The Stations of the Cross with Blessed Alphonse Marie Eppinger for Priests
Since her childhood, Blessed Alphonse Marie saw in a priest God alone. When she had the opportunity to meet him, she watched him motionlessly for a long time saying, “If only I could talk to him. He would certainly tell me about God.” In the collection of books about Bl. Alphonse Marie, there is a book titled “Prayers, Instructions and Exhortations of Ecstatic”. In this book are instructions and exhortations for spiritual life. There we can also read about who are priests, how they should follow Jesus and a way, how to acquire the characteristics of a good priest. According to Bl. Alphonse Marie, priests are ministers of God’s graces. They are brothers and favorites of our Savior. They have to be worthy representatives of our Savior. Therefore, they have to follow Him and impress His face and virtues deeply into their hearts. They will obtain these characteristics in meditation on the Passion of Jesus Christ.
“Many are the troubles of the just man, but out of them all the Lord delivers him” (Ps 34:20). Suffering is described as great tribulation, distress, troubles, misery, pain, sorrow and torment. At present, there probably is not a person who does not suffer. The Apostolic Letter “Patris corde” mentioned above arose just from the suffering that the whole world is experiencing right now: the Coronavirus pandemic. In it, Pope Francis writes, “Each of us can discover in Joseph – the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence – an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble.”
