Servant of God Catherine Doherty (see Blog 2/21/14) , a well known mystic of the 20th century, had a special love for the priesthood and the enduring need of priests to be holy. She said once, “I wish I could tell every priest that I share his pain and joy, whatever it may be, because I love the priesthood passionately.”
The Priesthood as I see It (1951)
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| Catherine with St. John Paul II |
In fact, a time will come when you, like your Master, will have to be naked poor; you will follow a naked Christ unto his Cross.
And you will be crucified, too, by the flesh that will still be with you; by the devil who will not let you be; by the lukewarm and indifferent amongst your flock; by the rich and greedy in our front pews; by the unbelievers and the scoffers outside; and by your own weakness and fears.
Then you will be as one dead—a piece of clay—for the Master sculptor to work his masterpiece in you. You will feel the touch of his divine fingers, pounding, molding, hurting the clay that is you. It will be God the Father making you unto the likeness of his Son, the Man of Sorrows.
You will know darkness as few people know it. It will be a palpable, touchable, heavy darkness, that will encompass you on all sides. There will be nary a pinpoint of light in it, and at times it may almost suffocate you.
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| Bl. Fr. Jerzy Popielusko |
You will have to keep on walking, living, having your being in that darkness, perhaps for the span of your whole natural life. You will have to walk in it by the light of your faith only. And what is more, while your soul is steeped in this utter darkness you yourself will have to be a light to a thousand feet.
Doubts and fears, temptations and even sin, will try to walk with you. Often you will be misunderstood by those above you, and those below. There will be some who will want to use you as a tool of their own design. Others will stone you with ridicule. And through all this you seemingly will be alone.
At your word sinners will rise from the death of sin and, who knows, may become great saints of God and his love. In truth you will bring, not peace but a sword. You will be a sign of contradiction that will make men think and live. You will be a minister of fire, ordained to spread that fire on the earth. You will also be a minister of restlessness, the dispenser of a new hunger and thirst.
You will be poor, and your poverty will enrich millions.
You will be chaste with the chastity of an immense and burning love for a God who has reserved it for himself—from a few—specially consecrated sons. Your chastity will heal lust in many hearts, and will give you the power to command its demons out of many parts of the world. For you will make your own the words, Deus meus et omnia (my God and my all).
Loneliness will be your constant companion. Yet your presence will be a blessing to all, and will disperse loneliness in others…
You will be hungry with many hungers but you will fill souls and hearts with the Bread of Life. You will slake the infinite thirst of men for God, with the living waters of Truth.
You will pray, and heaven will listen, hell tremble, and death hear.
At your word, a child of sin will become a child of God. A youth will become a soldier of Christ, a sinner a saint. Hungry men will be filled, dying ones sped homeward in peace.
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| Ven. Augustus Tolton (Sylvia Castellanos) |
You will open your mouth and teach, and the fullness of Truth will come out of it. The Word will take flesh again and walk amongst men, and many shall arise and follow him.
Your hands will heal, and bless, and help. Your presence will bring joy and peace. You yourself will walk in peace, and be an artisan of its lasting city. You will know much, and be humble.
You will pray much and then pray again. For you will know that prayer is your strength, and that of your flock. You will fast and do penance, and you will be a vessel filled to the brim; many will come to drink from these hallowed waters.
You will be all things to all men. You, like Christ, will be lifted up, for men to see and follow you. But you will not mind being crucified naked on a Cross, because Christ will be on the other side, and you will be lost in the ecstasy of being with him, of being his own.