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December 29, 2009
"For God so loved the world that he sent his only Son …" (Jn 3:16).
During the Christmas season, we celebrate in a special way this gift of God’s love and the plentiful redemption that the little Child in the manger would win for us on the cross. Following in the footsteps of their founder, St. Alphonsus Liguori, Redemptorists put special emphasis on the crib of Bethlehem, the cross of Calvary, and the Eucharist.
In the middle of this Year for Priests, we offer a reflection on love — God’s love for us and the importance of love in the life of priests. Here’s a brief excerpt of the reflection, written by Father Robert Wojtek, C.Ss.R.:
Love is at the root of our vocation. It is God’s gratuitous initiative and it has nothing to do with human merit, excellence, talents, etc. …
As an aside, there is a lady from this parish whose son was a classmate of my brother at North East (the former Redemptorist minor seminary in Pennsylvania). To this day, that lady still repeats what I have heard her say so many times before: “I always thought your brother would be the priest. I never did think you would make it. You were always so shy and quiet.”
Why me? God’s loving initiative. There go I but for the grace of God. As priests we must be keenly aware of God’s love for us and receive that love with grateful humility. Our lived response to that love should be so passionate, intense, and focused that sparks of that love are ignited among the people of God entrusted to us.
We ask for your prayers for the Redemptorists, for their ministries and for an increase in vocations to their way of life.
For more information about becoming a Redemptorist, click here.
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