This morning the Holy Father spoke to Seminarians from the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy: "You must proclaim - with your lives even before than with your words - the joyful and consoling announcement of the Gospel of love, in places sometimes very far removed from the Christian experience", the Holy Father told his audience. "Announce the Truth that is Christ! May prayer, meditation and listening to the Word of God be your daily bread".
He went on: "May the celebration of the Eucharist be the core and the focus of your every day and of your entire ministry. ... It is not possible to approach the Lord every day, to pronounce these tremendous loving words, 'this is my Body, this is my Blood', ... to take the Body and Blood of the Lord in our hands, without allowing ourselves to be seized by Him, ... without allowing His infinite love to change us within. May the Eucharist become a school of life for you, in which Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross teaches you to give yourselves totally to your fellow man.
These words carry very special meaning in this season of ordinations. Just this last weekend Bishop Tod Brown ordained several men for priesthood in the Diocese of Orange. Priests of God, shepherds of souls, carry out your ministry with integrity, charity and love for God and the people you serve. Remember who the master is and whom you are called to serve. Let us pray for the holiness of our priests and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood. Mary, Queen of Priests, Pray for Us!
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