Prayers for Priests
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A Prayer for Priests
Risen Lord Jesus, you love us with all your priestly heart. Hear my heartfelt prayer for my brother priests. I pray for faithful and fervent priests, for unfaithful and tepid priests, for priests who labor home and abroad, for tempted priests, for lonely and desolate priests, for young priests, old priests, sick priests, dying priests, and for the souls of priests in purgatory. Merciful Jesus, remember that we are but weak and frail human beings. Give us a deep faith, a bright and firm hope, and a burning love. I ask that, in our loneliness, you comfort us; in our sorrow, you strengthen us; in our frustrations, you show us that it is through suffering that the soul is purified. Eternal high priest, keep us close to your heart, and bless us abundantly, in time and in eternity. Amen.
A Prayer for Priests
Lord Jesus, you have chosen your priests from among us and sent them out to proclaim your word and to act in your name. For so great a gift to your Church, we give you praise and thanksgiving. We ask you to fill them with the fire of your love, that their ministry may reveal your presence in the Church. Since they are earthen vessels, we pray that your power shine through their weakness. In their afflictions, let them never be crushed; in their doubts, never despair; in temptation, never be destroyed; in persecution, never abandoned. Inspire them through prayer to live each day the mystery of your dying and rising. In times of weakness send them your Spirit, and help them to praise your heavenly Father and to pray for poor sinners. By the same Holy Spirit, put your word on their lips and your love in their hearts, to bring good news to the poor and healing to the broken-hearted. And may the gift of Mary, your Mother, to the Disciple whom you loved, be your gift to every priest. Grant that she who formed you in her human image, may form them in your divine image, by the power of your Spirit, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Another Prayer for Priests
Richard Cardinal Cushing (1895-1970), Archbishop of Boston
O Almighty Eternal God, look upon the face of Thy Son, and for the love of Him who is the eternal High Priest, have pity on Thy priests. Remember, O most compassionate God, that they are but weak and frail human beings. Stir up in them the grace of their vocation which is in them by the imposition of the bishop's hands. Keep them close to Thee, lest the enemy prevail against them, so that they may never do anything in the slightest degree unworthy of their sublime vocation.
O Jesus, I pray Thee for Thy faithful and fervent priests; for Thy unfaithful and tepid priests; for Thy priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields; for Thy tempted priests; for Thy lonely priests; for Thy dying priests; for the souls of Thy priests in purgatory. But above all I commend to Thee the priests dearest to me; the priest who baptized me; the priests who absolved me from my sins; the priests at whose Masses I assisted, and who gave me Thy Body and Blood in Holy Communion; the priests who taught and instructed me, or helped and encouraged me; all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way, particularly N. O Jesus, keep them all close to Thy Heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen.
