Evidence of Greatness

IOANNIS PAULI PP. II SUMMI PONTIFICIS EPISTULA AD UNIVERSOS ECCLESIAE SACERDOTES ADVENIENTE FERIA V IN CENA DOMINI ANNO MCMLXXI ... Dilecti Fratres! Vos qui "portatis pondus diei et aestum", qui manum misistis ad aratrum et non aspicitis retro, et fortasse vos potius qui in dubitatione versamini qui sensus sit vocationis vestrae vel quid vestrum valeat ministerium, loca illa cogitate ubi homines sacerdotem vehementer exspectant et ubi multos iam annos, cum eius afficiantur desiderio, eum sibi adesse non desinunt optare! Accidit enim interdum ut in sacrarium aliquod derelictum conveniant et in altari stolam adhuc servatam ponant et liturgiae eucharisticae omnes preces pronuntient, et ecce, eo momento quod transubstantiationis puncto respondet, altum fit silentium, aliquando fletu ruptum..., tam ardenter cupinnt ea verba audire quae unum sacerdotis os potest efficaciter effari! Tam vehementer exoptant Cenam Dominicam cuius solo sacerdotali ministerio possunt participes reddi; ac pari fervore expetunt audire veniae verba divina: "Ego te absolvo a peccatis tuis". Tam graviter ex desiderio sacerdotis a se absentis laborant... Profecto non desunt eiusmodi loca in orbe terrarum. Si quis vestrum igitur de sensu sacerdotii sui dubitat, si aestimat illud "sociali ratione" infructuosum esse atque inutile, haec prorsus consideret! ... If my latin were better, I'd give you a translation (maybe SA can do it for us?). One of the most obvious fruits of the "Spirit of Vatican II" was the flood of priests and religious abandoning their vows to enter into the hurly-burly of the world. Pope Paul VI granted thousands of men and women dispensation from their vows, a practice which Pope John Paul II stopped only months after being given the white hat. In 1979, on Holy Thursday, along with the letter traditionally sent to all Bishops, JPII sent a second letter to every priest serving the church around the world. In it, near the end, is found this exhortation. I wept when I read it. "And he said to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest'" (Luke 10:2).