With a very wet and sunless week or more - it was great to see the sun a bit yesterday evening. During evening prayer as I was heading to bed... this grabbed me in the hymn"Blood and water both proceed:
Precious flood, which all creation
From the stain of sin hath freed."
Precious Flood kept circling around inside of me all night... thinking about how we are washed clean and sealed to Him at Baptism, and then go forward into our life with Him as members of his Bride, The Church! How the great flood with Noah wiped sin off of the earth... may our sins be wiped away! Then to think of the blood that He shed for us - His life's blood and now we are filled with His Life when we receive it in our daily walk with him! "The spear... from his sacred body pierced - blood and water both proceed."
Oh the mud of it all! John and Nancy along with her husband, Bill, will be coming home in the next day... I am flooded with memories of Holy Thursday last year. John and I had just finished his stem cell a month or so before and he was home recouperating and hoping that the way would open for him to get back into the college life... with a year off to fight cancer behind him. I think that the first week we got back from Rochester, he signed up for classes! He was grateful for all the prayers and the doctors and mom and dad taking the year to help him through along with his family and so many lifting him up in prayer. Yet, he longed to get back to his life...trusting that the Lord would open and close doors and direct him on the path that he had set out before him.... changed forever by the cancer/healing journey he had been on since the Father's Day before!
Pat and I were just sharing the joy that we experienced last year at the HolyThursday service, when John accompanied by Pat and his mother, carried up the Holy Chrism used in the annointing of the sick. He had been annointed at least 3 times over the last year of his cancer battle, and that along with all the Catholic Church has to offer... and it is so very much!...and the prayers of thousands of prayer warriors... had been healed! At this point he had been without cancer for about 4 months and now add that to the 12 months since! 
So powerful to carry forth the blessed oil in front of so many that are praying for him! A testament of Healing and Love and Trust! Today is the day of the institution of the Lord's supper... a special day for all priests! All those that listened to Christ's call and said yet to a life of service! Thank you to all the wonderful priests! 
I have a wonderful musical album written by Danielle Rose in the last few years and recorded just 10 days before she entered the convent! It is devoted to those that are answering the call and how to go about doing that and listening for that..."In the Body of Christ, God invites souls to reveal the mystery of his love in different ways. For some, God extends the special invitation to make visible his love for the Church in the vocations of the priesthood and consecrated life. How do you know when God is calling you to enter the seminary or convent? There comes a point when you simply know that Jesus has called you to leave everything and follow him. As you stand upon the shores of your life, you are washed in the gaze of Christ's merciful glance, whose loving voice cannot be denied or ignored. You want nothing more that to do what he desires. "Pursue me."
In the magnificat today there is "Examination of conscience before renewing one's priestly committment." This is so crazy amazing and truly reveals to us the powerful and out of this world committment that goes behind the men that have said "yes"to His Priesthood and bring us LIFE in the form of His Body and Blood! I looked to google it and cut and paste it, but no luck, so I think I will pick and choose some of the points as it is quite long,but please know that we are talking pages of questions!
"Have I been diligent in devoting time and energy to preaching the Gospel? Have I been reverent in offering the holy sacrifice of the Mass? Have I devoted myself to the Word of God? Am I faithful in going to confession frequently? Is my love of God evident in my conversations and actions? Am I faithful to praying the Liturgy of the Hours? Do I live in a recollected manner? Am I faithful in daily private prayer? Have I been compassionate and merciful in the confessional? Am I generous with my time? Am I generous in showing special concern for the poor? Have I cultivated deeper love for the Blessed Virgin Mary? Do I live with missionary zeal? Do I witness to the Gospel through a modest lifestyle? Is my life one of loving, self-sacrificing service? Do I welcome the cross in my life and devote myself to Gospel penance? Have I been a good listener to those in need? Have I been open, patient, kind, friendly, caring, and loving to God's people? 
"Do I stoop to wash the feet of others? Do I live in immediate friendship with Jesus? Do I live the grace and gift of ministry with a sense of unending thanksgiving? Am I devoted to becoming more like Christ in every way? Have I made visible the love of the heart of Jesus to all those I meet?" Wow! I feel that these are so amazing and I certainly need to ask myself many of these questions as a follower of Jesus and His Bride the Church! It is very powerful to know that priests as an extention of Christ to the world are called to become Christ to us, but then we all are to be that to the world!
So much today! I need to stop here and pray and thank God with all that is within me! Jesus, how glorious and beautiful is the path when we take up our crosses and follow after you! Life could not be more wonderful or right than that spent following you and all the wisdom and LIFE given us through your amazing Church! Today we lift up all those that have said "yes" to you and your priesthood! They bring your Eucharist - the Bread and Wine of Life to us! We ask that more men call listen to your call in the silence of their hearts and say a resounding "YES!" to this life shared with you and your ministry to the whole world! Jesus, we trust in you! Amen and Halleluia.
Bless-bless, Barb"Prayer for Priests
"Divine Savior Jesus Christ, who has entrusted the whole work of your redemption, the welfare, and salvation of the world to priests as your representatives, through the hands of your most Holy Mother for the sanctification of your priests and candidates of the priesthood. I offer you this present day wholly and entirely, with all its prayers, works, joys, sacrifices, and sorrows. Give us truly holy priests who, inflamed with the fire of your divine love, seek nothing but your greater glory and salvation of souls.
And you, Mary, good Mother of priests, protect all priests in the dangers of their holy vocation and , with the loving hand of a Mother, also lead back to the Good Shepherd those priests who have become unfaithful to their exalted vocation and have gone astray. Amen."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOWiNFNLthE The amazing song by Danielle Rose about being "called" to love and follow Him into a life of priesthood or consecrated life!
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