their lying blasphemies.
In fact, my Brethren, to convince us of the Existence of a God, it is not necessary that we should enter into tedious researches, and have recourse to laborious studies ; it suffices to contemplate ourselves attentively, to cast a glance over this vast earth, on the millions of creatures that inhabit the world. Yes, says Isaias, "Lift up your eyes on high ; consider who has created the heavens, who caused the army of stars to move in such beautiful order, and who calls them by their names.” Who, then, has fixed this earth upon its foundation ? Who has constructed the spacious firmament on high, --that wonderful ceiling dotted all over with stars, as so many precious stones ? Did man give existence to himself? Did the sun and moon fix themselves in the firmament ? « Do you know who is the Father of the rain, or who begot the drops of dew? (Job, XXXViii)
Ah! the world is a great book, which speaks to us only of God; the voice of the Supreme Being resounds from one end of the universe to the other, and says : “I am the Lord ; that make all things ; that alone stretch out the heavens; that establish the earth; and there is none with me.” (Isaias)
It is God, who has made every thing, and nothing was made without Him. Every man who does not recognize Thee, and who presumes to deny Thy existence, O, my God, is blind, is an ungrateful wretch, is a monster without eyes, without ears, without intellect, and without heart. Yes, if he has eyes let him open them, and everywhere he will see evidences of Thy wisdom, O, my God, and the wonders of Thy Omnipotence!- If he has ears to hear, why does he close them against the voice of every creature that proclaims the greatness of its Creator? Has he received from heaven the gift of intelligence ; he, who, more stupid than beasts, disowns HIM to whom he is indebted for every thing ? And where, then is his heart, since he is insensible to the ineffable bounty for all the blessings which he constantly receives from this adorable Providence,that confers them on him ?
Yes, -my Brethren, there is a God, there is but one God, and here can be no more gods than one. In truth, God is the Being above all beings ; the Infinite Being ; the perfect Being. That perfection can not be divided; infinity appertains to but one Being alone. Were there many infinitely perfect beings, none of them would possess perfection, since they would all be equal ; none of them would be superior to the others, none would be Sovereign Master; and we can with reason say, if there were many gods, there would be none, for a plurality of gods were an idle fancy, a thing that exists not. Says the prophet of God: “Hear, 0 Israel, the Lord, our God, is the only Lord. I am, says he, the first and the last, there is no God besides me.”* lsaias, xl and xliv
There is but one God. You must not however imagine, my Brethren, that the unity of God is opposed to the adorable mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. It is true, faith teaches us to acknowledge and adore three Persons in the Most Blessed Trinity, three Persons in one God ; yet, there is in this no contradiction. Indeed, we do not say, there are three Gods in one God ; but there are three Persons, who constitute but one God. In the Most Blessed Trinity there are not three divine natures, but only one and the same divine nature for the three divine Persons. Yes, my Brethren, always bear in mind, that the three divine Persons of the Most Blessed Trinity have but one and the same divine nature, and are but one and the same God. I know that this is one of those truths which reason of itself cannot comprehend, experience teach, nor the senses assist us to discover; it is a mystery the depth of which, it belongs to God alone to fathom. “No one knoweth the Son, but the Father, neither doth any one know the Father, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. (St. Matthew, Xi:27) But what ought to set our minds at rest, and free us from all uneasiness, is, that God himself has revealed this august mystery, and His divine word is our guaranty for this profound truth. He has said: “There are three in heaven who give testimony, — -the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, — and these three are one. (St. John, V:7)
But what is God? The day will come when, in heaven, we shall know God and see His infinite perfections in the clearest light. In this life we behold Him only through a glass and in shadows. Yet, however imperfect our knowledge may be, faith and reason throw sufficient light around us, to demonstrate to us that God is a Spirit infinite in all His attributes ; that He is self-existent, and that He is from eternity. God is infinite, therefore He wants nothing ; and there is in Him not even the smallest defect, nor the slightest imperfection. He is perfect ; there is in Him neither sleep, nor hunger, nor thirst, nor anger, nor sadness, nor suffering, nor death; none of these imperfections are to be found in the infinitely perfect nature of God.
God is from all eternity ; He was not created by himself; neither could He have been created by another. If God created himself, He must have existed before He created himself, which is a palpable absurdity. If God was created by another, tell me by whom this other was himself created? How, then, does God exist? The Almighty himself informs us, when He says to Moses : “ I Am who Am” — that is to say, I am the necessary, infinite, eternal Being, the Source, the beginning of all other beings ; Life, and even Existence itself.
God is a being perfectly simple; He is a perfect Spirit; He has neither body, nor figure, nor form. He does not come under our senses ; He can neither be seen, nor touched. If the picture of God the Father represents Him under the form of an old man, it is to give us an idea of His adorable antiquity, and because He showed himself in this form to the prophet Daniel. If the Sacred Scriptures speaks to us of the eyes, the feet, and the hands of God, it uses such language only to accommodate itself to our weakness. These are no more than figures which serve to make us understand the perfections and attributes of God. By His eyes is signified that He sees all things ; by His hands that He made all things ; by His arms is understood His supreme power; and we express as far as possible His dignity, by placing all creatures at His feet.
But at the same time, the word of God warns us not to conceive a false idea of God, by supposing Him to have a human form, giving Him a human body and senses, or by believing that He is, as it were, confined within the vast and magnificent palace of this world. God is a Spirit; and therefore He desires to be adored in spirit and in truth. He wishes that our minds should be constantly raised toward Him, and that our hearts should he penetrated with His love, when we contemplate and meditate upon His infinite perfections.He wishes that, like generous children, we should have
for Him the deepest respect and the most perfect submission to His ever adorable will. He wishes that, by a faithful discharge of all the duties of our state, we may merit His favor and His love.
There is a God : He is perfect. He is infinite. O my soul, bless the Lord, and may all that is within me praise His holy name ! Yes, 0 Lord, I am the work of Thy hands, and my soul and my body shall never cease to publish Thy greatness and Thy goodness. Alas! can it be possible that there are men who refuse to recognize Him, by whose omnipotence they were called into existence! Can it be, that there are others who, though acknowledging that there is a God, yet live as if they knew Him not ; do not love Him, nor serve Him, nor wish to do any thing to please Him.
Let us not, O my God ! be amongst the number of those ungrateful wretches; on the contrary, let us bless Thee all the days of our lives; let us praise and glorify Thee on earth, which is Thy footstool; that, we may merit the happiness of being one day admitted to praise, and bless, and love Thee forever in Heaven, where Thou hast established the “ Throne of Thy Glory.” — Amen.
Source: One hundred short sermons, The Most Rev. Martin John Spalding Archbishop of Baltimore
Posted at 12:00AM Jun 07, 2020 by VP in Sermons | Comments [0]
Summer Ember Saturday
Hymns, readings and prayers for this Whit Embertide:
Hymns: Veni, Sancte Spiritus (Come, Thou Holy Spiritus, come) Veni, Creator Spiritus, (Come Holy Spirit, Creator Blest) Readings: Ember Saturday:
Leviticus, 23. 9-11, 15-17, 21
Saint Paul to the Romans, 5. 1-5
Prayers:
An excellent prayer for this purpose is the Litany of the Saints, in which so many bishops, priests, and levites are invoked; or the Rosary may be appropriately said, grouping those for whom we pray into five classes, corresponding to the five decades.
Source: Ember Days (Curé d'Ars Prayer Group)
Posted at 12:00AM Jun 06, 2020 by VP in Prayers | Comments [0]
Summer Ember Friday
Hymns, readings and prayers for this Whit Embertide:
Hymns: Veni, Sancte Spiritus (Come, Thou Holy Spiritus, come) Veni, Creator Spiritus, (Come Holy Spirit, Creator Blest) Readings: Ember Thursday:
Prayers:
An excellent prayer for this purpose is the Litany of the Saints, in which so many bishops, priests, and levites are invoked; or the Rosary may be appropriately said, grouping those for whom we pray into five classes, corresponding to the five decades.
Source: Ember Days (Cure d'Ars Prayer Group)
Posted at 12:00AM Jun 05, 2020 by VP in Prayers | Comments [0]
Summer Ember Wednesday
"On Ember days we pray and make sacrifices for ourselves, our families, the Church and the world."
We should never let these seasons pass without adding prayer to our fasts, or it may be compensating fast by prayer. Our prayer should be for the clergy, not only those ordained, though for them especially; but for the Sovereign Pontiff, the cardinals, bishops, parochial clergy, missionaries and religious orders, seminarians; and for the grace of vocation to the priesthood. Hymns, readings and prayers for this Whit Embertide:
Hymns: Veni, Sancte Spiritus (Come, Thou Holy Spiritus, come)
Veni, Creator Spiritus, (Come Holy Spirit, Creator Blest)
Readings: Ember Wednesday: Acts of the Apostles, 2. 1-21 Acts of the Apostles, 5. 12-16 St. John, 6. 44-52
Prayers:
An excellent prayer for this purpose is the Litany of the Saints, in which so many bishops, priests, and levites are invoked; or the Rosary may be appropriately said, grouping those for whom we pray into five classes (Pope, Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, and Seminarians), corresponding to the five decades.
Source: Ember Days (Cure d'Ars Prayer Group)
Posted at 12:00AM Jun 03, 2020 by VP in Prayers | Comments [0]
The Priesthood
According to the provisions of the Old Law, the priesthood was the property of a caste. The office descended from father to son within the limits of certain family in a certain tribe. In the New Law the whole Christian community is declared to be " as chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people." Therefore now no race of men, no nation, no kindred, no condition of life, is debarred from the sanctuary. The sons of every family are eligible to serve at the altar. The one thing necessary is that the Lord have need of them. "No man," says St. Paul, "taketh the honor unto himself unless he is called of God, even as Aaron was." A divine vocation to the priesthood is required, and that vocation the still, small voice of the Spirit of God is ever whispering to the chose ones among your children. Oh happy are you, if your prayers, your counsel and your example teach them to answer, like the child of Anna in the silence of the tabernacle: "Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth."
But once the priest is called of God, he must be ready, like Abraham, to go forth from his father's house, and, if needs be, from his native land. For him there is no sweet dream of home; for him no hope of the love of wife or child. Henceforth his home is the house of God; henceforth his spouse is Holy Church, his children the flock of Christ. He is adopted into the order of Mechisedech, of whom it is written that he was "without father, without mother, without genealogy or length of days, but made like unto the Son of God."
It is this assimilation to the Son of God that cuts off the Catholic priest from his own people. He is no longer a mere man 'whose father we know, whose mother we know, whose brothers and sisters are amongst us." He is God's messenger. He is no longer the playmate of our boyhood, the companion of our youth. He is the ambassador of the Great King. He is not even the brilliant scholar, the wise administrator, the kindly friend or the sage counselor. Henceforth and forever he is the fellow-laborer of Jesus Christ. When you bring your children to him that he may pour upon them the waters of regeneration, it is Christ Himself that baptizes. When he lifts his hand in absolution in the tribunal of penance, the sentence is ratified in the high court of heaven by the Judge of all. When he offers the sacrifice of the Mass, the Victim is caught up by the Holy Angels of God and borne to the altar on high, in the sight of the Divine Majesty, and is made His own by the Eternal Priest Himself who stands ever living to make intercession for men.
To co-operate with Jesus Christ, nay, to bear the very Person of Jesus Christ in the salvation of the world, this is the proper work of the Catholic priest. And behold, what high mysteries we touch here! Of all the dark ways of God none is so unsearchable as His love for the world, His hunger for men's souls.
Source: Altar and Priest, Rev. PC Yorke, 1913
Posted at 12:00AM Jun 02, 2020 by VP in Articles | Comments [0]
The Priest is a Man of God.
He, of all men, must be a man of faith, a man of sacrifice. He must be a lover of God, a lover of God's people, the example of God's love for men. He bears faith to men, for he is the instrument through whom God works.
His faith should be full, it should be clearly defined, intelligently appreciated, and intelligently made known. He should be a man of faith, who believes in God in the full meaning of belief; who believes in his Church, in the teachings of the Fathers and Councils, who is loyal to his Bishop and the Holy See, who trusts implicitly in Providence.
His life should be above reproach, for he deals with sacred things, he handles holiness; he must be as Timothy, “Blameless, sober, prudent.”
Albertus Magnus and St. Thomas have said that no greater power or dignity than the power and dignity of consecrating the body of Christ was ever bestowed on man; and no greater sanctity or perfection can be conceived than the sanctity and perfection required for so divine an action, in the priest. To him, above all men, is said the word of Christ, “Be perfect, imitate Me, be My disciple.”
Woe to him, if by him any scandal comes.
To him is given power over the body of Christ, At his word, Christ the Lord comes in the sacrament of the Eucharist and dwells upon our altars to be the food and nourishment of our souls. By his acts, in conjunction with man's repentance, sins are remitted. In his hands, according to the scheme of salvation, are the keys of the kingdom of Heaven.
Oh, indeed he should be a man of faith!
Source: Our Church, Her Children and Institutions, 1908,
Rt. Rev. T.J. Conaty, D.D.
Posted at 12:00AM Jun 01, 2020 by VP in Articles | Comments [0]
The Catholic Priest
It is quite generally believed that of all the mortals who journey through life’s weary pilgrimage, the Catholic priest is the most fortunate. For the priest, who is true to his exalted vocation, lives of the life of grace, has God as his portion in time and eternity, may well be envied. It is not, however, to the spiritual blessings enjoyed by the true priest men refer when calling him fortunate. “What a fine time the priest has,” says one, “plenty to eat and nothing to do.”
Such is the popular view of priestly life. The real priest is a very different sort of man. The guide and ruler of his flock, his every word and act is closely observed. His most heroic acts of self-sacrifice and virtue pass unnoticed, his
slightest imperfection is magnified and trumpeted abroad. Though he labors for years with the most disinterested zeal for the good of religion, depriving himself of the pittance to which he is entitled for his own support that the poor may be provided for and the faith preserved among the youth; though for long years he makes of himself a very martyr for the benefit of his people, if but one error of judgment be found in his life’s work, all the good effected is forgotten and his one mistake alone held in lasting remembrance. The approbation of men not being the object of the priest’s life, the world’s verdict matters little to him so long as he is conscious of having done his duty; nevertheless, men should endeavor to be just to one another, even in trivial matters.
The ideal priest has a pleasant life of it. He says his daily Mass, recites his office, amuses himself with the little children, visits his people, and lives to a ripe old age. No trouble, no labor of any kind. The real priest finds souls going to perdition for want of religious instruction. He must found and support Catholic schools. He finds the intemperate habits of the people undermining faith and proving a stumbling-block in the way of searchers after the truth. He must wage war against a powerful element among his flock. He finds family feuds of long standing to be overcome. There are perhaps several opposing factions in the congregation. The church, through some cause or other, is burdened with debt, or stands in need of repairs. The poor of the parish must be attended to. Here is work enough to do, and done it must be. Money is needed to support the schools. The expenses of the church must be met and money is required wherewith to meet them. The poor must live, and money is necessary for their support. The orphans require aid. Again money is needed. As Catholic charity knows no limit, the real priest makes known to his people these various needs of religion, confident that many will heed his words and correspond with his wishes. But how many there are who seem to think that the priest is begging for himself when he appeals for money on these different occasions! Listen to some members of the congregation leaving the church on a Sunday after a “money-sermon” has been preached. We recently heard a young man, the recipient of many favors from his pastor, pouring forth his pent-up indignation because his good pastor had asked him to contribute a few dollars toward a charitable object. The ungrateful wretch could not understand what the priest did with all the money he received, though he understood very well that the priest had never received any money from him. This young man’s parents died when he was six years old, and the writer of this article knows for a positive fact that the priest’s money was once used for paying for food and clothing for this same young man. He was educated by his pastor, and it was owing to his influence that this young ingrate now holds a splendid position.
Busy days and often sleepless nights, financial difficulties, disappointments, misrepresentation, exposure to heat and cold and contagion—these are a few of the temporal blessings enjoyed by the priest here below. Add to these the fact that after a long life of usefulness one mistake may suffice to cast him adrift upon the world without means and without friends, and the life of the average priest appears in its true colors—a life of weary anxiety and suffering; a life awaiting no human reward, but expecting the reward of the life to come.
Source: Truth, (A Monthly Magazine for the Dissemination of the Truth concerning the Doctrines, History, and Practices of
the Catholic Church.) Published by The International Catholic Truth Society. Rev. Fr. Wm. F. McGinnins, D.D. Editor-in-Chief NY Vol. XIX. April, 1915 NO.4
Posted at 12:00AM May 31, 2020 by VP in Documents | Comments [0]
Thrones and Scepters
Thrones and scepters and crowns have withstood the hierarchy of the Church; but, immutable, like God, who laid its foundation, it is the firm, unshaken center round which the weal and woe of nations move - weal if they adhere to it - woe if they separate from it.
If the world takes from the Pope, the bishops, and priests of the Catholic Church, the cross of gold, they will bless the world with one of wood. If necessary, popes, bishops and priests can suffer and die for the welfare of the world, as Jesus suffered and died. The hierarchy of the Catholic Church is immortal.
Source: The Catholic Priest, Rev. Michael Muller C.S.S.R
Posted at 12:00AM May 30, 2020 by VP in Quotes | Comments [0]
Ideals, False and True
" Unless your justice abound more than that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" — Matt. v. 20.
At all times men have had ideals of goodness
which they looked up to and admired, and which the best among them have had the
ambition to imitate. The popular ideal of the Jews
when Christ came, was represented by the Pharisees,
— men orthodox in faith, correct in life, ardent in
the love of country, strict in the observance of the
Law. Such men could not fail to win influence and
popularity; and they enjoyed both in a high degree.
The people who gathered round Our Savior on
the Mount did not conceive of any form of life
higher or better than what they had hitherto looked
up to in their accredited teachers; yet He tells them
plainly that their qualities were entirely insufficient
to secure admittance into His kingdom. What a shock it must have been to them to hear this for
the first time! But if they will only wait, the divine
Teacher will show them how incomplete, and in
most cases how hollow, were the lives they so admired.
From the facts of the Gospel narrative, and still more from the unsparing denunciations of Our Lord himself (Matt, xxiii. 13, and foll., Luke xvi. 39, and foll.), we may easily gather what were the shortcomings and vices of the Pharisees. Their "formalism" first of all, their exaggerated concern for externals, for the minutiae of the law, united with a practical disregard for its fundamental principles. Next, "their pride" and self-importance, revealing itself at every step, and leading to hardness of heart, and contempt for others. Finally, " their ostentation " and constant display of whatever in their lives and actions could win them the admiration of the people.
The Gospel is the opposite of all this. It leads men back to fundamental things, to the indestructible principles of justice and of love. It teaches them to act righteously for righteousness' sake, to look to God for approval, not to man. It keeps their weaknesses before them, humbles them, and makes them think more of others than of themselves. In a word, the Christian type is the exact opposite of that of the Pharisee, and something incomparably nobler and higher, even in the most unpretending of those who follow it.
Indeed, the Pharisaic type, in its crude, unmitigated form, has become unbearable to the modern mind, fashioned by Christian traditions. But because it is, after all, true to man's natural instincts, it has not entirely disappeared from the world. Something of it may be found even in the life of a priest. He may be good, faithful, zealous ; yet, at the same time, self-important, exacting, sedulous in cultivating public opinion, eager for praise. His composed demeanor and his devotional practices may conceal even from himself much that is mean and selfish. In his concern for minor objects, he may "neglect the weightier things of the law : judgment, and mercy, and faith ; " and while " cleansing the outside of the dish" overlook the impurities it may contain.
A priest, too, may select and follow false ideals; nor is the thing at all uncommon Thus he may not fully believe in the purely Christian virtues, — such as humility, gentleness, self-denial — or in the special requirements of the priestly character. He may not even believe in the higher forms of natural virtue, all based on self-sacrifice. His ideal may be practically that of the popular priest, the successful priest ; that is, successful in doing external work, or in reaching positions of honor or emolument. His principal ambition may be to secure what will lighten, and lengthen, and sweeten existence — just like any man of the world. And yet, " unless his justice abound more than that " of those men to whom he looks up with envy, he is unfit for the work of the priesthood; and, if he has assumed its responsibilities and fails to bear them, he is unfit for the kingdom of heaven.
The truth is, the ideal of the priesthood is not an open question at all. What sort of man a priest ought to be, what is implied in his sacred character, what he is really pledged to by the reception of orders, is determined almost as precisely as the doctrines of faith, and has varied as little in the course of Christian ages. It can be gathered from the Gospel; it is found in St. Paul ; it is spread out in the pages of the Fathers, in the enactments of councils, in the teachings of the Saints ; and everywhere it is visibly and unmistakably the same.
Source: Daily thoughts for priests, Rev. Fr. John Hogan, 1899
Posted at 12:00AM May 29, 2020 by VP in Books | Comments [0]
You are not your own
The priest is a steward in charge of interests not his own. He is a servant, as servant of all work, expected to be helpful all round and all day long. He can work for nobody but his Master. His rule is that of our Lord himself.
Priests of God, you are not your own.
Source: Daily thoughts for priests by Fr. John Hogan 1899
Posted at 12:00AM May 28, 2020 by VP in Quotes | Comments [0]
Restless Activity
We live in a country and in a period of restless activity, of advertising and being advertised,
of nervous anxiety for results almost at any cost. How sad to see priests caught up and carried
away by the flood, losing the merit of their lives, not to say their very souls, while saving others!
Like those of whom Our Lord speaks, they prophesy by the earnestness of their preaching; they
cast ou devils by the power of the sacraments; they work wonders of material construction and
organization; but they are sustained in it all and borne along chiefly by natural impulse, by
exuberant activity, by the spirit of pride, by the desire to be talked of by their people and by
their fellow priests, by all manner of human motives worthless in the sight of God.
Only at the judgment of God - "on that day"- will they know, will the world know,
in what depths of spiritual poverty they have lived and died.
Source: Daily Thoughts for Priests, Fr. John B. Hogan
Posted at 12:00AM May 27, 2020 by VP in Quotes | Comments [0]