P R A Y I N G W I T H T H E C H U R C H
|
INTENTION : |
That those who hold positions of responsibility in the Church may offer a shining example of a life which is always responsive to the guidance of the Spirit.
|
Having made a radical choice for Christ ordained priests and consecrated religious immediately become the first targets of the Tempter who attacks them persistently because they can do the most for the salvation of the world. Many succeed, with the help of grace, in triumphing over the snares of the Devil, but there are also those who succumb to temptations.
The moral miseries of qualified and responsible members of the Church are a constant source of distress to the Holy Father and to the entire People of God. There have been enough cases of misbehaviour highlighted in the front pages of newspapers recently, causing scandal to ordinary people.
The fragility of fallen human nature common to all mortals is a good reminder for us to fight these temptations with the spiritual arms of prayer.
While it is not uncommon for lay people to ask the clergy and religious to remember them in their prayers, they must not forget that clergy and religious also need the prayer support of the laity. Every baptized person can at least invoke: "Lord, give us saintly religious, priests and bishops," in our daily prayer.
|
|
