ROME - 6 June 2002 - 274 Words

World day of prayer for sanctification of priests

Tomorrow, the Feast of the Sacred Heart, has been designated as a world day of prayer for the sanctification of priests.

In a letter to priests Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy, called for the renewal of the experience of God´s mercy in their lives in order to rediscover their priestly identity.

He advised that all priests should receive the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist frequently.

Without the sacraments, he said: "we will find ourselves increasingly submerged in the night, in a confused ethical darkness, in spiritual impotence in face of a wave of evil that would run the risk of drowning us."

The Cardinal's letter advises all priests to transform their lives by experiencing Divine Mercy, the devotion promoted by St Faustina Kowalska.

"If we make Jesus´ call to have confidence in his divine mercy penetrate our being, we will realize that it is precisely priests who are personally called to allow themselves to be imbued by the Spirit given to us by the risen Christ, which makes us a sign of God´s forgiveness for all.

"Without forgiveness, the fruit of mercy, peace would be a pure utopia, and vengeance and reprisal would inevitably take its place."

He writes: "Although at times our discouragement may be intense in face of the indifference of the world, which can even become hostile against the Church, we must not forget that our society thirsts for the forgiveness and peace that the risen Christ has come to bring, and that has its origin only in him."

source: www.clerus.org

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