March 4, 2014 Tuesday: Divine Mercy Week 2, Pray for the Fervor for Jesus
Imagine in the wee hours of the morning, outside your window you hear a rustling. You peer through the window, and you see a man donning a ski mask. Wouldn’t you want to call the police? Fortunately, the police cruiser had been following that suspicious man for several blocks. That’s what happened to Fr. Frank Uter, the pastor of Immaculate Conception in Denham Springs, one morning in the church neighborhood as he was making his routine morning walk. It was a very cold morning. He felt he was lucky to find a ski mask thrown away in front of a house he was passing by. He had to explain to the policeman who was following him that he was really a Catholic priest. What do you think my reaction was when he was telling me all this over breakfast that morning?
Why was Fr. Frank Uter out there at 4:30 in the morning, walking with a ski mask on? He has an admirable daily routine where he begins his day at 3:30AM with an hour of adoration at the Perpetual Adoration Chapel. While in prayer, he asks the Lord for the wisdom and strength to serve His people faithfully and diligently. He is already a couple of years past his retirement age, but he doesn’t want to retire. He has a burning desire to serve the Lord and His people.
What all of us desire is a priest with a heart after Our Lord Jesus. Having given up marriage, promising to live a simple life, and promising to obey their bishop, priests have given up everything to follow Jesus. All of them are capable of being set on fire for Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. On this second week of Divine Mercy, that’s our prayer intention, that the Holy Spirit would set aflame the hearts of our priests to have the desire to serve the Lord and His people with zeal and great fervor. At this mass, we implore our Blessed Mother, the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, to assist her ordained sons to become the ministers of Divine Mercy for our Diocese.
What all of us desire is a priest with a heart after Our Lord Jesus. Having given up marriage, promising to live a simple life, and promising to obey their bishop, priests have given up everything to follow Jesus. All of them are capable of being set on fire for Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. On this second week of Divine Mercy, that’s our prayer intention, that the Holy Spirit would set aflame the hearts of our priests to have the desire to serve the Lord and His people with zeal and great fervor. At this mass, we implore our Blessed Mother, the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, to assist her ordained sons to become the ministers of Divine Mercy for our Diocese.
