No Tap

Celebrating Holy Mass on Thursdays, though every Mass in a pilgrimage in time and space to the Upper Room in Jerusalem, gives a special meaning as it is the same day on which Jesus Himself celebrated His first Mass with the Apostles and instituted the Eucharist and the vehicle to bring Him to people in three sacraments of His unique love and mercy...

As I stood at the altar this morning with the small community participating in the liturgy, in short words I tried to express what I felt particularly during Thursday Masses.

Christ instituted three sacraments in the same place, in the Upper Room in Jerusalem. This alone shows a special bond between them and the paschal mystery... The priesthood, which is nothing else but the Incarnation of Christ the High Priest of the New Covenant, and the vehicle to bring about the fulfillment of Jesus' promise that He will be with us, as God- Emmanuel, God-with-us, till the end of time... And Jesus is the Incarnation of God's Mercy to us and the world...

From the mystery of the priesthood flow two other sacraments of love and mercy, the rivers of Divine Mercy for us... The sacrament of reconciliation which is depicted in the picture of Divine Mercy as ray of water streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus. And the sacrament of the Eucharist depicted by the ray of blood...

Whenever I put on my stole, the sign of priestly dignity and power, its two ends remind me of those two rays of water and blood radiating from the Sacred Heart of Jesus full of Divine Mercy and Love...

That is why the core of the priestly apostolate is not only preaching of Good News, but also faithful celebration of these two sacraments of Divine Mercy - reconciliation and Eucharist.

If a priest does not like to hear confessions, if he does not not only to celebrate the Holy Mass but also other Eucharistic liturgical services and devotions, like the Holy Hour, private visitations of the Blessed Sacrament and teaching people to build their lives on the solid foundation of frequent use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Eucharist, he simply misses the point and the meaning of his life and vocation...

There is no tap on neither ray streaming from Jesus' Heart in Divine Mercy picture. They are open 24/7. Living the mystery of priesthood as alter Christus, a priest must be the same - 24/7 open to those seeking Divine Mercy, reconciliation, pardon, peace and meeting Christ in the mystery of the Eucharist.

No tap on priesthood. No tap on the access to reconciliation. No tap on the access to Eucharist.