As we journey in this life towards knowing and understanding God more fully, we rely on the presence of priests. Without priests, there would be no way for us to encounter Christ physically in the Eucharist, for us to be brought back into communion with the Church through confession, or for us to be led by the priest as a figure of Christ in the community. Without priests, we would be truly distant from God. The role of priest is one of the most ancient expressions of human worship, and a priest’s duties have been largely unchanged. Melchizedek was the one who brought the bread and wine to Abraham. The High Priest would be the one to go into the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur to atone for the sins of the people. The early Apostles re-presented the Last Supper and the Sacrifice of Christ on the cross in a very similar way to how Mass is celebrated today.

Psalm 110 states, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” Priests are going to play a central role in the continuation and the culmination of the Catholic Church here on earth. From the book of Joel to the book of Revelation to promises and warnings that were made during various Marian apparitions, we know that at the end of days, priests will participate in a crucial way; just as they are necessary for worshiping God today, they will be necessary when Christ returns so that they may present the faithful to God. Acting in persona christi, a priest’s own sacrifices in his life serves as a sacrifice for the people he serves. Through the power granted to them by Christ, our earliest Christian priests (the Apostles) enacted the same power over darkness that Jesus exercised during his public ministry. As agents of evil and darkness, demons will target priests primarily: priests are human beings, and demons (who are fallen angels) cannot stand that God has granted lower beings authority over them. Also, a priest brings God to earth in a tangible way, making humanity’s encounter with our Creator even more intimate; if you get rid of priests, you get rid of the Eucharist. If you get rid of the Eucharist, you get rid of humanity’s opportunity to find God as He offers Himself to us. Knowing this, demons target priests in unique ways - offering them temptations away from their vows, promoting quests for power and its abuse, limiting their ability to serve and lead a community. If none of these work, demons will resort to fear and terror, just as Christ warns in the Gospel. For humans, there is only one antidote at our disposal for this: the power of intercessory prayer for our shepherds.

Psalm 23 states, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and staff comfort me. You set a table before me in front of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ” In moments of darkness, whether it is in occasional suffering we experience in our lives or something far more significant like the end of days, it is the priests who will be at our side. As spiritual shepherds and models of Christ, their rods and staffs comfort us as their flock. In the Eucharist, they prepare the table for us. In the sacraments, they anoint us with oil. In their sacred duties, we are filled with the grace of Christ. We often celebrate a priest as a representative and authority in our community, but we must also recognize him as our defender in the darkness. Offer him your prayers, especially in the face of darkness; God has ensured us that these prayers really will work.