I found the following on a prayer card in Church and thought it was worthy of posting. As Catholics, one of the most important things we can do is to pray for our priests. We owe so much to these men and we should pray for them daily. Satan loves to attack priests and knows how much damage can be done if he can get one of them to fall!

Ever-living God and Father of us all,

you give to your Church the Priesthood of your Son, Jesus,

and by the power of the Holy Spirit,

you provide holy priests for a holy people.

We pray for all our priests, who announce the Word of God and celebrate the Sacraments,

for those who are young and those who are old,

for those who serve in difficult and trying circumstances,

for those who are faithful and those who are faltering,

and for those who have died.

We entrust all our priests to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary,

that they may persevere with fidelity to you and your Church.

With St. John Vianney, patron of priests, we pray that our priests may never fail to lead us to you.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Today the Church commemorates the memorial of Our Lady Of Sorrows. Many of you are suffering from a variety of different afflictions. Illness, loneliness, unemployment, depression, grief over the loss of a loved one, etc. On this day we remember that even the Mother of God was not immune from suffering. In fact, most of her life was marked by suffering – most notably her presence at the foot of the Cross when she watched her Son suffer and die for the salvation of mankind.

I think it’s important to remember that, with the exception of those who end up in hell, all suffering will pass one day…either in this life or the next. Even though it may be very difficult, the value of accepting and offering up our suffering can’t be underestimated. Often Our Lord allows us to experience various trials in order to bring us closer to Him. Don’t miss the opportunity to unite your suffering with His.

Our Blessed Mother knows what it’s like to suffer. Never forget to ask for her intercession as you struggle with the crosses in your life. She will be there for you, just as she was for the bride and groom in Cana … and just as she was for Jesus at the foot of the Cross.

Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us.

I was originally not going to address this topic. After all, does the world really need another reflection on the tragedy that occurred at the World Trade Center in 2001? However, despite the fact that it’s been covered extensively by the media and the blogosphere, I decided that I needed to reflect on this horrendous event.

Some may question why God permits evil acts such as this to take place. How could he allow so many innocent people to die, leaving behind numerous grieving family members? While I can’t speak for God, I can tell you that evil is one of the consequences of free will. People can choose to break God’s law and commit any number of evil acts. We should take consolation in the fact that the Lord can bring good out of any evil, even 9/11. If you have any doubt, simply look at the crucifix – The murder of God’s Son resulted in the salvation of mankind.

Today, instead of trying to figure out “why”, let’s remember all of those families who were affected by this tragedy. In a special way, please pray for the souls of all those who lost their lives that day.

Today we celebrate the birth of our Blessed Mother, Mary. Just as she did at the wedding in Cana, Mary is constantly interceding for us to her Son. One of the best ways to honor her is to follow the same advice that she gave to the servants at the wedding:

Happy Birthday, Mary… We love you!

Psalm 119 should be required reading for anyone who proclaims the importance of their Catholic faith, while disobeying any number of Church teachings. Pervasive relativism, watered down catechesis and a general disdain for authority have all contributed to the creation of a “feel good” Catholicism that is running rampant in today’s society. Many Catholics create and follow their own commandments which, “coincidentally”, allow them to justify any sinful actions taking place in their own lives.

A careful reading of this psalm will teach us the importance of the law to the Israelites. Learning God’s law was their way of getting to know Him better. In the same way, if we study the teachings of the Church founded by Jesus Christ, we will better understand who He is and what He expects from us.

Want to know who Jesus is and what He wants you to do in order to attain eternal life? The answer can be found in the pages of the Catechism, the Holy Bible and in the teachings of the Catholic Church!

Today we celebrate the memorial of St. Augustine, bishop and doctor of the Church. Considered by many to be the most prolific Catholic writer and teacher, his writings have helped Catholics for thousands of years. Looking at his early life, however, we may be surprised why he was chosen to play such an important part in advancing the Catholic Faith. In actuality, this is usually the way the Lord works and it provides great hope for us. In today’s First Reading, St. Paul offers words that should motivate and inspire us to do the Lords’s work, despite our imperfections:

Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters.
Not many of you were wise by human standards,
not many were powerful,
not many were of noble birth.
Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise,
and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong,
and God chose the lowly and despised of the world,
those who count for nothing,
to reduce to nothing those who are something,
so that no human being might boast before God.
It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus,
who became for us wisdom from God,
as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,
so that, as it is written, Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)

St. Augustine, pray for us!

Today, we celebrate the feast of St. Bartholomew, one of the 12 Apostles. Also known as Nathaniel, he was one of the twelve men chosen by Christ to lead His Church. Tradition has it that St. Bartholomew preached the Faith in Arabia and was martyred in Armenia.

The Church teaches that our modern day bishops are the successors to the Apostles. Just like the original twelve, they have been chosen to shepherd the flock of Catholics in the world. All too often we lose sight of this fact and criticize our bishops for being too liberal, too conservative, too timid or too forceful. While there may be cases where that is true, it?s important to respect these men for the role that they fulfill. They have a difficult and thankless job, but without them we would be like ?sheep without a shepherd?.

In honor of St. Bartholomew, let?s strive to pray for our bishops and avoid useless criticism whenever possible. As was stated by St Ignatius of Antioch in the 1st century:

?Let a man respect his bishop. For whoever is sent by the Master to run His house, we ought to receive him as we would receive the Master Himself.?

In today?s gospel (Lk 13:22-30), Jesus proclaims some harsh words. In response to the question of how many will be saved, the Lord replies ?Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you will seek to enter and will not be able.? Was the Lord saying that most of us will end up in hell?

The Catholic Church has never named one person who is in hell. Some have speculated that Judas is there, but that has never been officially declared by the Church. Furthermore, the Church has never stated that more people end up in hell than in heaven. However, before anyone gets the idea that the Church is saying hell doesn?t exist, nothing could be further from the truth. The Catechism clearly defines the existence of hell and reaffirms how possible it is to end up there:

The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, “eternal fire? (CCC 1035).

With all the immorality that exists in today?s world, dying in the state of mortal sin is a very real possibility. Therefore, it is not at all unrealistic to assume that many people could end up in the place of eternal damnation. However, could you imagine how hopeless you would feel if the Church declared that most people do go to hell?

What does this mean for us? Jesus said what He said; the Church said what she said. You and I should not be concerned about how many people end up in hell. Instead we should focus on the reality that hell does exist and do everything in our power to avoid ending up there. By following the commands of Our Lord as spoken through His Catholic Church, we will be on the road that leads to eternal life in heaven!

The above quote has been attributed to St. Pius X, whose memorial the Church celebrates today. One of ten children, he was born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto in 1835 in a small town in Northern Italy. Ordained to the priesthood in 1858, Father Sarto served as a parish priest in Tombolo. He became a bishop in 1884 and was made a cardinal in 1893. On August 4, 1903, he was elected pope, taking the name Pius X. The motto of his pontificate was ?Instaurare Omnia in Christo? (To restore all things in Christ).

St. Pius X was known for his efforts to promote the truths of the Faith. He worked tirelessly to correct doctrinal misunderstandings and educate Catholics in the true teachings of the Church. This led to his promulgation of a catechism and the revision of the Code of Canon Law. Realizing the sacramental benefits of the Eucharist, he recommended that the faithful receive Holy Communion daily. He died on August 20, 1914 and was canonized on May 29, 1954.

Let us ask this holy man to intercede for us, as there is a still a great ignorance of the Faith among Catholics. Through his intercession, we pray that we will be able to learn and share the true teachings of our Catholic Faith. We should also follow the advice of ?The Pope of the Blessed Sacrament? and receive Holy Communion daily if possible. By doing so, we will receive the grace that we need to become more like Christ.

St. Pius X, pray for us!