Daily Prayer for Priests O my Jesus, I beg You on behalf of the whole Church ... give us holy priests. You yourself maintain them in holiness.
O Divine and Great High Priest, may the power of Your mercy accompany them everywhere and protect them from the devil's traps and snares, which are continually being set for the souls of priests.
May the power of Your Mercy, O Lord, shatter and bring to naught all that might tarnish the sanctity of priest, for You can do all things. - St. Faustina (Diary, 1052)
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But Like The Prodigal Son, We Must Seek Forgiveness From Him.
Father James Farfaglia-The parable of the prodigal son is by far one of the most beautiful narratives of the Holy Bible. The conduct of the father in the parable reveals to us the love and mercy of God. The father not only welcomes his prodigal son, but also celebrates his return with immense joy. “But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (Luke 15: 20).
The prodigal son’s decision to leave the father’s house and to immerse himself into a life of rebellion, clearly illustrates the nature of sin. Every sin is an abuse of human freedom. When we sin, we defy God who loves us unconditionally. The consequences of sin are always disastrous. Every sinner always experiences profound sadness. “So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine” (Luke 15: 15).
The hunger that the prodigal son experiences indicates the anxiety and emptiness that we feel when we are far from God. We can never be ourselves when we sin. Sin will always bring us to our lowest state and cause us to even become perverted if we were ever to persist in a life of sinfulness.
Like the father of the parable, God is always waiting for our return. We are filled with profound emotion as God always runs to us in order to forgive, heal and sustain us. As we experience the embrace of the unconditional love of God, we cry out with immense joy and gratitude: Abba, Father! “But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (Luke 15: 20).
The robe, ring, sandals and the celebration are all symbols that Jesus brilliantly uses to explain the reality of our union with God through sanctifying grace. Sin is the separation from the father’s house. Adam and Eve realize that they are naked when they are expelled from Eden. Joseph’s coat is removed when he is sold into slavery. The prodigal son is dressed with the finest robe when he is restored to his father’s house.
Biblically, a ring is always a symbol of union, covenant, love, and commitment. Just as marriage joins a man and a woman, and they become one, sanctifying grace joins us to God and we become one with him. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: “Grace is a participation in the life of God. It introduces us into the intimacy of the Trinitarian life. By Baptism the Christian participates in the grace of Christ, the Head of his Body. As an adopted son he can henceforth call God ‘Father’, in union with the only Son. He receives the life of the Spirit who breathes clarity into him and who forms the Church”.
During the time of Jesus, slaves and servants never wore footwear. Their relationship was essentially different to the household that they served. Only members of the family wore sandals. The prodigal son is given sandals because through his conversion, he is no longer a slave to sin.
The celebration takes place because of the immense joy that the father experiences due to the return of his son. At the same time, our union with God is the only source of true and lasting joy. Augustine famously wrote: “You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace” (Confessions, Book 7).
What can we say about the older brother? His response to the father’s mercy indicates that his years of obedience had been years of duty and not filial service. Perhaps he was simply going through the motions, remaining at home simply to enjoy the benefits of a comfortable life.
Like the Pharisees, he is self-righteous, incapable of love, and therefore, incapable of forgiving anyone. His mind is dark and calculating. It is quite possible that his anger is rooted in the fact that he too would like to leave the father’s house and live a life of sin. His life may be pure and noble, but his heart is attached to things that he would like to do, but does not do them because of his vanity and superiority complex.
God’s love is far greater than man’s capacity to love. God can forgive what man refuses to forgive. The love, mercy and compassion of God can overcome the rebellion of the human heart. Nevertheless, there are many who refuse his love and prefer to live far from the father’s house.
God patiently seeks the conversion of every person. God will do everything that he can do to save us. We are objects of God’s infinite love and can personally experience his love. However, God’s infinite wisdom respects our freedom. We can accept or reject God’s invitation to experience eternal joy and peace.
This Sunday’s Gospel passage serves as a reminder of the Sacrament of Confession. As we humbly kneel and recognize our sin, God celebrates our repentance and dresses us with the finest robe, a beautiful ring, and lovely sandals. It is through our union with God, that we experience true joy and peace.
Father James Farfaglia (Read Entire Article here) - The summer following the tragic events of September 11, I took the time to visit New York City and “ground-zero” during my home visit to Binghamton, NY.
As we got off of the subway and walked towards “ground-zero”, I quickly began to perceive the horrific suffering of the innocent and the heroic. Hundreds of people lined up along the fences to look, to pray, to remember and to cry.
As I gazed upon the craters where the towers once rested, the infamous iron cross, the American flag proudly flying in the gentle breeze and the countless memorials erected along the surrounding sidewalks, I reflected upon the fundamental questions of human existence. Who am I? What is the purpose of life? What happens when this life comes to an end?
In light of these questions, is the salvation of your soul worth more than the home that you live in, the school that your children attend, the size of your portfolio or the car that you drive?
Let us recall words from this Sunday’s Old Testament reading: “Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1: 2).
World Trade Center, symbol of economic power and prosperity, was snuffed out in a short span of time. All of the fallen faced their creator without their home, their education, their investments or their car.
For the fallen, this life had ended and eternity began. But for the millions that remain, it seems that for the majority, life goes on unchanged by the apocalyptic events of September 11. The fundamental questions are never asked and no desire for transcendence occurs.
Atheism causes disbelief in God. Nevertheless, the atheist is usually passionate about an ideological cause. Secularism is different. It suffocates the soul and kills it. The secularist is only interested in the here and now. The desire for eternal life is converted into passion for money, sports, entertainment, pleasure, and fame.
As we read this Sunday’s second reading from Saint Paul, we are reminded how to find meaning in life, establish a hierarchy of values and place priorities in the things of eternity. “If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3: 1-3).
As I contemplated the large empty craters that once gave support to the Twin Towers, I recalled the familiar words of Ash Wednesday. “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return”. These words tie in perfectly to the words that we pray in this weekend’s responsorial psalm: “You turn man back to dust, saying, ‘Return, O children of men’. For a thousand years in your sight are as yesterday, now that it is past, or as a watch of the night” (Psalm 90: 3-5).
As a Catholic priest I have often seen death close at hand. For almost twenty years, I have prayed at the side of little babies, children, teenagers, adults in their prime, and adults in the twilight of their lives as they died. Death comes at any age.
No matter how many advances science may bring to our contemporary world, no one will ever be able to keep people from dying. Dying is a part of life. It is part of our earthly existence.
When we were little children we learned the simple, yet profound truth from our catechism lessons about our existence. Why did God make me? God made me to know him, to love him, to serve him in this world and to be happy with him in everlasting life. Here lies the plain truth about our life on earth. We will not be here forever.
Life is like a bus ride. We move forward with our bags packed, hoping that when the bus stops and the door opens, we will be at the right location. We must remember the fundamental truth of Revelation: eternity consists of three states: heaven, purgatory and hell. To deny the existence of purgatory and hell is to deny Christianity. To tell people that everyone is going to heaven is to deprive them of the truth. It is a lie to tell people that everyone is saved. Moreover, when people accept this lie, the very lie may even endanger their eternal salvation because they will no longer be using the necessary means of salvation in order to gain eternal life.
“Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry. Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator” (Colossians 3: 5-10).
One day each of us will stand before God for judgment. We will stand before God without a lawyer, without family and friends to support us. We will stand alone before Almighty God. Each day could be our last day on earth. We should each ask ourselves today, if I were to die today, how would God judge me? Is there any particular sin, attachment, or attitude that might be an obstacle to my eternal salvation? Rather than becoming sad when we consider our own death, the reality of leaving this life and facing God for judgment should lead us to continual conversion.
Let us remember the words from this Sunday’s gospel passage: “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions” (Luke 12: 15).
Priests and Fathers Must Make Heroic Sacrifices.
Father James Farfaglia-During the height of the Vietnam War, an Afro-American second lieutenant led his small company on a patrol through the jungle. As they were making their way through the dense tangle of trees and vines, he suddenly noticed that a sniper had dropped a grenade in the middle of his men. Without hesitation the second lieutenant pounced on the grenade and saved his company by sacrificing his own life. Shortly after this incident, President Nixon awarded him the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously, which was presented to his mother.
Perhaps we will never be in a situation to sacrifice our lives as heroically as the second lieutenant did. However, it is quite possible that he was able to make the supreme sacrifice of himself, because his entire life was made up of many heroic moments of self-giving.
Anyone who wants to live true Christianity is called to live selflessly. What father who really loves his family will complain about the daily sacrifices that he must make to support his family? Will a Catholic priest, enamored of his priestly calling, not be filled with a profound joy as he gives himself untiringly to his parish family?
As I explained in my new book Man to Man: A Real Priest Speaks to Real Men about Marriage, Sexuality and Family Life [1], some men are called to be fathers of a family through the sacrament of marriage, and there are men who are called to be fathers of an immensely large family through the sacrament of Holy Orders. Fatherhood demands total self-giving.
True fathers will understand that parenting goes far beyond simply feeding their children and filling their day with hours of mindless television. True priests will always devote large amounts of time each week to preparing good Sunday homilies; to being available to meet the needs of their people; and to taking the time to visit the homebound and the sick in the hospitals. But if homes are abandoned because fathers are more concerned about their careers than their children, and if parishes are abandoned because the spiritual fathers are more concerned about their free time and entertainment than the souls entrusted to them, then it is no wonder that so many Americans wander aimlessly about seeking affection, love, direction, purpose and companionship?
Married love and celibate love can only be understood within the dimension of total donation of self. Selfishness will prevent us from the giving of ourselves unconditionally. If we live selfish lives, we will not experience the profound joy of Christianity.
Selflessness demands commitment. Commitment demands maturity, sacrifice, and a lot of love. Commitment means we have the ability to make a definitive decision and never think twice about the path that we have chosen.
Commitment means that we will follow through with the consequences of that decision through the difficult moments and the tedium of daily existence.
Immature men are incapable of making life-long decisions. Moreover, they are incapable of sacrifice, incapable of fidelity, and incapable of love. Only mature men are capable of these things.
Fatherhood demands responsibility. Every father who is a true man will be responsible for all of his actions. Today, most people escape responsibility by blaming their parents or society for the reasons as to why they behave the way they do. Although it is true that certain situations do influence our personal baggage that we carry through life, playing the blame game is self-indulgence and an escape from reality. With God’s grace and personal effort, every problem has a solution.
Our contemporary culture has an urgent need for men who want to be real men; men capable of making definitive decisions and carrying them through no matter what obstacles may come their way. Our society needs men who are generous, self-giving, honest, industrious, sensitive to the needs of others and well mannered; men who dress appropriately; men who are capable of an intelligent conversation with their wives, their co-workers and their friends.
Fathers, pray for the strength to be the man God intends for you to be. That goes for Priests and Dads. (slight editing by Jeff Gares)
To read entire article, click here.
Priests and Laymen Must Establish a Profound Spiritual Life to Combat the
“Famine of Love” In Our Modern Culture
Father James Farfaglia-Today, men are addicted to pornography at an alarming rate. Catholic priests and laity are struggling with pornography, especially internet pornography.
As I wrote in my recently published book Man to Man: A Real Priest Speaks to Real Men About Marriage, Sexuality and Family Life , “Lust is a very powerful sin and it destroys human freedom. Lust is a real problem for most men. Lust is more powerful than an addiction to drugs or to alcohol.”
Many affirm that celibacy is the reason why priests have sexual addictions. But our pastoral experience tells us that the amount of married men that are addicted to pornography is staggering.
After more than twenty-two years as a priest, I am convinced that the capital sin of lust is not the only reason why men continually struggle with pornography. I believe the addiction is primarily driven by a disorder in our emotions.
Dr. Conrad W. Baars, M.D. called it an emotional deprivation disorder. Mother Theresa called it the famine of love.
The on-going struggle with pornography, which usually includes masturbation, is rooted in the fact that modern man feels unloved, isolated, and alone. We are all part of this modern culture.
The emotional disorder of today is caused by the following factors:
- The unborn child that was unwanted and unloved by his or her mother
- The infant that was not breastfed
- The infant that was left in day care
- Mothers who work outside of the home
- Fathers who have abandoned their families
- The infant and the child that was not held enough by their mother and father
- The infant and the child that was sexually and/or psychologically abused
- Children of alcoholic parent(s)
- Children of a parent or parents who are addicted to drugs
- Children of divorced parents
After reading this list, you can see that most of us have been damaged by a very dysfunctional society. What then is the solution for this serious problem?
Catholic spirituality has always placed great importance on mortification to control and integrate our sexual desires. Without a doubt, concupiscence will always be something that we will have to deal with until the resurrection of the body.
However, because of the pathology of the emotional disorder that we suffer from, it is of great importance that we focus our attention on how to love correctly and how to existentially experience that love within our emotional world.
When this happens, the disorder will be healed and so will the urge to view pornography.
So, let us take a look at the action points for your emotional healing.
- Maintain a profound spiritual life. Live your life before the Eucharist. Get into contemplative prayer. You need to experience God’s awesome love for you on an emotional level.
- Connect with your family. If your family is dysfunctional find someone in your family that you can connect with. The experience of some kind of connection with your family or a family member is very important. There may be some sad situations where this may be impossible, but for most people, they can at least connect with one or two family members.
- Have good, solid friendships. Many of us live alone in a rectory. We do not need to have many friends; we need at least one true friend.
- Love your parishioners. Connect with your parish family. Develop a strong community and be involved with everything that takes place. Connect with your people.
- Enjoy life and laugh a lot.
I am totally convinced that if you put these action points into practice, joined together with a serious life of mortification, the struggle with pornography will diminish or disappear. Laymen can apply the five steps too by taking into account their state in life, and then making the corresponding changes to the list.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have Mercy on Us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for Us.
A Courageous Priest Speaks to Men About Marriage and Family Life.
Heroic men have always inspired me. Saints, military generals, and famous presidents have always provided light and direction during my life. Men like Paul, Athanasius, Thomas Moore, John Fisher, Edmond Campion, John Vianney, Miguel Pro, Oscar Romero, John Paul II, Pope Benedict, Washington, Lincoln, Reagan, Patton, MacArthur and Eisenhower are all men that I admire very much. They are all lighthouses: men, who within their own historical circumstances, stood up to the plate and lived their lives with heroism.
Today, as men, we are constantly being challenged.
If the house is burning, get a hose and put out the fire. If someone is trapped inside, we need to go in for the rescue. Only the cowards would watch from the sidewalk and do nothing.
I love heroes. I loathe cowards.
I know that as married men you are challenged every day. I am writing to you in order to encourage you to remain faithful and to be a hero.
Father James Farfaglia
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