Our Lord took His time bringing me one of the greatest graces I have ever received in my life, relying on my obedience to obtain it. The spiritual fatherhood of one of the most holy priests I have ever met. I cannot begin to recount the blessings and graces that have flowed since I came under his direction and even now, since he has moved to pastor another flock. How it happened is a story for another time though.
This very holy priest showed me all the things of heaven and how to obtain them. He gave me such a desire for heaven that I would do whatever he said if it would help me get there. Daily Mass, frequent confession, daily rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy, adoration, etc., etc. As my spiritual father I truly believed he would be among the highest in heaven, and I was sticking close to him. It only speaks more of his holiness that he never shooed me away!
He has a great love that flows from him. In every Mass he says, rosary he prays and blessing he gives there is but one goal, for the souls in his care or within his thoughts to one day be in heaven among the angels and saints. Truly this is loving your neighbor as yourself. When he receives a grace or heavenly blessing, he shares it. A great conduit between heaven and earth for all souls.
On the cross, Jesus said, “I thirst.” He thirsts for souls...for our love. How do we quench the thirst of our Lord and Savior but to give Him all He desires. Not just our souls, but the souls of our neighbors, in complete obedience to His second greatest commandment to us. This holy priest is surely quenching the thirst of our Lord as rarely seen in history and even more rare in our time. He loves and in the rare instance that he is aggrieved by someone, he immediately offers them to our Lord and blesses them.
I recently attended the installation Mass at his new parish and had the opportunity to speak to a few of his new parishioners. They love him and are so excited he is there with them. I am so happy for them. During the Mass when the Bishop “introduced” him as their new pastor he received a standing ovation and though I know he would rather not have, it was beautiful.
Thinking about that later, I was marveling at how loved he already is at his new parish and then realized why — because he first loved them. He started praying for his new parish and parishioners the moment he was told he was transferring! He also encouraged others to do the same and so as I was praying for my new pastor, I was also praying for him and his new parish and parishioners!
1 John 4:19 says, “We love, because He first loved us.” This beautiful priest is a living example of the scriptures. His new parishioners love him, because he first loved them....offering Masses and other prayers long before he took over as their pastor.
I am ashamed that it has taken his departure for me to fully see his lesson of love lived, or rather that it is precisely the example I should be following in all things at all times. To pray for everyone, to ask God to bless all those who cross my path, to pray when getting in the car to drive and thanks for my safe arrival, to pray for all those at each new destination, those I work with and for, my neighbors, my loved ones and especially those I find it hard to love.
Who in your life are you loving because they first loved you? Are you loving them back? Are you paying their love forward? When you receive love from others are you sharing it?
Jesus loved us first....and by His example we are to love one another, in service and perhaps even laying down our own lives.....or at least trying to die to self. We should be conduits of love for everyone we come in contact with.
Heavenly Father, thank you for the grace and blessing this priest of yours has been — not just in my life, but in the lives of all those he comes in contact with daily. Please strengthen him, protect him from all evil, sanctify him and help him to always be the holy priest you desire him to be. Lord, I ask this for all your priests.
