WHY FAST FOR PRIESTS?
On Saturday, October 16, 2021, will celebrate the Sixteenth, Annual, Global Lay Fast Day for Priests. It will be offered by Catholic Lay People from across the world. Our Patroness is St Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face.
When the sun rises over China and Japan, when it brings the dawn to the Middle East and Europe, when it sheds its first light of morning across the Americas, someone, somewhere in the globe will be fasting for priests.
The Most Holy Eucharist, the "source and summit" of our Catholic faith and life is brought to us, to every corner of the world by our priests. The priest lends his voice to Christ Jesus at the Consecration of Mass and the Lord becomes Present to us... Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.
At the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the priest again lends his voice to the Savior and we hear the Lord tell us, "Go, your sins are forgiven".
At the very end of our lives in the Last Rite of the Church, it will be the priest at that sacred appointed time who will speak for Christ and we will hear Him pardon us. The priest will lend his hands to Christ allowing the Lord to gently anoint us for our final journey. And at the last, it will be the priest's voice that will walk us into Eternity.
Fasting creates an impenetrable force of protection around the one prayed for. Because priests give us Christ in the Eucharist, and because all that is evil hates the Eucharist, priests need this power of our prayers.
Fasting is praying with the whole body.
Will you join us on October 16 as we pray for all priests? For their spirituality, their needs, the sacrifice of their lives which they daily offer for us?
If you decide to make this offering and give it to Our Lady for her priestly sons, just begin your fast when you waken up.
Say brief, private prayers as you go about your day then conclude your fast with a Rosary or any prayer which you especially love.
We end our fast at 3pm, the Hour of Our Lord's Death.
We fast from anything which causes us a little sacrifice.....it could be food or TV or computer or even talking.
In recent years, Deacon Theo in Namibia invited his entire village to fast from water for priests. And they did.
Women from Afghanistan courageously fasted with us, under threat of persecution.
And the Lord will never be outdone in generosity for any gift we give to Him out of love for others...
"Truly I say to you...you will receive a hundred times as much... in the age to come. " (Mark 10:29-30)
