I am writing asking all the readers to join me in praying for the Holy Father who is undoubtedly under great pressure and perhaps under siege due to the recent attacks from all around. All may not agree with the Holy Father, but I believe that this present Pope is a great blessing to the entire Church around the world. His love for Jesus, the Church and unity of the Bride of Christ ought to at least enable us to ask God to uphold him in these troubling times.He undoubtedly spends hours in prayer for all of us and I think we ought to have a time of intercessory prayer for him. So, I would like to ask that from tomorrow on St. Joseph's day thru 25 March on Our Lady Day we pray before the Blessed Sacrament or in some other way for the Holy Father's intention. There must be an enormous amount of pressure on him right now and we really need to be praying for the Holy Father and his protection. Psalm 91 came to mind while reflecting on the pressure that must be on the Holy Father at this time. It reads,
1You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
2will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.’
3For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence;
4he will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5You will not fear the terror of the night,
or the arrow that flies by day,
6or the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
or the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8You will only look with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9Because you have made the Lord your refuge,
the Most High your dwelling-place,
10no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.
11For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
13You will tread on the lion and the adder,
the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
I will protect those who know my name.
15When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble,
I will rescue them and honour them.
16With long life I will satisfy them,
and show them my salvation.
I ask that this Psalm be prayed for the intention of the Holy Father before the Blessed Sacrament as much as you are able between the Day of St. Joseph tomorrow and Lady Day. You may also wish to add to that intention a prayer for unity of ALL Catholic Christians. I hope you will join me in this time of prayer. Please pass on this post to as many as you may know via email or link on your own blogs.
THANK YOU!!
6 comments:
Excellent thoughtful post, Father, and I agree completely with your sentiments and concerns.
Anyone who has paid attention to this gentle and godly man since he has been Pope and thus lived in the public spotlight, if their intentions are honest, would recognize him as the humble and selfless man and leader that he is, opposite of the unkind and grossly inaccurate depictions of him by his detractors prior to his Papacy ("God's rottweiler") and even more so since then. I find it greatly disturbing that anyone who calls himself/herself a Christian, regardless of affiliation, would make such venomous attacks on such a man, and even more so because he is Pope. Then again, such attacks are painfully reminiscent of those made on Christ himself, so I suppose it shouldn't be shocking.
Those who treat him as the enemy, regardless of their opinions of his theology, are frightening, and also have short memories. Why do none mention the fact that one of his first acts as Holy Father was to summon Hans Kung to the Vatican, and in a gesture of peace and unconditional love, remove from him the restrictions that he (Ratzinger) had previously placed upon him.
Kung and others like him fail to note that his merciful and charitable lifting of sanctions against members of SSPX, for example, was/is perfectly consistent with previous expressions to others, and also perfectly consistent with the Holy Father's stated goals of evangelisation, ecumenism and, wherever possible, inclusion rather than exclusion.
That a member of SSPX did not follow through with the conditions of his being reinstated to ecclesiastical office is unfortunate, but not the fault of Benedict XVI, and it was addressed promptly. (I mention this one issue because it is one of the sources and examples of attacks on the Pope with unfair criticism, and also inaccurate accusations...like those who accuse him of completely rejecting Vatican II because of his re-instituting the Latin Rite & ad orientum, even when he did so not as a requirement but as merely an option for those who desire it.)
My prayers are with the Holy Father, as I pray are those of Christians everywhere, who should recognize these attacks for what they are: unwarranted, unfair, uncharitable, ungrateful and terribly dishonest.
I will most willingly answer your call - but ( as I suspect the Holy Father would approve ) in the Coverdale version
WHOSO dwelleth under the defence of the most High : shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2. I will say unto the Lord, Thou art my hope, and my strong hold : my God, in him will I trust.
3. For he shall deliver thee from the snare of the hunter : and from the noisome pestilence.
4. He shall defend thee under his wings, and thou shalt be safe under his feathers : his faithfulness and truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5. Thou shalt not be afraid for any terror by night : nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6. For the pestilence that walketh in darkness : nor for the sickness that destroyeth in the noon-day.
7. A thousand shall fall beside thee, and ten thousand at thy right hand : but it shall not come nigh thee.
8. Yea, with thine eyes shalt thou behold : and see the reward of the ungodly.
9. For thou, Lord, art my hope : thou hast set thine house of defence very high.
10. There shall no evil happen unto thee : neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11. For he shall give his angels charge over thee : to keep thee in all thy ways.
12. They shall bear thee in their hands : that thou hurt not thy foot against a stone.
13. Thou shalt go upon the lion and adder : the young lion and the dragon shalt thou tread under thy feet.
14. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him : I will set him up, because he hath known my Name.
15. He shall call upon me, and I will hear him : yea, I am with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and bring him to honour.
16. With long life will I satisfy him : and shew him my salvation.
Fr, I will join you in this and I will also post something on my blog about it. Thank you for your splendid ministry.
A further and practical gesture of support can be made by adding one's name to the fifty-two thousand who have already subscribed the international Support Benedict XVI letter, which can be accessed here:
http://www.soutienabenoitxvi.org
"He will cover you with his pinions" - sounds rather painful.
I will make it a special intention at Compline, during which this psalm is said. These are perilous times, Satan is trying to deceive the very elect of God. I agree c\ Nebuly, the Coverdale is best.
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