Grace of the Eucharist is secret to holy priests, says Pope

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[Salvation]

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Grace of the Eucharist is secret to holy priests, says Pope

Vatican City, Sep. 19, 2005 (CNA) - Before his noontime Angelus prayer at the papal Castelgandolfo summer residence yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI said that the key to holy priests and to a sanctified Church lies in the celebration of the Eucharist.

As the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)  begins a probe into seminary formation programs across the country, and smoke continues to rise from the priestly sexual abuse scandal, the Holy Father's words yesterday paint a fitting roadmap toward the shaping of faithful priests.

"The secret of the sanctification" of priests, the Pope said, lies in the Eucharist. "By virtue of Holy Orders, a priest receives the gift and the duty to repeat sacramentally the gestures and words by which, at the Last Supper, Christ instituted the memorial of His Easter. In his hands he renews this great miracle of love, which he is called to witness and announce ever more faithfully."

"A priest", Pope Benedict continued, "must above all adore and contemplate the Eucharist, starting from the very moment in which he celebrates it. We well know that the validity of the Sacrament does not depend upon the sanctity of the celebrant, but its effectiveness, both for him and for others, will be all the greater the more he experiences it with profound faith, ardent love and a fervent spirit of prayer."

The Pope highlighted certain historical examples of "saintly ministers of the altar," such as St. John Chrysostome, known as "'Eucharistic doctor' for the vastness and depth of his doctrine on the Most Holy Sacrament." He also recalled St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina who, in celebrating Mass, "relived the mystery of Calvary with such fervor as to arouse everyone's faith and devotion. Even the stigmata which God gave him were an expression of his intimate conformation to the crucified Christ."

"Nor, thinking of priests who love the Eucharist, can we forget St. Jean Marie Vianney, a humble pastor of Ars in France at the time of the French Revolution. With the sanctity of his life and his pastoral zeal," Benedict said, "he managed to make that small village a model Christian community, animated by the Word of God and by the Sacraments."

In conclusion, the Pope implored prayer for priests throughout the world saying "that from this Year of the Eucharist, they may draw the fruit of a renewed Love for the Sacrament they celebrate. Through the intercession of the Virgin Mother of God, may they always live and bear witness to the mystery that is put in their hands for the saving of the world."

The Year of the Eucharist, instituted by the late John Paul II, will conclude early next month with a synod of bishops from around the world.

[Salvation]

My prayer is that all priests may indeed be made holy through the Eucharist.

[Salvation]

**In conclusion, the Pope implored prayer for priests throughout the world saying "that from this Year of the Eucharist, they may draw the fruit of a renewed Love for the Sacrament they celebrate. Through the intercession of the Virgin Mother of God, may they always live and bear witness to the mystery that is put in their hands for the saving of the world."**

Amen!

[Salvation]

Feel free to add to this beautiful thread!

Prayers for Priests

[murphE]

Ecce Agnus Dei, ecce qui tollit peccata mundi.

[Desdemona]

It would be a good thing for bishops to truly heed BXVI and clamor for added hours of Adoration. One hour on Saturday afternoon just isn't enough.

[Salvation]

Beautiful. Thank you for those pictures!

[Salvation]

We are still doing just the First Friday. But our priest wants us to start with every Friday soon.

[Pyro7480]

Domine, non sum dignus, ut intres sub tectum meum, sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur anima mea.
Domine, non sum dignus, ut intres sub tectum meum, sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur anima mea. Domine, non sum dignus, ut intres sub tectum meum, sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur anima mea.

[Salvation]

 

 

 

[Pyro7480]

I think it's a shame that the use of the maniple is pretty much non-existent in the "reformed" rite of 1969/1970. As one of my missals puts it, the maniple "signifies the fruit of good works, the reward for painful exertion and struggle; it is a Priest's duty to fear neither suffering nor labor"

[Pyro7480]

Whoa, look who started that thread - the grandfather of Maeve, and the father of Siobhan. We miss all of them! God bless you all! Happy feast day of San Gennaro!

[murphE]

oooh I'm stealing that top picture!

[Coleus]

ditto

[TotusTuus]

I know a Priest in Phoenix who leaves the Blessed Sacrament exposed every Saturday for at least three hours before the vigil Mass while he hears confessions. Thankfully, he now has another Priest to help him (large parish), though for the past 4 or so years he has been it. Regarding the confession, the lines are always large since people come from all the nearby parishes being that they only have the 45 minute diddly at their parishes.

Does "Curé of Ars Phoenix" have a ring to it?

[dsc]

Questions for other Catholics:

I read "Ecce Agnus Dei, ecce qui tollit peccata mundi" out loud, and got a major rush with full-body tingles.

Am I:

1. Nuts?
2. Overly emotional?
3. Or does that happen to people a lot, and they just don't talk about it?

[murphE]

1) no

2) no

3) I can't speak for everyone, but the first time I heard it at a Solemn High Mass I wept. Angels come down from heaven and tremble while waiting to adore their God when He comes down to earth at the word of a priest. Why should we be any different?

[dsc]

Thanks for the reality check.

[Maeve]

Such beautiful pictures bring tears to my eyes.

[Maeve]

The more I hear, the more I think I'm moving my family to Phoenix.

[Coleus]

My prayer is that all priests may indeed be made holy through the Eucharist.

ditto.