Mental Prayer for February 21, What It Takes to Be a Priest

Mental Prayer Meditation Helps

Presence of God

Grace I Ask: To know and to be able to tell others what qualities a young man needs to be a priest.

The Idea: A vocation to the priesthood is not something mysterious; Christ will not whisper in my ear, "Be a priest." It means four things:
(1) I am healthy enough to pray, study, work as most others my age.
(2) I lead a normally good Catholic life, trying to avoid sin and to keep the commandments, to frequent the sacraments - not a "walking saint."
(3) I can handle any studies fairly well; I am willing to study many years.
(4) I myself want to be a priest... for some reason like the following: to serve God better, to give my life more completely to God, to win souls for Christ, to save my own soul, to be like Christ, to help people, to be like some priest I know... a parish diocesan priest or a priest in a religious order with vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience... and I do not have serious family responsibilities in the way.

My Personal Application: (If a woman) Do I pray that more young men will receive and follow the call to be good and holy priests? Do I pray for the priests I know? (If a man) Have I seriously and prayerfully asked myself if I have the four qualities necessary to be a priest?

I Speak to God: O Holy Spirit, enlighten my mind. I want to do whatever you and the Father and Christ want me to do in life. Help me to be perfectly open about my vocation with my con­fessor, pastor, spiritual counselor, and parents­ - they can best judge whether I have the four qualities necessary to be a priest.

Thought for Today: Come, Holy Spirit. En­lighten my mind to know in what way of life I can best do your holy will.
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Adapted from Mental Prayer, Challenge to the Lay Apostle
by The Queen's Work,(© 1958)