When the alarm goes off early in the morning, I find it a real struggle to pull myself from the warmth of the covers. After some twenty-two years in the priesthood, I hit the deck uncertain of the new day and the demands it will surely present. I think of the priest who called a few nights ago. His first words were, "I'm just tired of giving." As this new day dawns, his words come to mind.
I join the community for morning prayer. I beg for an increase in faith. Little of what I do this day will bear visible results. As I grow older as a priest, I can no longer lean too heavily on the natural satisfaction so present in the early days of my priesthood. My faith must grow in abundance so I can see, hear, and feel God's presence in myself, in my surroundings, and in those I am called to serve.
After morning prayer, one of our guest Fathers asks for a few moments of my time—just to talk. As a paraclete, I have heard the story so many times, but for the priest who now sits before me, what ...
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