Ember Friday Advent : Christ was crucified (Fast and abstinence)
by VP
Posted on Friday December 22, 2023 at 12:01AM in Prayers
Station of the Cross, Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, Raleigh NC
Friday in Ember Week.
"This being an Ember-day,
fail not to pray for all the intentions of the Church in the institution
of these days. One important object of your prayers should be, to beg a
blessing upon all those who are at this time promoted to Holy Orders.
God has ordained His Church to be provided with pastors for the good of
the flock: beseech Him therefore to have mercy on all who at this time
receive Holy Orders. Beg of Him to give them a spirit answerable to
their function; that they may be a light to all those, who are to be under their charge. Pray to Him
to give them a zeal for the good of souls, that they may be ready to do
good to all, according to their necessities, and be prepared at all
times to give their life for their flock." The Catholic Year, Fr. John Gother
"If we prayed for the Clergy last Wednesday, we then gained a step towards praying more efficaciously for them today: prayer being in deed an inspiration, but also an art. Bishops, priests, deacons, all need and all invite our prayers. Bishops whose charge is the widest and most responsible under the sun: for they oversee not the flock of God merely, but specially the overseers of that flock. Priests whose dignity is the highest conferred on mortal man: for they consecrate the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ; and to whom much is given, of him shall be much required. Deacons (i.e: seminarians) who are mounting the first step of the loftiest ladder: and which of us knows not the momentous character of a first step!
But some one may retort upon me that Bishops are not in question today. Be it so. We shall find a vast field of prayer left, even when we restrict our intention to Priests and Deacons. These things done, the field narrowed and the concentrated prayers offered up, we shall in fact have interceded for the Bishops of the future: nor do I thing we shall then be of all persons the least likely to add a petition for the much-tried Bishops of the present. Let us pray." Time Flies, A Reading Diary, by Christina Georgina Rossetti
Prayer for our Bishop:
O Jesus, Prince of Pastors, Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, give our bishops ................ all those virtues, which they need for their sanctification! May they watch over themselves and the entire flock, with which the Holy Spirit has entrusted them! Fill their hearts with Thine own Spirit! Give them faith, charity, wisdom and strength! Send them faithful co-laborers in the great work of saving and guiding souls! Make them shepherds after Thine own heart, living only for their holy office, fearing nobody but Thee, and hoping for nothing but Thee, in order that when Thou shalt come, to judge shepherds and flocks, they may obtain the unfading reward of eternal life! Amen Imprimatur: Most Rev. Vincent S. Waters, D.D. Raleigh, N.C. March 25, 1956
"The violence of the enemy is always directed against those priests who
are most generous and most loyal.The more you are like your Divine
Model, your Savior and your God, the more certainly will you be the
target for the calumnies, the abuse and persecutions of the wicked." Revs. Jacques Nicolas et P. Millet, S.J. (Jesus Living in the Priest: Considerations on the greatness and Holiness of the Priesthood)
Prayer to St. Joseph for Persecuted Priests:
Dearest St. Joseph, be the protector and defender of those priests undergoing persecution for being faithful to their Lord and Sovereign Priest, Jesus Christ. See in them the image of thy beloved child, and cherish them with that tender solicitude which God places in Thy paternal heart. Obtain for them the good graces of thy Queen and Spouse, for such graces of predilection will surely lighten their burdens and render their crosses sweet. Amen.
Way of the Cross for Priests ( Especially for those who are suffering persecution)
Litany to Obtain Holy Priests
Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy
Christ, hear us
Christ, Graciously hear us
God, Our Heavenly Father, have mercy on us
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us
God, The Holy Ghost, have mercy on us
Holy Trinity, Three Persons in one God, have mercy on us
Lord, obtain for us priests
Lord, obtain for us holy priests and make us docile to their teachings
Holy Mary, Queen of the Clergy, obtain for us holy priests
Saint Joseph, Patron of the Church, obtain for us holy priests
Saint Michael, splendor and protector of the Church militant, obtain for us holy priests
All you holy Saints and Archangels, obtain for us holy priests
All you holy Patriarchs and Prophets, obtain for us holy priests
All you holy Martyrs and Virgins, obtain for us holy priests
All you holy Bishops and Confessors, obtain for us holy priests
All you holy Priests and Doctors, obtain for us holy priests
All you holy Founders of religious orders, obtain for us holy priests
St. Anthony of Padua, defender of the Holy Eucharist, obtain for us holy priests
St. John-Mary Vianney, model of sacerdotal holiness, obtain for us holy priests
St. Francis Xavier, patron of missionary priests, obtain for us holy priests
St. Therese of the Child-Jesus and of the Holy Face, victim offered for
the sanctification of priests, obtain for us holy priests
Saints and Servants of God, obtain for us holy priests.
To celebrate with reverence the Holy Mysteries, obtain for us holy priests
To offer every day the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, obtain for us holy priests
To feed the people of God with the Bread of life, obtain for us holy priests
To promote the splendors of the Divine Worship, obtain for us holy priests
To regenerate souls through baptism, obtain for us holy priests
To instruct the faithful in the Holy Faith, obtain for us holy priests
To keep the faithful in the fear of the Lord, obtain for us holy priests
To announce to all the Word of God, obtain for us holy priests
To unmask and combat false doctrines, obtain for us holy priests
To fortify the Faith of those who doubt, obtain for us holy priests
To support and encourage those who fail, obtain for us holy priests
To raise up those who fall and to reconcile them to God, obtain for us holy priests
To bring back to God those who rejected Him, obtain for us holy priests
To protect christian morality, obtain for us holy priests
To fight with zeal the corruption of morality, obtain for us holy priests
To bless holy unions, obtain for us holy priests
To defend the honor and sanctity of marriage, obtain for us holy priests
To strengthen the happiness of our christian families, obtain for us holy priests
To fortify and console our sicks and those who suffer, obtain for us holy priests
To assist our dying ones, obtain for us holy priests
To lead our dead to eternal happiness, obtain for us holy priests
To pray and offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for our dead, obtain for us holy priests
To give glory to God, and to give grace and peace to souls of good will, obtain for us holy priests.
Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
The Lord chose for Himself priests so that they will offer Him a worthy thanksgiving.
Let us pray: God Almighty and merciful, favorably grant the prayers of
Your faithful and grant to those whom You have given the immense
generosity of your clemency, to be elevated to the service of the
heavenly mysteries, to become worthy ministers at Your sacred altars, so
that their teachings be confirmed by your sanctification, through Our
Lord Jesus-Christ, Amen.
Translated by CAPG (Litanies pour Obtenir de Saints Prêtres)
