Priests Need Our Prayers, And We Need Theirs

Blessed Martin Martinez Pascual, priest executed during the Spanish Civil War at the age of 25. When he was asked if he would like to face away from the rifles during his execution, he said no, all he wanted to do was bless those who killed him and pray that God would not hold his death against them. Then he shouted VIVA CRISTO REY! Right before being shot, he smiled for the photographer, who took this last picture of him. In his eyes, one sees the courage and joy of a faithful priest.

Upon further researching, this picture puts that last photo more into perspective

A Prayer for Priests

O Almighty Eternal God, look upon the face of Thy Son, and for the love of Him Who is the Eternal High-priest, have mercy on Thy priests. Remember, O most compassionate God, that they are but weak and frail human beings. Stir up in them the grace of their vocation which is in them by the imposition of the Bishop's hands. Keep them close to Thee, lest the enemy prevail against them, so that they may never do anything in the slightest degree unworthy of their sublime vocation.

O Jesus, I pray Thee for Thy faithful and fervent priests; for Thy unfaithful and tepid priests; for Thy priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields; for Thy tempted priests; for Thy lonely and desolate priests; for Thy young priests; for Thy dying priests; for the souls of Thy priests in purgatory.

But above all I commend to Thee the priests dearest to me; the priest who baptized me; the priests who absolved me from my sins; the priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me Thy Body and Blood in Holy Communion; the priests who taught and instructed me or helped me and encouraged me; all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way, particularly (mention name). O Jesus, keep them abundantly in time and in eternity.

Amen.

Anne linked this beautiful website 
You can be assigned a priest to pray for!
Click HERE 

Here's another great link to an article 
about what it's like as a priest behind the Confessional
Click HERE 

(Thanks Patty)

H/T Maggie