This past Wednesday I had a small group of priests at St. Mary’s for a holy hour before, dinner and time for conversation. We have been doing it once a month for about nine months now, and it is a wonderful thing to do. Between the deanery meeting and this priests’ prayer gathering I am able to go to confession twice a month and spend time with priests.

On one level these gatherings function, after a fashion, as a support group; priests understand other priests best, but there is a deeper reality to it it as well. The presence of a priest is a wonderful gift from God. I know this may sound egotistical and self serving, but I don’t mean it that way. Let me explain.

Jesus truly means to be present in the world through his priests. Some of us don’t do that very well, others are truly amazing at it, but in either case, Jesus’ intention is to bring God’s love, blessing, sacrifice, Real Presence, mercy and forgiveness to the world in a very personal way through his priests. I, as one of the baptized sheep of the His flock, know the gift and blessings of the presence of priests in my life. Without the presence of a priest, Gods forgiveness and mercy are ideas that get lost in a theoretical world; with a priest they become real events in my life and soul.

This Holy Thursday let us all be grateful to God for gift of the priesthood and for priests. May we all share in the real blessings that Jesus’ priests bring to us.