1.4.2016:
Dear New Priests,
Hearty
congratulations on your ordination to ‘priesthood’! All these years of
formation and information in inverse ratio has taken you to this long cherished
day. Prayerful best wishes for your days ahead with the people of God on their
struggle to realize the Kingdom.
I was there
yesterday among the people to pray for you all so that you would sanctify God’s
children ‘in the truth’ (Jn 17:17). I may not join any of your first Masses as
it is rather impossible to attend all six of yours. However, I would love to share some of my
thoughts, rather concerns with each one of you. Kindly go through it
conveniently, if you don’t mind.
Yesterday, some
six of our young men were ordained priests. These days they will be having
grand receptions and first Mass in their parish churches followed by sumptuous dinner.
And day after tomorrow we will have a mammoth Episcopal ordination of auxiliary
bishop designate followed by a civic reception a day after. In such a context,
it would be better to have some loud thinking on priesthood and its meaning and
relevance in the Gospel context.
The very priesthood
we are familiar with [to which you were admitted yesterday], seems to be alien
to Jesus as we could understand from the Gospels. However, it is here for long,
though discredited for quite some time. People expect [you, the Benjamins,] the
younger generation of priests at least to make it credible in tune with the teachings
of Jesus so as to care, comfort, console God’s children, and cure them whenever
possible.
We [heard] are
familiar with high sounding exhortations on the three evangelical virtues which
were seen more violated than followed to a great extent. As for the often heard
virtue of celibacy, can we take up the challenge of Jesus in Mt 5:27-30?
I know how hard it is, but again Jesus is there promising such ones His Father’s
help (Mt 19:26).
As for poverty,
the very incarnation is the greatest message. Will any of us ever could imagine
a situation where Jesus, who experienced hunger (Mt 21:18), is telling the
scribe who wanted to follow him in Mt 18:20? Also, we need to know the mind of
Jesus on his own people in Mt 12:46-50. Can we come out transparent declaring
our ‘assets’ and liabilities, if any, and year after year renew it to convince
the people of God.
Now, obedience
is the most talked about from the point of view of the ‘authorities’! But they
conveniently forget Jesus’ great exhortation on dominion and lording it over in
Mt 20:26 and especially 20:28.
How do we take the
Sermon on the Mount in chapters 5 to 7 in Matthew? If only we could live them,
our ‘priesthood’ will become the most satisfying for ourselves as well as for the
children of God.
The people of the
diocese look forward to [you] the younger clergy for some bold steps in the way
of genuinely attempting a life as that of Jesus found in the gospels.
Try to have
authority like Jesus (Mt 7:29) which emanates not from anything else other than
his authenticity and rootedness with his Father.
[Have a good and
satisfying life and ministry for yourself and of course for our people too who
deserve much more than what they were given so far.
Waiting to work
with you for our people and praying for you, I remain,
Lovingly]
Pancretius/1.4.2016
