Overheard in the Sacristy

Prayer for Priests
by St. Therese of Lisieux

O Jesus, eternal Priest, keep your priests within the shelter of Your Sacred Heart, where none may touch them.

Keep unstained their anointed hands, which daily touch Your Sacred Body.

Keep unsullied their lips, daily purpled with your Precious Blood.

Keep pure and unearthly their hearts, sealed with the sublime mark of the priesthood.

Let Your holy love surround them and shield them from the world’s contagion.

Bless their labors with abundant fruit and may the souls to whom they minister be their joy and consolation here and in heaven their beautiful and everlasting crown.

Amen.

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.

O Blessed Archangel Gabriel,
we beseech thee, do thou intercede for us
at the throne of divine Mercy in our present necessities,
that as thou didst announce to Mary
the mystery of the Incarnation,
so through thy prayers and patronage in heaven
we may obtain the benefits of the same,
and sing the praise of God forever in the land of the living.
Amen.

St. Raphael,
of the glorious seven who stand
before the throne of Him Who lives and reigns.
Angel of health, the Lord has filled your hand
with balm from heaven to soothe or cure our pains.
Heal or cure the victim of disease,
and guide our steps when doubtful of our ways.
Amen.

While watching this VIDEO consider the following: It is …

a. the “Smoke of Satan” referred to by Pope Paul VI?
b. the ghost of murdered Pope John Paul I?
c. one of the Borgias?
d. the kid’s cheap camcorder?

Stranger than fiction.

On the outskirts of a small town, there was a big, old pecan tree just inside the cemetery fence. One day, two boys filled up a bucketful of nuts and sat down by the tree, out of sight, and began dividing the nuts. “One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me,” said one boy. Several dropped and rolled down toward the fence.

Another boy came riding along the road on his bicycle. As he passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetery. He slowed down to investigate. Sure enough, he heard, “One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me.” He just knew what it was. He jumped back on his bike and rode off.

Just around the bend he met an old man with a cane, hobbling along. “Come here quick,” said the boy, “you won’t believe what I heard! Satan and the Lord are down at the cemetery dividing up the souls.”

The man said, “Beat it kid, can’t you see it’s hard for me to walk.” When the boy insisted though, the man hobbled slowly to the cemetery. Standing by the fence they heard, “One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me…” The old man whispered, “Boy, you’ve been tellin’ me the truth. Let’s see if we can see the Lord.” Shaking with fear, they peered through the fence, yet were still unable to see anything. The old man and the boy gripped the wrought iron bars of the fence tighter and tighter as they tried to get a glimpse of the Lord.

At last they heard, “One for you, one for me. That’s all. Now let’s go get those nuts by the fence and we’ll be done.”

They say the old man made it back to town a full 5 minutes ahead of the kid on the bike.

In a recent post by Rocco Palmo of Whispers in the Loggia blog, he parathentically states:

(Pardon the Latin; my inner Tridentine can’t help it.)

I truly appreciate the fraternity offered me by my priest brothers. Yesterday’s meeting was once again edifying. May God continue to bless us in our shepherding the flocks entrusted to us.

My Jesus Caritas priest support group meets Monday for our monthly meeting. I have reported on this blog previously of the visions afforded me by the Lord to strengthen my priesthood. I await tomorrow’s Holy Hour for further confirmation and edification of my vocation.

On Wednesday I will be offering my parishioners the gift of Adoration and Benediction of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar as we also will pray a Holy Hour.

Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament; pray for us.

I knew it would happen sooner or later. Since I usually use my personal experiences within the context of a homily, today, I made mention of this blog. (shriek!) I specifically mentioned the post and comments regarding infant baptisms. I truly appreciate any and all comments. Blessings to all bloggers!

NBC Broadcaster Slashes God from “Veggie Tales” Programming
By Gudrun Schultz

NEW YORK, New York, September 21, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The US National Broadcasting Corporation has agreed to run the enormously popular children’s cartoon “Veggie Tales,” which features moral and religious storylines centered on biblical themes, but the broadcaster is demanding that all mention of God be slashed from the shows before they can be aired.

Hosted by Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato, “Veggie Tales” has become something of a phenomenon in the 13 years since the series was first distributed on VHS, wrote the president of Media Research Center L. Brent Bozell III, in a Washington Times commentary last week. With little marketing and no television broadcasting, the video series has sold more than 50 million DVDs and videos through chain stores such as Wal-Mart and Target.

Originally NBC demanded that the producers remove all Biblical verses from the shows. Since then, the demands have become increasingly more draconian, the cartoon’s creator Phil Vischer reported on his blog site.

“At first we were told everything was ’OK’ except the Bible verse at the end,” wrote Vischer. “Since we’ve started actually producing the episodes, though, NBC has gotten a little more restrictive. We’re having to do a little more editing,” and now, he said, he just hopes people will “maybe wander into Wal-Mart and buy a video with all the God still in.”

Earlier this week NBC came under fierce criticism by Christian leaders for deciding to air an un-edited version of pop star Madonna’s notorious crucifixion stunt, part of her global Confessions tour, this November. The performer appears strapped to a 20-foot cross and wearing a crown of thorns, in a parody of Christianity’s central and most revered image of faith.

NBC entertainment president Kevin Reilly accepted the stunt after previewing the production. “We viewed it,” he told Access Hollywood, “and didn’t see it as being inappropriate.”