Lovely person, lovely heart, lovely prayer

While web-meandering today, I followed a trail of breadcrumbs that started with Gregorian Chant sites, moved on to the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles and their beautiful description of Mary's dwelling at Ephesus (which I've been privileged to visit); at the bottom of which page can be found the lovely prayer for priests written by Mother Louise-Margaret Claret de la Touche, who is beautifully profiled by Fr. Mark at Vultus Christi. (See honey, I'm not really wasting time at all!)

Fr. Mark posted the beautiful painting by Mother Louise-Margaret that you see here. The more I look at it, the more inspiring I find it.

During this year of prayer for priests, I've seen a number of intercessory prayers for these servants of God, but Mother Louise Margaret's I find especially deep and beautiful, particularly the final paragraph:

O Jesus, eternal High Prist, divine offerer of sacrifice, who in an incomparable act of love for men, your brethren, allowed the Christian priesthood to flow from your Sacred Heart, continue to pour out on your priests the life-giving streams of infinite Love.

Live in them, transform them into yourself, render them by your grace the instruments of your mercies, act in then and through them. Grant that, having been completely clothed with you by the faithful imitation of your virtues, they may perform in your name and by the strength of your Spirit, the works which you yourself have accomplished for the salvation of the world.

Divine Redeemer of souls, see how great is the multitude of those who still sleep in the darkness of error; count the number of those unfailthful sheep that are walking on the edge of the eternal abyss; consider the crowds of the poor, the hungry, the ignorant and the weak who are groaning in their state of abandonment. Return to us by your priests, live again in very truth in them; act through them and pass again through the world teaching, pardoning, consoling, offering sacrifice, renewing the sacred bonds of love between the Heart of God and the hearts of men. Amen.