Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

My dear friends in Christ,

After teaching His disciples on the necessity of praying with persistence (Luke 18:1-8), Jesus told another parable on prayer, which was unique to Luke. In the story, two individuals went to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, the other a Tax Collector. The Pharisee smugly depended on his virtues and his self-righteous attitude and did not ask pardon from God for his sins. The Tax Collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” Through his prayerful humility, Jesus declared that this man was justified because of his honest admission of his sinfulness and need of salvation. We can always pray the ancient Jesus Prayer: Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Today we celebrate Priesthood Sunday. The last Sunday of October is a special day set aside to honor the priesthood in the United States. It is a day to reflect upon and affirm the role of the priesthood in the life of The Church. Priesthood Sunday sends a message to all that the sins of a few do not reflect the innocent majority, and that the parish priest, as the instrument of Christ’s ministry on earth, is loved and respected by those in the parish community. This nationwide event is coordinated by the USA Council of Serra International. Please pray for all Religious and Diocesan Priests especially those in the Diocese of Trenton. And as your Pastor, I ask that you pray for me!

May God bless you all!

Father John