Priests Need Healing Too

I recently attended a priest workshop where I was asked to share a little about the mission of The King’s Men apostolate with many pastors and parochial vicars.  The theme of the workshop: ministering to those who struggle with pornography.  This optional workshop over two days was surprisingly well attended with over 300 priests.

Here’s what I learned at the workshop: priests struggle with pornography and masturbation.  News flash lay faithful!  Priests are sinners too.

I don’t know about you, but I think most of us put our priests in a category which disqualifies them from our sinful nature.  You might say to yourself,  “Father doesn’t have the same struggle as me.”  Yes, sometimes they do and sometimes they even have it worse than you.  There life is not an easy one and Satan desires to sift them like wheat (Luke 22:31).

Three quick questions I would like you to ask yourself:

When was the last time you prayed for your parish priest?  

When was the last time you thanked your parish priest for his priesthood and for bringing you Jesus each day/week?

When was the last time you thanked your parish priest for being God’s chosen instrument in extending His forgiveness to you?

Friends, we need to pray for our priests, bishops, deacons and seminarians.  We need to pray for their strength and inner healing from their past and present wounds.  Priests have addictions and vices that are difficult to bear at times.  Pray for their healing, but above all pray for more men to respond to the call to become priests.  God is not deficient in his calling of men to the priesthood, but there are many men who are so wounded from their past or present pain, trials and struggles that they are unable to respond to God’s call.

As their spiritual sons and daughters, lets lift up spiritual fathers and future spiritual fathers every day.

In Christ’s healing love,

Mark Houck