Love for the Priesthood

"Our Lord, who is present among us in many ways, is so particularly in the person of the priest. Every priest is a great gift of God to the world. He is Jesus who goes about doing good; he cures illnesses, he brings peace and joy to men's minds; he is the living instrument of Christ in the world. He offers Our Lord his voice, his hands, his whole being. At Mass, he renews in persona Christi the redemptive Sacrifice of Calvary itself. He makes Christ's Redemption present and effective within history. Pope John Paul II reminded the clergy of Brazil that Jesus identifies himself with us in such a way in carrying out the powers he conferred upon us, that it is as if our personality disappears before his, since it is He himself who acts through us. It is Christ who changes the substance of bread and wine into his Body and Blood at Mass. And it is Jesus himself who, in the sacrament of Penance, utters the authoritative and fatherly words 'your sins are forgiven.' It is He who speaks when the preist, carrying out his ministry in the name and in the spirit of the Church, announces the Word of God. It is Christ himself who cares for the sick, for children and sinners, when he enfolds them with the love and pastoral care of the sacred ministries. A priest is of more value to mankind than the entire material universe. We must pray constantly for the holiness of priests, helping them and sustaining them with our prayer and our affection. We must see Christ himself in them."
- Fr. Francis Fernandez, In Conversation with God, Vol. 4.

Mary, Queen of Clergy, pray for them!