THE YEAR OF THE PRIEST: 2ND DRAWING

I am VERY happy with the way that this drawing has turned out! I hope that you will be too. I found a STUNNING photo by my friend, Paul Tomas, of a Priest who is a very dear friend and Pastor. I thought it was a great image of my friend, but I was even more profoundly moved by the universal qualities of the image. It seemed almost an icon of the priesthood, or a view into the heart of the priest. A Priest who is truly heroic in his vocation is first and foremost a man of prayer, who seeks friendship and conversation with Christ before all others. It is there that he is made ready to help all of us who thirst for "living water." One of the reasons that this image speaks to me so eloquently of this aspect of the priestly vocation is that the priest depicted is one of the most successful and dynamic pastors I know, but it is always evident that this flows from his life of prayer. Thank you to all our priests for your great vocation! Never feel guilty to spend time in prayer "when there are so many other things to do!"

This image will also be used for a friend's Ordination this Spring, and I hope it may be of some use to our local Diocese or parishes. Please contact me at davemyers1977@gmail.com for more info.

I am especially proud of the seal you see that anchors the image - the phrase in latin is "You are a Priest Forever," and is shown in the Latin Vulgate translation of that verse. The symbol in the middle is a traditional one for the "Holy Name of Jesus," and the nails and the Cross represent Christ's Sacrifice, which Priests and all Christians are called to share in. The seal took a long time to put together, but it was worth it!