That you may go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Lk 6:12-19
Jesus departed to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself,
and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:
Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
Simon who was called a Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground.
A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people
from all Judea and Jerusalem
and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon
came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases;
and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured.
Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him
because power came forth from him and healed them all.
REFLECTION
R. Alleluia, alleluia.l
I chose you from the world,
That you may go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
How does God call young men to serve him?
Several seminarians shared answers to questions about their call to the priesthood.
One of the questions they were given was, "How did you overcome your doubts that you should become a priest?"
I listened to the first young man interviewed. He said that he struggled with his doubts. As he got closer to Ordination he doubted that he could be a priest. He asked himself will I be able to do this: give up everything, my family, my time, and become a good, holy priest? He went to the chapel and sat in silence. As his eyes wandered up to the dome over the altar, he saw the painting of Jesus calling the twelve apostles. "Then I knew what Jesus was telling me. The Lord chose imperfect men to be his first priests. That was the Lord telling me I don't have to be perfect. He is not looking for perfection. He wants men who will follow Him and surrender their lives to let Him lead them. God knows who He called and why He has chosen them. I should trust in the Lord."
Then the deacon remembered after he made his first communion, that was when he first wanted to be a priest. He admired the priest "calling God down to enter the host and that the priest held the Lord, God in his hands." He desired with all his heart to become a priest so he could bring Jesus to the people. That was it! He no longer doubted because the Lord had chosen him.
I went to the Ordination of that young man. I could tell that he was truly at peace and in love with the Lord. The next day I went to his first Mass. He was so focused on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and especially at the Consecration that it was as if he were all alone in the church with his God. It was so beautiful! He was joyful when he distributed Holy Communion to the people attending his first Holy Mass.
I prayed that he would always have that zeal for all the Masses he celebrates!
This is why I pray for priests.
Let us pray together that all priests will celebrate every Mass as if it were their first Mass.Here is our PAPA Prayer for Priests.
Comments