It was my last request of the day.
After a busy day of walking around the hospital visiting patients, I was tired and more than ready for the quiet of the priory.
“She will be going to hospice soon and might not be here tomorrow,” I was told. “She would love to hear you sing.” So, with an empty lunch box under one arm and books under the other, I made one last visit on my way out.
The room was quiet with the distinct feeling of every hospital room where the last decision was made and a life was quickly coming to a close. The patient was weak, barely able to lift a hand to greet me. I took her hand, knelt beside her, and sang to her the beautiful words of the Salve Regina: “Hail, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope.” To my surprise, she closed her eyes and mouthed the words as I sang. Her hand clasped in mine, I spoke to her of the love of Jesus, the protection of Mary’s mantle, and the joy of the saints.
In that moment, I experienced the spiritual fatherhood of the priest I wish to one day become. She called and I came. I had never met this woman, except in these final moments of her life. She did not know who I was, but she offered me her hand with the little strength she had left. I said words she knew by heart and offered her the consolation of our faith. When it was time to leave, she looked at me, squeezed my hand, and said, with a barely audible voice, “Thank you, Father.”
The priesthood of Jesus Christ is greater than any one man. As Saint John Vianney says, “The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.” Divine love is eternal and infinite—the priest merely enters into this love. He is an ambassador of the heart of Jesus. “When you see a priest, think of our Lord Jesus Christ,” continues St. John Vianney. The priest brings Jesus to us throughout our lives: he encourages us in our faith, strengthens us with the sacraments, and points us to our final goal of happiness in heaven. And although many priests have failed in living this vocation, good and faithful priests continue to love with the heart of Jesus and bring us, the members of his body, to full maturity through their spiritual fatherhood.
Jesus continues to give us his love in a unique way through the ministry of his priests. Today, on the feast of St. John Vianney, we thank God for the gift of the priesthood and pray that the priests of the Church will be strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit and the love found in the heart of Jesus, the eternal High Priest.
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Image by Alberico Bartoccini on Unsplash
