Friday, January 28, 2011

If only priests could just be priests.


Art:  Priest Teaching Catechism - no further information available.  Source
Posted by Terry Nelson at 12:02 AM

11 comments:

  1. What a beautiful image. It's so terrible how some priests have misbehaved, and how the media have gleefully twisted it to serve their diabolical ends.

    Whenever I read about St. John Bosco, I always think "oh, what would the media say today" and then I realize - who cares?

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  2. I know of a Salesian priest who sits in the confessional - actually sits in the confessional, whether or not people come in. In his homilies he often talks, in his soft-spoken yet insistent way (the Italian accent from the homeland still there) about how we need to be very careful not to fall into mortal sin, because it's a very terrible thing to fall into mortal sin - and we need to be very careful.

    And I listen, and I wonder if many Catholics spend their lives not listening to what they think they already know.

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  3. What do you notice priests striving to be?

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  4. Mercury - exactly.

    Paul - I would love to know that priest - he must be a saint.

    Patrick - I believe they want to be priests - the pressures and demands on them often take them away from being able to do what they were ordained to do.

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  5. Father Joe12:10 PM

    I don't use the word "love" as much as I used to -- because the culture so incorrectly overuses it ("I love my car," "I love pizza," etc.) but let me tell you: I LOVE being a priest!

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  6. Father Joe - are you the same Fr. Joe with the Wordpress blog? If so, it's a good one.

    Paul - the other day we were running late for church and had to go to the bigger parish in town. They have a young priest there whose mode of speaking reminds me of a black preacher, and he gave the most amazing (and long!) sermon on the significance and magnitude of the Eucharist, and then went into worthy reception and mortal sin and the call to sacramental penance because Jesus desires that we all receive Him and is willing to forgive our offenses against Him.

    It was awesome - and sad, because it's the first time I've heard a priest do that.

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  7. Thanks Father - God bless you!

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  8. I couldn't agree more, Terry.

    It weighs heavily upon my discernment.

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  9. Even if I went into religious life, I'd almost be afraid to be a priest - so much responsibility!

    A priest I know wanted to be a monk but was forced to become a priest by his superiors. He trembled at the idea. I think that sort of reverence for Holy Orders makes for humble and holy priests.

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  10. Father Joe4:39 PM

    Thanks, Terry, I'm grateful for that blessing!

    Mercury, no, I'm not that man. I started a blog once but was too busy to do anything with it and so I let it fade away. I'm on Facebook, though, and you're welcome to be in touch should you like. My name is Joseph Cocucci and I think I'm the only Joseph Cocucci on Facebook.

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  11. The Catechism Lesson 1890.
    by Jules-Alexis Meunier 1863-1942.
    Musée des beaux-arts de Besançon
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:La_lecon_de_cathéchisme_.jpg

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