“Priests have a power not of their own, and priests who abandon the priesthood carry with them a volatile power they cannot shed. A consecrated soul cannot be unconsecrated but only desecrated by pride and the guilt of pride.
And when a desecrated priest ceases to offer worthy sacrifice, he may start to require sacrifice; for as the priestly face turns from the Messiah it meets Moloch.
…when a priest ceases to intercede at his altar between earth and heaven, an angel made miserable by its fall from heaven would persuade the priest to intercede between heaven and hell.” — Fr. George Rutler.
HT: James at Musings from a Catholic Bookstore. He notes that Fr Rutler was writing about 19th century France, in The Curé D’Ars Today. The relevance to today — and to every day — is frighteningly obvious. Lord Jesus Christ, King of Mercy, protect Your priests!