Jesus said: "I am
the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired
man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming
and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them.
This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the
good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me
and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. I have other
sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will
hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. This is why the
Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No
one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down,
and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my
Father." (John 10:11-18)
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you
for this opportunity to be with you in prayer. My heart is ready to listen to
your words of eternal life so that I may choose to follow you more closely on
the path of true love.
Petition: Lord, may I be
faithful to your will in my life.
1. I Lay It Down: The Father entrusted
Christ with a mission: Christ was to bring about our salvation through a life
of unlimited self-giving, even to the point of giving his own life. Being God
he could repay the Father for our sins; being man he could identify with our
fallen humanity and raise its dignity so that we might become the Father’s
children. Christ was the perfect bridge between fallen man and an infinitely
holy God. His mission of bridging this chasm came about through freely
accepting the will of the Father. Our Lord would receive nothing in return, and
yet he was faithful even to the point of death.
2. On My Own: Jesus was not ordered
to give himself for our sins. He offered himself. Freedom is best used when it
willingly embraces God’s will, whatever the cost might be. We have to remember
that Jesus knew what lay beyond his preaching and his miracles: the road to
Calvary. He spent many nights in prayer on the Mount of Olives in preparation for
his hour. He foretold his fate to his disciples and continued forward towards
this end despite their misunderstanding. And in the end, when the hour came, he
proved faithful. When the hour of darkness sought him, he stepped forward to
say, “I am he.” Christ never flinched in front of God’s will. He felt its
weight. Sorrow flooded his heart. An easier path tugged at his humanity. But he
proved that love is stronger than death, that true freedom can defeat sin and
master it.
3. A Life of Love: Perhaps offering
ourselves to God frightens us. What will he ask? What will I have to leave
behind? Will I be able to do it? However, fear vanishes when we live out of
love, like Christ. We need to remember that the Father asked him to die for us,
and look at the fruits this bore! Taking on our humanity, he left behind the
splendor of his divinity and raised us to a new level. He did the impossible by
bearing the weight of all our sins. He trusted in the Father to give him
strength. Today we might be asked to die more to our self-love, to leave behind
a vice we have been struggling with or to trust that with grace we can live a
truly Christian life in a world hostile to Christianity. In the end, if we love
Christ, we will not be frightened because he has already shown us the way ––
and he has already conquered.
Conversation with
Christ: Lord,
give me the courage to be a faithful Christian at all times and in all places,
with whomever I meet and in whatever I say. Help me to give testimony to who
you are.
Resolution: I will offer one
concrete act of self-mastery for love of Christ today.
This is a video made by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Vocations and Priestly Formation in order to give people a look in on the life of a Roman Catholic Priest and invite young men to open their hearts to the call:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7888067787359415127
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7888067787359415127
Another good video of Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan Ordains 5 new priests to the Archdiocese of New York:
A Prayer for Priests
O MY good Jesus! teach me always to see Thyself in the Priest. I know that he has been set over me to direct me and to help me to save my soul. I know that Thou wilt never find fault with me if I obey him in everything in order to do Thy Holy Will. Teach me to love him and to respect him always. Do Thou protect him and be near him in his great work of saving souls. Keep him from harm. Help him to bring many souls to Thee and thus to win for himself a glorious crown in Heaven. Amen.
O MY good Jesus! teach me always to see Thyself in the Priest. I know that he has been set over me to direct me and to help me to save my soul. I know that Thou wilt never find fault with me if I obey him in everything in order to do Thy Holy Will. Teach me to love him and to respect him always. Do Thou protect him and be near him in his great work of saving souls. Keep him from harm. Help him to bring many souls to Thee and thus to win for himself a glorious crown in Heaven. Amen.
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