“Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church,
model of every vocation,
help us to say “yes” to the Lord, who calls us
to cooperate in the divine plan of salvation”
Lord Jesus, just as you called the first disciples to make them fishers of men, may your sublime invitation continue to resound: Come to Me, follow Me!
Give young men and women the grace to respond promptly to the call. Support your bishops, priests and consecrated men and women in their apostolic work.
Grant perseverance to our seminarians and to all those who carry forward the ideals of a life totally consecrated to your service.
Awaken in our community a missionary enthusiasm. Lord, SEND WORKERS INTO YOUR VINEYARD and do not allow humanity to be lost because of a shortage of pastors, missionaries and people dedicated to the cause of your Gospel.
Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, model of every vocation, help us to say yes to the Lord who calls us to cooperate in the divine plan of salvation.
Amen.
Saint John Paul II
120 years ago, in some private revelations, Jesus began to entrust to consecrated religious in monasteries and in the world His plan for the renewal of the priesthood. To some spiritual mothers He entrusted the so-called “work for priests”. One of the precursors of this work is Blessed Maria Deluil Martiny. Of this great intimate desire of hers, she said: “To offer oneself for souls is beautiful and great! But to offer oneself for the souls of priests... is so beautiful and great that one should have a thousand lives and a thousand hearts!... I would gladly give my life just so that Christ could find in priests what is expected of them! I would also gladly give it even if one could only perfectly realize the divine plan for him!”. Indeed, at only 43 years of age, she sealed her spiritual motherhood with martyrdom.
Her last words were: “It is for the work, the work for the priests!”
For many years, Jesus also prepared Venerable Louise Marguerite Claret de la Touche for the apostolate for the renewal of the priesthood. She recounts that on June 5th, 1902, during adoration, the Lord appeared to her.
“I had prayed to Him for our little novitiate and I had begged Him to give me some souls that I could have molded for Him. He answered me: 'I will give you souls of men'. I remained silent because I did not understand His words. Jesus added: 'I will give you souls of priests'. Even more surprised by these words, I asked Him: 'My Jesus, how will you do it? Then He explained to me the work He was about to prepare and that He would have had to warm the world with love. Jesus went on to explain His plan and so He wanted to address the priests: 'As 1900 years ago I was able to renew the world with twelve men - they were priests - so today I could renew the world with twelve priests, but they must be holy priests'.”
To increase our fervor:
Hope is the word that gives meaning to this new year, to this holy year. And we know that this virtue is strengthened by others so that it may be very fruitful.
We mothers, women of the 40 hours, fly high, and very high, when hope gives us the wings of the greatest birds in the sky.
These wings take us directly to the open wound of the Heart of Jesus. There, all the graces that He has prepared for us await us so that they will give rise to the holy religious who will change the course of history.
But these wings of hope for us, the mothers of the 40 hours, grow with the virtue of humility. The smaller and weaker we see ourselves, the more the power of God’s strength will act in us and in our prayers. And this thought will also give a very consoling force that will dilate the virtue of trust in our hearts, giving us the assurance that we will not only receive what we ask for, but also much more than what we ask for.
And let us remember here St. Monica who received much more than she asked for: a holy son and doctor of the Church.
Let us also remember the words of Jesus to St. Faustina: to those who trust I give whatever they ask of me.
With these signs of the generosity of the Heart of Jesus, another virtue grows in our souls, that of magnanimity, which goes so far as to ask for the craziest things, knowing that they make the whole heavenly court smile, as when the missionaries crossed the ocean full of thirst for souls.
Therefore, there is great joy for this year that brings the promise that our Hope will not be disappointed.
And great religious saints will be harvested from our prayers!
Trust, Trust… may this be the most precious pearl of our heart in this year of Hope!