all thy soul fear the Lord, and reverence His priests" (Ecclus. vii. 31). It is said expressly, His priests; and if this was said in regard to the priests of the old covenant, how much more does it apply to the priests of the new covenant, to the priests of the Catholic Church.
For indeed, these are the ambassadors of Christ to men, the instruments which He employs, in order to bestow the greatest benefits upon us. On the threshold of our life, at its earliest commencement, He sends the priest, in order that, by means of holy Baptism, heaven may be opened to us, and we may be made sons of God, and fellow-heirs of Jesus Christ. He sends the priest, in order that he may instruct us in the truths of the faith, and in the way of salvation, may guide us in the paths of virtue and piety, and prepare us for the worthy reception of the holy sacraments of Penance and of the Altar. Again, He sends the priest, in order that he may be our faithful counselor and sincere friend. He sends the priest when our hearts are bowed with sorrow and when despair threatens to overwhelm us, in order that he may be to us a loving father, and may pour into our wounds the oil and wine of salutary exhortations and divine consolations, and heal us by means of the sacrament of Penance.
2. Furthermore, God will send the priest when we are overtaken by sickness, even if
