O LORD JESUS CHRIST, Who hast commanded
that the men whom Thou hast called
and set apart for the service of Thy holy altars,
should themselves be holy:
give them such holiness
that in them Thy Father may take delight
and Thy Bride, the Church, find consolation.
Send Thou upon them the promised Paraclete,
to keep them firm in their faith
in the midst of an unbelieving world;
to keep them ardent in their love
among those that love Thee not;
to keep them pure amidst the impure;
and to keep them Thine amidst those who are as yet not Thine,
but whom Thou, O gentle Shepherd,
didst come to seek and to save.
And give them grace,
through the intercession of our most gracious Lady and Queen,
Thy Mother, Blessed Mary Ever-Virgin,
so to serve Thee
among all the changes and chances of this passing world,
that hereafter they may be ready
to enter in with Thee, O Eternal High Priest,
to the sanctuary not made by human hands
where Thou livest for ever to make intercession for us,
and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
His Excellency, the Bishop of the Diocese of Tulsa, Oklahoma has given
Father Mark a special mandate to live in adoration before the Most
Blessed Sacrament, in a spirit of thanksgiving and intercession, that he
might make reparation before the Eucharistic Face of Jesus for all his
brothers in Holy Orders. At the same time, he is available to the
priests and deacons of the Diocese for spiritual and sacramental
support in their pursuit of holiness.
Fr. Mark,
That is a beautiful prayer. Did you compose it?
Also, can you tell us about the image that accompanies your post? What is it called and who is the artist? Is that the Father who is supporting Christ?
I did compose the prayer, but part of it was inspired by a prayer by a Dutch bishop who died in 1686.
The painting does depict God the Father supporting Christ. Isn't it lovely? It is by an unknown German master (1415-30) and is in the Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Cologne.
"Que el Señor te guarde
te muestre Su Rostro
tenga misericordia de ti
y siempre te de paz".
This is the blessing/prayer that my grandmother and mother would give me before departing. In English it translates:
"May the Lord keep you
show you His Face
have mercy on you
and always give you peace."
This is my offering for all priests and seminarians, too.