Always Say Yes To God

Genesis 23:1-4,19,24:1-8,62-67
Matthew 9:9-13

Today is my priestly ordination anniversary. It is a day of joy, happiness and Thanksgiving. It is a day, I said, “yes to God”. The readings today also offer us the opportunity to learn and choose God above all things.

In today’s first reading, after Sarah had died, Abraham wanted to console Isaac, so he decided to send a trusted servant on the mission to bring a suitable wife from his father’s territory. God intervened for the sake of his promise to Abraham and now a long line of history as come through from that marriage. When we trust in the promises of God and obey his words, we become truly blessed.

When Christ called Matthew, he called someone who was already skilled in accounting but being saved by grace, he became famous for his account of Christ, that is, the Gospel of Matthew, and died the forsake of Christ his Master.

Christ is the perfect example of trust and obedience in the will of God. He says to us today, ‘I have come not for the righteous but sinners’. We are all sinners in need of God’s mercy and we need his gracious assistance in our daily task and endeavor. He has come to save you and me. Only he can free us from the shackles of sins and evil. Only he can rescue our souls. Only Him can bring happiness and peace into our lives.

A Prayer for Priests
By John Cardinal O’Connor

O loving Mother Mary, Mother of Priests, take to your heart your sons who are close to you because of their priestly ordination and because of the power which they have received to carry on the work of Christ in a world which needs them so much. Be their comfort, be their joy, be their strength, and especially help them to live and to defend the ideals of consecrated celibacy.

Lord Jesus, we your people pray to You for our priests. You have given them to us for OUR needs. We pray for them in THEIR needs.

We know that You have made them priests in the likeness of your own priesthood. You have consecrated them, set them aside, anointed them, filled them with the Holy Spirit, appointed them to teach, to preach, to minister, to console, to forgive, and to feed us with Your Body and Blood.

Yet we know, too, that they are one with us and share our human weaknesses. We know too that they are tempted to sin and discouragement as are we, needing to be ministered to, as do we, to be consoled and forgiven, as do we. Indeed, we thank You for choosing them from among us, so that they understand us as we understand them, suffer with us and rejoice with us, worry with us and trust with us, share our beings, our lives, our faith.

We ask that You give them this day the gift You gave Your chosen ones on the way to Emmaus: Your presence in their hearts, Your holiness in their souls, Your joy in their spirits. And let them see You face to face in the breaking of the Eucharistic bread.

We pray to You, O Lord, through Mary the mother of all priests, for Your priests and for ours. Amen.

Fr Joseph Osho