WHY DO PRIESTS NEED PRAYERS?

Because they are in danger: 1. From the world; 2. From the flesh; and 3. From the devil

cc photo courtesy of Northfielder on flickr

From the world.

The priest has to walk through a world with his mind always on God.  He must work in a world where pleasure is found in food and excitement; yet he is expected to find his happiness in the companionship of Christ.  To live this difficult life, the priest must have much grace, and grace is obtained through prayer.

From the flesh.

The priest is called to a superhuman life; yet he remains a human being. If he is to resist the strong forces of his nature, and truly live an angelic life, he has to be full of the grace of God, and this is obtained only by prayer.

From the devil.

Satan hates Christ, and never ceases trying to destroy Him and His Church.  If Satan makes even one priest fail, it means the offering of far fewer Holy Masses.  It means the glory of God is in some way injured.  It means scores of souls are lost to Christ.  So the devil lays his most cunning traps for priests, and prayer alone can keep them safe.

WHAT DO WE GET OUT OF THIS?

cc photo by thetalesend on flickr

When we pray for priests, we pray for ourselves, since a holy priesthood means a holier people.

When we pray for priests, we win the favor of Christ, for we are furthering His work and for vocations to the priesthood.  We are helping our children and our children's children by taking the surest means of preserving the FAITH for them.

East priest, it is said, influences the lives of at least 5,000 persons in his lifetime - for good or evil.

His responsibility is tremendous!

"No matter how we seek," says the lovable Saint of Charity, Vincent de Paul, "we shall always discover ourselves unable to contribute to anything more great than to the making of good priests."

Note:
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