"I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you,
and they will not spare the flock."
We have either given or received farewell addresses.
When our young ones go to school we send them off with a mixture of happiness and fear. For 8 hours they will be in the guidance and company of teachers and fellow classmates. In most cases you don't know how your child will be treated, or who they choose to be friends with or if the "baggage" that others have will be shared with them.
When they go off to college, a whole new world of new freedoms are dangling and shining in front of them. Will they make the right decisions, will they remember what they learned from their family or will poor decisions be their legacy?
When our priests discern their vocation and answer the call of God, will they find themselves at odds with their congregation or will they abandon their zeal as they face the demands of their Church Family? Will they soften the message of God so as to keep from complaints or calls from their Bishops?
St Paul warns us of "savage wolves will come among you...men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away".
We, as parents, unceasingly pray for our children, sometimes with tears. We commend our loved ones to God. We should also help the weak, wanting to give more than to receive.
As PAPA we pray as Jesus prayed in the Gospel Jn 17:11b-19. We ask for God to keep our priests from the evil one. We ask God in His Mercy to keep His consecrated servants in the truth. This month we pray for the virtue of obedience. We also pray that they have the same evangelical flame and share the Word of God as we saw in the beginning of the Church in the Acts of the Apostles.
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