Devotion to Mary in May: day 12 "Mary mother of priests"

MARY MOTHER OF THE PRIESTS

12 DAY
Holy Mary.

Invocation. - Mary, Mother of mercy, pray for us!

MARY MOTHER OF THE PRIESTS
There is no dignity on earth greater than that of the Priest. The work of Jesus Christ, the evangelization of the world, is entrusted to the Priest, who must teach the law of God, regenerate souls to grace, absolve from sins, perpetuate the real presence of Jesus in the world with the Eucharistic Consecration and assist the faithful from birth to death.
Jesus said: "As the Father sent me, so I send you" (St. John, XX, 21). «It is not you who chose me, but I have chosen you and I have placed you to go and bear fruit and your fruit to remain ... If the world hates you, know that before you hated me. If you were of the world, the world would love you; but since you are not of the world, since I have chosen you from it, because of this it hates you "(St. John, XV, 16 ...). «Here I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Therefore be prudent as serpents and simple as doves "(S. Matthew, X, 16). «Whoever listens to you, listens to me; whoever despises you, despises me "(S. Luke, X, 16). Satan unleashes his anger and jealousy above all against the Ministers of God, so that the souls will not be saved. The Priest, who although elevated to such high dignity is always a miserable son of Adam, with the consequences of original guilt, needs special help and assistance to carry out his mission. Our Lady knows well the needs of the Ministers of her Son and loves them with an exceptional love, calling them in the messages "my beloved"; he obtains abundant graces for them to save souls and sanctify themselves; he takes special care of them, as he did with the Apostles in the early days of the Church. Mary sees in each Priest her Son Jesus and considers each priestly soul as the pupil of her eyes. He knows well what dangers they face, especially in our times, how much evil they are the target and what pitfalls Satan prepares for them, wanting to sift them like wheat in the threshing floor. But as a loving mother she does not abandon her children in the struggle and keeps them under her mantle. The Catholic Priesthood, of divine origin, is very dear to the devotees of the Madonna. Firstly, mourners should be esteemed and loved by Priests; obey them because they are the spokesmen for Jesus, defend themselves against the slanders of God's enemies, pray for them. Ordinarily the Priestly Day is Thursday, because it recalls the day of the institution of the Priesthood; but also on other days pray for them. Holy Hour is recommended for priests. The purpose of prayer is to sanctify the ministers of God, because if they are not saints they cannot sanctify others. Also pray that the lukewarm ones become fervent. Let God be prayed, through the Virgin, for priestly vocations to arise. It is the prayer that tears the graces and attracts the gifts of God. And what greater gift than a Holy Priest? "Pray to the Master of the harvest to send the workers into his campaign" (San Matteo, IX, 38). In this prayer the priests of their own diocese, the seminarians who go to the altar, their parish priest and confessor are to be kept in mind.

EXAMPLE

At nine, a girl was struck by a strange illness. Doctors did not find the remedy. The father turned with faith to the Madonna delle Vittorie; the good sisters multiplied the prayers for healing. In front of the bed of the sick was a small statue of the Madonna, which came alive. The girl's eyes met the eyes of the Heavenly Mother. The vision lasted a few moments, but it was enough to bring joy back to that family. He healed the pretty little girl and throughout his life brought the sweet memory of the Madonna. Invited to tell the fact, she simply said: The Blessed Virgin looked at me, then smiled ... and I healed! - Our Lady did not want that innocent soul, destined to give God so much glory, to succumb. The girl grew over the years and also in the love of God and zeal. Wanting to save many souls, she was inspired by God to dedicate herself to the spiritual good of priests. So one day he said: To save many souls, I decided to make a wholesale shop: I offer my little acts of virtue to the good Lord, so that grace may increase in Priests; the more I pray and sacrifice myself for them, the more souls convert with their ministry ... Ah, if I could be a Priest myself! Jesus always satisfied my desires; only one left unsatisfied: not being able to have a brother Priest! But I want to become a mother of priests! ... I want to pray a lot for them. Before I was surprised to hear people say they pray for the ministers of God, having to pray for the faithful, but later I understood that they too need prayers! - This delicate feeling accompanied her to her death and attracted so many blessings to reach the highest degrees of perfection. The miraculous girl was Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus.

Fioretto - To celebrate, or at least listen to a Holy Mass for the sanctification of priests.

Ejaculatory - Queen of the Apostles, pray for us!