Relating Spy Wednesday to Spiritual Motherhood for Our Priests.

This is a wonderful idea (and connection to the Gospel) to apply within our devotion to Spiritual Motherhood for Priests from Fr Mark. It is not essential or attached to the conditions for the indulgence, however it's another opportunity to generate grace through our devotion as Spiritual Mothers for Priests.

"In reparation for the sins of priests and to obtain for them graces of conversion, deliverance from patterns of habitual sin, and fortitude in spiritual combat, you can fast, abstain, or offer some other mortification for priests every Wednesday. (Spy Wednesday was the day of Judas' plotting against Our Lord.)"



Here is a very good article explaining Spy Wednesday.

"What is so significant about "Spy Wednesday" is that it theologically reflects the daily struggles we all endure in order to accept a relationship with the Lord...We too in our lives are sometimes turned against Jesus's love through sinful and unloving activities."

As Spiritual Mothers we can offer our day on Wednesday in saying Yes to our Lord staying close to him during our day not betray him through our actions to others and transgressions. Offering Him our Yes through the day for the struggles that Priests encounter in their fidelity, for Priests to be courageous, for the struggles they endure in staying true to their Sacramental Vows, to always be faithful to their sacred calling and to be an example of the presence of Christ in the world today.



A Quote from Servant of God Fr John Hardon S.J founder of The Holy Trinity Apostolate. (Fr John Hardon's link has an excellent article on "The Value of Prayer and Sacrifice for Priests").

"Learn the art of reparation and then the very little things that bother you, the little trivia of human limitations around us, the little contradictions and disappointments, can all be gathered up and offered in reparation. They become the myrrh of life". We Spiritual Mothers can do this for Vocations and to strengthen the Priesthood on a Wednesday if we are able too.



Prayer for the Beatification and Canonization of Father John Hardon

He was a beautiful heroic example of a very holy Priest.

Almighty God, You gave Your servant,
Father John Anthony Hardon of the Society of Jesus,
the grace of consecration as a religious dedicated to the
apostolate and the grace of consecration as an ordained priest,
after the Heart of Your Divine Son, our Good Shepherd.

Through Father Hardon,
You provided for your Flock an extraordinary teacher of the faith.

You entrusted Father Hardon into the loving
care of the Blessed Virgin Mary
whose counsel, "Do whatever he tells you" (Jn 2:5)
he faithfully followed and whose intercession he unceasingly invoked.

If it be Your holy will, please grant the request I now make,
calling upon the help of Father Hardon,
so that his heroic sanctity may be recognized in the whole Church.

I ask this through Your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who
with You and the Holy Spirit, is one God forever and ever.
Amen.

Prayers for First Thursday devotions:

Adoration is not a requirement on the first Thursday of the Month for the Plenary Indulgence however "The Plenary Indulgence is granted to all the faithful who are truly repentant who, in church or in chapel devoutly attend the divine Sacrifice of Mass and

offer prayers to Jesus Christ the Eternal High Priest, for the priests of the Church".

An adoration time on the first Thursday would certainly fulfil this offering and the Thursday Indulgence.

If adoration on that day isn't an option for you regularly or at all then these prayers can be said from home, and can also be said in union with others at Mass and or adoration who are sharing this devotion:

Here is a Morning Offering Prayer from Fr Mark that is so very apt for The Year of The Priest; this prayer is a real blessing:

MORNING OFFERING PRAYER FOR PRIESTS

Father most holy,
I offer You the prayers, works,
joys, and sufferings of this day
by placing them in the holy and venerable hands
of Jesus, the Eternal High Priest,
and by saying, as He did upon entering the world,
"Behold, I come to do Your will" (Hebrews 10:9).

For the sake of all His priests,
and in particular for Fathers N. and N.,
I entreat Your beloved Son to unite my offering
to the Sacrifice of the Cross,
renewed upon the altars of Your Church
from the rising of the sun to its setting (Malachy 1:11).

Most merciful Father,
look upon these men chosen by Your Son
to show forth His death until He comes (1 Cor 11:26);
keep them from the Evil One (John 17:15)
and sanctify them in the truth (John 17:17).

Bind them by a most tender love
to the Virgin Mary, their Mother
that, by her intercession,
they may be overshadowed by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35)
in every act of their sacred ministry;
thus may their priesthood reveal
the Face of Jesus and the merciful love of His Heart,
for the fruitfulness of His spouse, the Church.
and the praise of Your glory. Amen.

This Thursday Consecration Prayer is also so beautiful and was sourced from Fr Mark .

His blog is inspirational for the devotion on Spiritual Motherhood for Priests. If you haven't discovered it yet just follow the link.

THURSDAY CONSECRATION PRAYER

O my Beloved Jesus,

I give and consecrate to Thee this Thursday and all the Thursdays of my life,in praise of the adorable Mystery of Thy Body and Blood, and in thanksgiving for that of the Priesthood.

Moved by Thy Holy Spirit,and full of confidence in the help of Thy Most Holy Mother, the Virgin Mary, Mother of Priests, I resolve to live each Thursday for the rest of my days here below in adoration and in reparation for priests and, especially, for those who do not adore Thee, for those who are most wounded in their souls, and for those who are exposed to the attacks of the powers of darkness. I want to remain before Thy Eucharistic Face for them and in their place; I want to draw near, in their name, to Thy open Heart, ever-flowing with the Blood and the Water that purify, heal, and sanctify all souls, but, first of all, those of Thy priests.

Let each Thursday find me close to the Sacrament of Thy Body and Blood, in adoration and reparation for the sake of all Thy priests. Make me an entirely Eucharistic soul, according to the desires of Thy Sacred Heart and the designs of Thy merciful goodness upon my life. I desire nothing else. I want to love Thee more each day; I want to be the faithful adorer of Thy Eucharistic Face and the consoling friend of Thy Sacred Heart hidden in the tabernacles of the world, where it beats, wounded by love, forgotten, forsaken, and waiting for the adoration and for the love of even one priest.
Amen.

This excerpt is taken from APOSTOLIC PENITENTIARY DECREE. Special Indulgence for the Year for Priests

"May priests commit themselves, with prayer and good works, to obtaining from Christ the Eternal High Priest, the grace to shine with Faith, Hope, Charity and the other virtues, and show by their way of life, but also with their external conduct, that they are dedicated without reserve to the spiritual good of the people something that the Church has always had at heart".

Above the Church offers us some specific ideas to pray for, for our priests in their external dispositions and conduct and their internal spirit through the theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. We could ask Our Lord to strength them particularly in these needs.

This Litany below "is one that the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has prayed many times. To say it often and with devotion fosters a deep reverence for the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. At the same time this prayer keeps us mindful of the Divine Victim who offered himself for us on Calvary and continues to do so at every Mass. That God would strengthen all priests and grant an increase in priestly vocations:

This litany ties in beautifully from the decree in asking to obtaining graces from Christ the Eternal High Priest:

Image: Christ the Great Eternal High Priest. {See below for explanation of Icon}

The Litany of Our Lord Jesus Christ Priest and Victim - let us pray:

Lord, have mercy - Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy - Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy - Lord, have mercy
Christ hear us - Christ hear us
Christ, graciously hear us - Christ, graciously hear us
God the Father of heaven, *Have mercy on us
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God the Holy Spirit,
Holy Trinity, One God,

Jesus, Priest and Victim, *Have mercy on us
Jesus, Priest forever according to the Order of Melchizedek, Have mercy on us
Jesus, Priest Whom God sent to preach the Gospel to the poor, Have mercy on us
Jesus, Priest Who at the Last Supper institute the form of the eternal sacrifice, Have mercy on us
Jesus, Priest Who lives forever to intercede for us, Have mercy on us
Jesus, High Priest whom the Father anointed with the Holy Spirit and power, Have mercy on us
Jesus, High Priest chosen from among men, Have mercy on us
Jesus, made High Priest for men, Have mercy on us
Jesus, High Priest of our confession of faith, Have mercy on us
Jesus, High Priest of greater glory than Moses, Have mercy on us
Jesus, High Priest of the true tabernacle, Have mercy on us
Jesus, High Priest of the good things to come, Have mercy on us
Jesus, High Priest, holy, innocent and undefiled, Have mercy on us
Jesus, High Priest faithful and merciful, Have mercy on us
Jesus, High Priest inflamed with zeal for God and souls, Have mercy on us
Jesus, High Priest, perfect forever, Have mercy on us
Jesus, High Priest, Who by Your own Blood entered the heavens, Have mercy on us
Jesus, High Priest, who opened us a new way for us, Have mercy on us
Jesus, High Priest, who loved us and washed us from our sins in Your Blood, Have mercy on us
Jesus, High Priest, who offered Yourself to God as an oblation and sacrificial Victim, Have mercy on us
Jesus, sacrificial Victim of God and men, Have mercy on us
Jesus, holy and immaculate sacrificial Victim, Have mercy on us
Jesus, pleasing sacrificial Victim, Have mercy on us
Jesus, peace-making sacrificial Victim, Have mercy on us
Jesus, sacrifice of propitiation and praise, Have mercy on us
Jesus, sacrificial Victim of reconciliation and peace, Have mercy on us
Jesus, sacrificial Victim in whom we have confidence and access to God, Have mercy on us
Jesus, sacrificial Victim living forever and ever, Have mercy on us

Be merciful, spare us, Jesus.
Be merciful, graciously hear us, Jesus.

From rashly entering the clergy, * deliver us, Jesus
From the sin of sacrilege,
From the spirit of incontinence,
From sordid pursuits,
From every lapse into simony,
From the unworthy administration of the Church’s treasures,
From the love of the world and its vanities,
From the unworthy celebration of Your Mysteries,

Through Your eternal priesthood,
Through the holy anointing whereby You were constituted a priest by God the Father,
Through Your priestly spirit,
Through that ministry whereby You glorified Your Father on earth,
Through the bloody immolation of Yourself made once and for all upon the Cross,
Through that same sacrifice daily renewed upon the altar,
Through that divine power which You exercise invisibly in Your priests,

That You would deign to maintain the whole priestly order in holy religion, * We beseech You, hear us
That You would deign to provide Your people with pastors after Your own heart,
That You would deign to fill them with the spirit of Your priesthood,
That the lips of Your priests might preserve true knowledge,
That You would deign to send faithful workers into Your harvest,
That You would deign to multiply the faithful dispensers of Your Mysteries,
That You would deign to grant them perseverance in the service of Your will,
That You would deign to give them gentleness in their ministry, resourcefulness in their actions, and constancy in prayer,
That through them You would deign to promote the veneration of the Blessed Sacrament everywhere,
That You would deign to receive into Your joy those who have served You well,

Lamb of God, Who take away the sin of the world, spare us, 0 Lord
Lamb of God, Who take away the sin of the world, graciously hear us, 0 Lord
Lamb of God, Who take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us, 0 Lord

Jesus, Our Priest, hear us
Jesus, Our Priest, graciously hear us

Let us pray:

O God, Sanctifier and Guardian of your Church, raise up in her through Your Spirit suitable and faithful dispensers of the holy Mysteries, so that by their ministry and example, the Christian people may be guided under Your protection in the path of salvation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

O God, who, while the disciples were worshiping and fasting, ordered Saul and Barnabas to be set apart for the work to which You had called them, be present now to Your Church in prayer, and You, who know the hearts of all, indicate those whom You have chosen for ministry. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

(This prayer was prayed in Latin by Pope John Paul II as a seminarian in Cracow, and often in later life as well.)

Eccl. approval for English translation: - Adam Cardinal MaidaArchbishop of Detroit. Rescript of November 21, 2008
©2009 Congregazione dei Canonici Regolari della S. Croce, Roma

About the Icon above: Iconographer Marek Czarnecki of Seraphic Restorations in Meriden, Connecticut, has graciously given the USCCB the rights to use the icon of Christ the Great High Priest during the Year for Priests. The artist allows anyone to use or reproduce the icon, as long as it is not for any commercial purpose, (i.e., it cannot be reprinted to be sold or resold, or reprinted on something that will be sold). If this is the intent, they need to contact the artist for permission to license the image, under written contract.

This icon is “based on a fifteenth century Greek prototype; here Christ is shown in Latin Rite vestments with a gold pelican over His heart, the ancient symbol of self-sacrifice. The borders contain a windig grapevine and altar prepared for the celebration of the liturgy of the Mass; in the borders are smaller icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.”

What a generous gift this artist has offered to the Church. It would be nice to offer him an Ave in thanksgiving when we see this beautiful Icon.

God Bless

A Prayer for Priests

The front page of one of the Stella Clarae newsletters

Yesterday I was blessed with a lovely surprise in the mail, a copy of Stella Clarae, the lastest newsletter from the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration of Our Lady of Solitutde Monastery in Arizona. Their summer 09 edition is primarily dedicated to The Year of the Priest.

When I popped over to their website Desert Nuns I saw that they also had a new site up dedicated solely to priests, called The Year of the Priest with the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, I recommend you to earmark this site!

Here is one of the beautiful prayers from Stella Clarae..

A PRAYER FOR PRIESTS

O Jesus, I pray for Your faithful and fervent priests, for Your unfaithful and tepid priests; for Your priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields; for Your tempted priests; for Your lonely and desolate priests; for Your young priests; for Your dying priests; for the souls of Your priests in purgatory.

But above all I recommend to You the priests dearest to me: ....... the priest who baptized me; the priest who absolved me from my sins; the priest at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me Your Body and Blood in Holy Communion; the priests who taught and instructed me; all the priest to whom I am indebted in any other way. Jesus, keep them all close to Your heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen.