I think the priest who said Mass this morning is a saint.
He filled in for our pastor who was away. I know who he is but won't tell you his name. He is one of the Archdiocese' younger priests. Our younger priests are truly impressive and holy. The ones I have encountered, that is. This guy is like an angel. He reminds me of St. Aloysius.
Anyway. Please pray for our priests - especially thank God for their vocation and devotion. It's sad to think they can become discouraged - they sometimes may not be aware of how much they radiate Christ.
It's interesting that you mention young priests. I was having a conversation just the other day with one of the young priests of my diocese. He is absolutely demoralized by Pope Francis. He feels like a child of an abusive father because at every turn Pope Francis is accusing him and his fellow young priests of being "rigid" and "restorationist." He tells me his fellow young priests feel the same way. I'd be willing to bet that if St. Aloysius was alive today he would be dismissed from the Jesuits for being to "rigid." We live in evil times. We must pray very hard for your young priests and seminarians that they won't flee the priesthood because they feel their father is abusive or doesn't support them. Young priests need lots of support, what they don't need is constant berating for fidelity to orthodoxy and tradition.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad that they can become discouraged by such reports. I do pray for them.
DeleteHere, in my neck of the woods, Southern California, we have been blessed with more vocations from the Hispanic and Asian communities. Archbishop Jose Gomez is solid and imo, a faithful son of the Church. He is gracious when encouraging us to pray for our Holy Father, all priests, and for each other. Not once have I ever heard him say anything negative or critical of Pope Francis. Not once. I have only ever met priests who support and love our Holy Father so I can't relate to the negativity.
DeleteWhile I am sure it exists, I have yet to encounter it in real life but have only truly encountered it online.
These days though, I am taking everything posted online with a grain of salt.
The surrender prayer you shared with us has helped to allow me to let go of a lot of stuff, especially the negative.
In its place, I pray for the conversion/salvation of the world, for peace, hope, faith, and charity.
Let's keep lifting each other up in prayer beginning with our Holy Father. Amen!
Yaya, I'm sorry that you have to live in the spiritual wasteland of Southern California. I used to have respect for Archbishop Gomez until he became Archbishop of LA. He has been there a long time and has yet to do anything about the LA Catechetical Convention or whatever it is called. It is filled with heterodox speakers and teaching, and he allows it to go on year after year. He also has not done anything to curb the myriad of liturgical abuses that go on in that archdiocese - and there are many. Obviously he doesn't care about teaching the faith or care of the Eucharist or he would have addressed these issues. Instead he just echoes the democrat platform on immigration. He's a disappointment to me and to many. No wonder there are so few vocations per capita in the Archdiocese. In the diocese where I live we have one of the highest numbers of vocations per capita because we don't put up with heterodox teaching or liturgical abuses. It would be good for Archbishop Gomez to take up the playbook of good bishops like the Bishop Conley, the Bishop Emeritus of Lincoln, the Archbishop Emeritus of St. Louis, the Archbishop Emeritus of Tulsa, Bishop Olmsted, Bishop Finn, Archbishop Sample, Bishop Morlino, etc. These Bishops had or have booming vocations because they don't put up with heterodox teaching or liturgical nonsense. In my mind, they should all be Cardinals and papabile. Sadly under the Francis regime, that will never happen...they are actually being faithful.
DeleteI am aware of what is said about our Archbishop Gomez as well as what is said about many a bishop/priest. I have no time nor desire to scrutinize or criticize every single thing in our beloved Church, here in Los Angeles, I will leave that to our Lord Jesus Christ whose judgement alone is perfect. He will take care of it.
DeleteAnd you are wrong to say that I live in a spiritual wasteland. Where there is faith, the Blessed Sacrament, Mass, said daily, twice at my parish, confession offered almost daily, good priests, absolutely no spiritual wasteland for many of us here. And many folks though small, are full of joy not negativity.
I love what you said Yaya: "And you are wrong to say that I live in a spiritual wasteland. Where there is faith, the Blessed Sacrament, Mass, said daily, twice at my parish, confession offered almost daily, good priests, absolutely no spiritual wasteland for many of us here. And many folks though small, are full of joy not negativity."
DeleteThat is exactly right.
Do I know him?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure - you probably do. I think he's from that 'group' of saints.
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