Demons claim a priest

St. Thomas Before the Cross, by Sassetta, Panel, 1423; Pinacoteca, Vatican

From The Exorcists Diary:

I showed a photo of a man dressed in casual clothes to one of our specially gifted people:

I said, “What do you see?”

She responded, “Who is it?”

I said, “I am not going to tell you. What do you see?”

She said, “The man is covered with demons. The demons are saying, ‘We have him. He is ours.'”

I then told her, “He is a priest.”

We had been trying to assist this priest. He was referred for problems with purity. While the problems were not illegal, they were obviously sinful and, in this case, likely mortal. But he refused to acknowledge the problem or confess his sins. I fear for him.

Blessed Concepcion Cabrera de Armida (Conchita) was beatified by the Church this year. She was a mother of nine children and had regular locutions from the Lord, often about the priesthood. In one of these communications, Jesus told her, “We do not pray enough for priests, thinking that they are beyond all temptation and passions….My Heart seeks souls who dedicate themselves fervently, zealously and tirelessly, to praying day and night for them.”

At another time, the Lord spoke to her about priests whom He said were “black and impure.” Jesus said, “They are souls that cost Me … intimate and incomprehensible sufferings, because I fear to lose them. In them, the evil one mocks Me and how he struggles to triumph over Me by snatching them from Me.”*

Priests have special graces of protection from the evil one, but they are also special targets. At St. Michael Center, we willingly pray over the many priests who come to us for assistance. They need your prayers as well.

“Priests of Christ” by Concepcion (Conchita) Cabrera de Armida. The book is available on kindle.

Prayers for Priests

Prayer of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus

O Jesus, I pray for your faithful and fervent priests;
for your unfaithful and tepid priests;
for your priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields;
for your tempted priests;
for your lonely and desolate priests;
for your young priests;
for your dying priests;
for the souls of your priests in purgatory.

But above all, I recommend to you the priests dearest to me:
the priest who baptized me;
the priests who absolved me from my sins;
the priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me your Body and Blood in Holy Communion;
the priests who taught and instructed me;
all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way (especially …).

O Jesus, keep them all close to your heart,
and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity.

Amen.

Prayer for Priests

Gracious and loving God, we thank you for the gift of our priests.
Through them, we experience your presence in the sacraments.

Help our priests to be strong in their vocation.
Set their souls on fire with love for your people.

Grant them the wisdom, understanding, and strength they need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
Inspire them with the vision of your Kingdom.

Give them the words they need to spread the Gospel.
Allow them to experience joy in their ministry.

Help them to become instruments of your divine grace.

We ask this through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns as our Eternal Priest.

Amen.

Prayer by Pope Benedict XVI

Lord Jesus Christ, eternal High Priest,
you offered yourself to the Father on the altar of the cross
and through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
gave your priestly people a share in your redeeming sacrifice.
Hear our prayer for the sanctification of our priests.
Grant that all who are ordained to the ministerial priesthood
may be ever more conformed to you, the Divine Master.
May they preach the Gospel with pure heart and clear conscience.
Let them be shepherds according to your own heart,
single-minded in service to you and to the Church,
and shining examples of a holy, simple, and joyful life.
Through the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, your Mother and ours,
draw all priests and the flocks entrusted to their care
to the fullness of eternal life where you live and reign
with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Prayer by St. Teresa of Kolkata 

Mary, Mother of Jesus,
throw your mantle of purity over our priests.
Protect them, guide them, and keep them in your heart.
Be a Mother to them, especially in times of discouragement and loneliness.
Love them and keep them belonging completely to Jesus.
Like Jesus, they, too, are your sons, so keep their hearts pure and virginal.
Keep their minds filled with Jesus, and put Jesus always on their lips,
so that he is the one they offer to sinner and to all they meet.
Mary, Mother of Jesus, be their Mother, loving them and bringing them joy.
Take special care of sick and dying priests, and the ones most tempted.
Remember how they spent their youth and old age, their entire lives serving and giving all to Jesus.
Mary, bless them and keep a special place for them in your heart.
Give them a piece of your heart, so beautiful and pure and immaculate,
so full of love and humility, so that they, too, can grow in the likeness of Christ.
Dear Mary, make them humble like you, and holy like Jesus.

Amen.

Prayer by St. Faustina 

O my Jesus, I beg you on behalf of the whole Church:

Grant it love and the light of your Spirit, and give power to the words of priests so that hardened hearts might be brought to repentance and return to you, O Lord.

Lord, 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 priests, for you can do all things.

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