To the editor:
No priest, no Eucharist. A simple yet profound statement. There is a poem entitled "The Beautiful Hands of a Priest" which reads, in part; "At the altar each day we behold them, and the hands of a king on his throne are not equal to them in greatness. It’s the hand of a priest that will absolve us. When the hour of death comes upon us, raised over us in blessing the beautiful hands of a priest." I think now of the hands of St. Padre Pio with the stigmata at the altar, in the confessional, and holding his rosary. St. Francis of Assisi said if he saw an angel and a priest I would bend my knee: First to the priest and then to the angel.
Pope Benedict has said: "The missionary dimension of the priesthood is born from the priests’ sacramental configuration to Christ. The indispensable aspiration to moral perfection must dwell in every authentically priestly heart. God is the only treasure which ultimately people desire to find in a priest. People can tell if the words and actions of their pastor have their origin in his prayer or only at his writing table." Benedict’s life as a priest and his books, for 65 years, attest to his love of God and his church.
Pray for your priests, give them your love and respect, and assist them however you can. From a tune I heard recently; "In the morning when I rise, I need Jesus." No priest, no Eucharist.
Gail Bryant
Rochester
