Worth Revisiting - Will They Hear?

Thank you once again, Allison Gingras at Reconciled To You  and Elizabeth Riordan at Theology Is A Verb  for hosting Worth Revisiting each week. It is a privilege to share our work with you and your followers.

Sometimes, one priest must have the courage to challenge some of his brother priests by writing frankly and truthfully. This is the time. Thank you Father Mark for doing so.

 

 

This is what I wanted to share this week:

 

Will They Hear?

 

 

 

(Originally posted on October 31, 2011)

 

Nothing so grieves my Heart
as the coldness and indifference of priests and of consecrated souls
to my living presence among them.
Had they not the privilege
of my abiding sacramental presence close at hand,
they might be excused for the hardness of their hearts,
but those who have me near,
those who dwell close to my tabernacles
have no excuse for the estrangement of their souls
from the Sacrament of my Love.
On the Day of Judgment I will hold them accountable
for the neglect and indifference
by which they alienated themselves from me,
while I, the living God,
the God who is love,
the God who is all mercy
and who sought their friendship and their company
waited for them,
and waited in vain.

Even you, O my priests,
my adorers, my chosen friends, consolers of my Heart,
disappoint me when,
although I wait for you
and although it is within your power to approach me,
to adore me even for a moment,
and to console me,
you pass me by
and live as though I were not here waiting for you,
yearning for your companionship,
ready to embrace you.

Come to me, then,
come to me as often as you can.
Come, even if only for a moment
to allow me to refresh you,
to inflame you with my love,
to illuminate your mind,
and to pacify your soul.
Come to me and, for a moment,
remain with me
for the sake of those who walk away from me.
Come to me
for the sake of those who pass me by.
Come to me for the sake of those
whose hearts are cold
and who seek their happiness in passing things.

Come to me, and I will welcome you.
Come to me, and I will bless you.
Come to me, and I will press you against my open Heart.
Come to me, and I will show you the beauty of my Eucharistic Face.
Come to me, and your soul shall live.
Come to me, and yours shall be the joy that the world cannot give.
Come to me, and I will place you next to myself.
Come to me, and know that I come to those who come to me,
together with my Father and the Holy Spirit.
Come to me, for I wait for you.

(From In Sinu Iesu - When Heart Speaks to Heart the Journal of a Priest at Prayer, used with permission))