Under that direction of our Saint Therese, we further learn from another greatly loved Saint, John Paul II:
How can we
"pray and suffer" for other?
He guides us....
"PRAYER UNITED WITH SACRIFICE
IS THE MOST POWERFUL FORCE IN HUMAN HISTORY."
Our "prayer" and our "suffering" have met today in our nineteenth Lay Fast for Priests and our Global Sacrifice has been a "most powerful force," raised by millions all across the world for God's Ipse Christus.
Today, the Spirit of God, "hovering" (Gen. 1) over
the face of the earth has breathed His Love into souls from across the
Globe. People from 186 countries have in turn breathed His love out into a
prayer for all priests, all who were, who are and who are yet to be
ordained.
In every one of
these countries, 93% of the entire world, millions of souls have raised
sacrificial
prayer to God for priests who forgive us in Jesus' Name; who consecrate the Bread and Wine and give us Christ Himself in the Most Holy Eucharist; priests whose hands anoint us when we are at last called Home and whose voice will walk us into Eternity.
In one of the poorest countries in Africa, an entire village fasted from food and water today for all priests.
We join those beloved children of God in the prayer of St
Therese :
This day, a grandmother, her daughter and son-in-law , four sons and grandsons fasted in their country where, yesterday, priests were dragged from Altars and those who were attending Mass were made to leave the Churches at gunpoint.
We pray with St Therese :
With that grandmother, all of us prayed and suffered for
those priests this day.
The Bishop who invited his entire Diocese to fast
with us today...
We fasted for all of them this day.
Therese teaches us that "Love, because it is Eternal, embraces every time and space."
We can therefore raise our prayer and sacrifice for all
priests, those who live today, those who were, those who are yet to be.
In a country where poverty and corruption are
life-threatening, a mother joined the Fast but she alone in the family could
fast for priests "because the children need the food". This
is a country where two priests were murdered yesterday.
For the quiet priests who live and give and are faith-filled and suffer and pray and are obedient and offer sacrifice in an anonymity that resembles the mysticism of the ordinariness of the 30 years of their High Priest in Nazareth.
THE WORLD OF FAST-ERS PRAYED AND SUFFERED FOR YOU THIS DAY.
We conclude our prayer and suffering for all priests in union with St Therese as she prays: :
WILL YOU PRAY FOR GOD'S IPSE CHRISTUS AGAIN AS ONE BODY IN HIM FOR THE 20TH GLOBAL LAY FAST FOR PRIESTS ON THE 18th OF OCTOBER, 2025?
May it please our loving God that we will all unite again to pray and suffer together for all priests, for their protection, their faith, their hope, and above all, for their love.