Quid est Pastor? - What is a Priest?

Eucharistic Procession in Snow (Pinterest)

Quid est Pastor?

Where in the world today can we find,

A pastor, a priest of God’s true kind?

One who lives and works for the salvation and sanctification of souls,

Knowing well that it is a dignified duty and the highest of all goals.

The Priest is the mysterious channel of God’s Love,

And a special instrument used by the Holy Dove.

Being raised by God to a newer height,

In order to win men’s soul is his fight!

With all his God-given might,

He is to help set all things aright!

No longer a mere earthly breadwinner,

He is now a God-employed soulwinner!

He must remember to be truly good and brave,

Sacrificing time to give souls what they really crave!

A good priest deeply encourages the heart,

And with his blessings doth he take care to impart.

As a top Navigator pointing all things to the Divine,

Baptizing, confirming, confessing all their souls to Thine! Handing down & teaching the Sacred Truths in Charity,

With utmost zeal and crystal clear clarity

Oh how Good God is in sending us such Love,

Bestowing priests with His Divine power from Above!

To be a Restorer of Grace in our soul,

And lasso us out of our deep dark hole!

To be a Mediator between God and Man,

In ways that only God knows he can.

In Persona Christi he offers the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,

A mystery and work no other can surpass!

Transcending us from here to Calvary’s height,

A transfiguration to the Blessed Triune Region Bright!

With just a few words the Lord descends to earth by his voice,

Truly it is done, and not by man but by God’s Divine Choice!

By the Mass he atones for our sins and offenses,

And by the Offering makes up for our negligences.

Offered in perfect praise, adoration and love,

To thank the God we are all in awe of.

And also to make atonement and reparation

Begging for mercy and grace for regeneration.

Through the priest we receive the fruits of Christ’s Passion,

And with the priest we find a friend with utmost compassion.

By that Mystery of all mysteries

We are raised up out of our miseries.

He helps turn our minds from the world and its finality,

Illuminating the eyes to a deeper sense of reality.

We are invited by him to share in Christ’s Divinity,

Who Humbled Himself to share in our humanity.

Yet, without the priest none of this is even possible,

There would be no Divinity to our humanity transposable!

He is the Sacred Minister of God’s life of Grace,

He is the High General helping us to win the race!

The priest is our zealous Catechist,

And our most Gentle Evangelist.

The Comforter of our tormented hearts,

And our Confessor fixing our broken parts.

To be our special Spokesman to God Almighty,

Begging for mercy & grace to make our souls all whitey!

Using Sacred Latin to speak and praise God,

Resulting in saving us from the Justice of God’s Rod

Inflamed with Love from God’s Great Heart,

Speaking to all—young, old or hardened of heart.

In this dark valley of tears what Light can be shown,

If only a priest by Love and Truth did he sown.

Oh God we beg you to send us good and holy priest,

So that as You deserve, You may be praised facing East!

May your Sacred Priest for Heaven doth he prepare

To help us be holy and good with his ardent prayer!

For in the end, it is all for Love & Glory of Thee

Joining the priest we humbly pray & bend our knee

For with a good and holy priest there is Hope and not despair,

For the salvation and sanctification of a soul doth he take care.

By him a soul is raised in union with Christ on the Altar,

And is woven a cloak of Grace by the Divine Psalter!

Spreading in souls True Peace, Light and Joy,

Erasing negativity and any sense of cloy.

Reminding us to joyfully take up our cross,

After Christ in His Way we will not be lost.

“After God, the priest is everything,” The Holy Cure de Ars Said,

He offers the One acceptable Sacrifice & feeds us the Life-giving Bread!

Yet, as another Christ they must imitate and become one with Him,

Or else they risk the gravest of woes and His Powerful Grace they do dim!

He cannot be a prideful lover and server of himself,

But an earnest doer sacrificing joyfully oneself!

For if he fails to do everything on his part,

He will not be received by that Great Divine Heart!

To a priest much Grace and Power has been given,

If he uses it well, then by His Strength much will be forgiven.

It is then with deep Faith, firm Hope and burning Love,

He will and can accomplish all with Power from Above!

“Only in Heaven will the priest fully realize what he is,”

And oh what Joy, and glorious crown are his!

And thus a priest must imitate and live like Christ,

He must offer his all and suffer like Christ.

The Gentle Christ, the Strong Christ,

The Listening Christ, the Begging Christ

The Sweet Christ, the Chastising Christ,

The Chaste Christ, the Fatherly Christ.

The Consoling Christ, the Counseling Christ,

The Loving Christ, the Suffering Christ.

Christ in all who see him: the Priest!!!

Ecce Bone Pastor!