Begging for Priests

This is an older post from another blog, but it is a post I re-read frequently because it helps me to reset my attitude and stance in prayer. My "laundry list" of intentions transforms as I humble myself to a beggar's pose, totally relying on Another, because I cannot do it alone.

And today is Thursday, which means tomorrow is Friday... so join us in begging for priests!

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Begging for Priests

Most of us resort to begging only when necessary. We see it as a last resort when all other efforts fail. The teenage plea for money begins with flattery then shifts to the use of reason followed by an emotional campaign and, when all this fails, the whole thing collapses into shameless begging.

It's not so different from the way we often approach our relationship with God. Begging is a last-ditch effort to get what we want. But I want to suggest that we take another look at where begging should fall in the timeline of prayer.

Clearly, begging begins with the recognition that what we need we cannot get for ourselves. For this reason I think it should be the first step of prayer rather than the last. To beg is to be aware of what we are capable of and to be aware that we are utterly dependent on Another.

With this in mind, I want to encourage all of us to start begging the Lord for priests. I hope that the religious sisters and brothers will forgive me for being exclusive here, but one of the clear desires that has emerged from the voices of our people is the desire for more priests to tend to our pastoral needs.

So as intelligent people, aware of our own limitations, let's start begging the One who calls young men to be priests. Lets not be too proud to beg and let's not think that we can do this on our own. God calls men to be priests. We can do what we can to help them to hear that call, but we cannot substitute ourselves for the voice of God.

So I am asking you to beg. Specifically, I am asking you to beg every Friday at noon. If you are in adoration, beg for priests. If you are sitting at your desk at work, beg the Lord for priests. If you are in Evansville and you hear the sirens going off for the emergency alert testing, beg the Lord for priests.

Then, once you have begged for priests, consider what you can do to help these young men hear that call. Our diocese needs priests and it needs beggars who are humble enough to recognize that only God can provide this gift.

This is not an act of desperation, it is an act of faith. So Friday, noon, wherever you are...stop and beg for priests.

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Fr. Alex Zenthoefer is the Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Evansville... with many other duties and titles, too. Read more of his blog here.