When I was in the seminary, preparing myself for the priesthood, I had a little different view of my future ministry as a priest than I have now. Back then I thought that the priesthood is all about saying masses, preaching, anointing the sick, hearing confessions, baptizing, and blessing marriages. And yes, bringing the sacraments is the largest part of my priesthood. But when I became a pastor, I realized that I needed to take on not only the spiritual well-being of my parishioners but also the financial aspect of the parish and the school. We had to organize many fundraisers, I had to ask parishioners for financial donations, to write letters, participate in many meetings, and many other responsibilities. I realized that I was becoming more occupied with this financial aspect than with the spiritual. Even my own spirituality suffered, since I had less time for my own prayers, reflection, and simply spending quiet time with God. Look at Our Lord. We read in the Gospel how busy He became with all those people who were coming to Him with all of their troubles, concerns, and illnesses. Even Christ realized that He need to go to a deserted place and talk to God. “Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.” We all get busy with life; we all get occupied with things of this world. But today we are reminded that there a need for time for private prayer, for a retreat, or for a simple visit in church for adoration.
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