Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The priests of the archdiocese were at a convocation this past week in Wheeling, West Virginia. The theme of the convocation was “Leading with the Heart of Jesus: Prophet, Priest, King.” The theme made me very nervous because it sounded exclusive, triumphalist, and ritualistic. Despite my reluctant, once I was there, I decided to give it a fair chance. I also wanted to be there because this would be the first time that the new archbishop would address the presbyterate. I was eager to to know his vision, his plan, and his approach for the diocese, for the priests, and the people of God.
I want to share some of the main thoughts that emerged from the convocation and my personal reflection on them.
“Leading with the Heart of Jesus”
The main speaker for the convocation was Bishop David Bonnar of the diocese of Youngstown, Ohio. His very first talk the first night put me at ease about the rest of the convocation. His talks on the priesthood were not focused, as I had feared, on high theology but were very grounded and pastoral. Much of the focus was on living the priestly life in these changing and challenging times with meaning – in fidelity to God, in fidelity to the Church, in collaboration with the bishop, and by serving the people of God in love, in humility, in holiness, and with joy! Of course, there was an acknowledgement that shadow of the child abuse crisis still hangs over the Church. On the other hand, it is also true that, in America, the Church has done the most when it comes to protecting children. Many organizations, for example, Boys Scouts of America, are now asking the Catholic Church for help in this regard.
Bishop Bonnar also used the concept of “identity theft” which I believe can be applicable to all of us. He borrows the concept from the world of technology to caution priests from things that steal them of their meaning and joy. This can happen to any of you as parents, youth, teenagers – that our lives become so cluttered and stressful that we lose our peace and joy. For priests these days, it is overworking, the stress of shepherding multiple parishes, balancing personal care and pastoral care, balancing prayer and ministry, balancing emotional strains and mental health, and balancing caring for people without trying to make everybody happy. The Catholic priesthood is a very fulfilling life, but identity theft is real.
The last talk of the convocation was the new archbishop Robert Casey’s first address to the presbyterate. Even though the theme of his talk was “What Bishops Look for in Their priests,” it was anything but that. He shared his childhood life, stories about his family, his experience as a pastor before he became a bishop and an archbishop, and his vision for an archdiocese that has its challenges but also addresses them. He made ample time for questions and answers and put me in great ease. I believe that his experience as pastor makes him very relational and practical with priests. I am convinced that archdiocese has gotten a good shepherd in archbishop Robert Casey.
Beacons of Light and Families of Parishes
One of the main question priests have been posing to the archbishop has been about the Beacons of Light. As the archbishop explained it, Beacons of Light is not the problem but a solution to a problem. The real problem is the number of priests and the number of people in the pews in church edifices that have unsustainable deferred maintenance issues. Beacons of Light puts focus on coming together as the people of God for the sake of mission and getting out of maintenance mode.
Priests also asked question about the fear of the closure of churches. Clearly the archbishop’s response was that there will not be any arbitrary decisions, but that some churches may need to close because of the lack of people in the pews and the resources to sustain them. There are also situations in Families of Parishes where there more Masses than needed for the number of people the number of priests. In this context, the archbishop reminded us that any change is not an end but a new beginning.
I want to add my personal comments to the archbishop’s words. A Family of Parish is not a Mass factory where we mass produce Masses with priests celebrating 4 and 5 Masses a weekend only to find themselves celebrating it without love and zeal. As a priest, I must look forward to celebrating a Mass and not just celebrate one more Mass to get through the day.
The bottom line is that we live in changing times, in a changing church, in a changing world. The archdiocese, the priests, and the people must come together and address these changing realities as a people of faith. In today’s scripture reading we hear Paul define faith as, “The realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen” (Heb 1:1). The archbishop used the definition of the Nobel Prize winning Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore, who wrote, “Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.” In other words, things may look dark, but as a people of faith we live in the hope of a new dawn. Beacons of Light is an approach to addressing the reality of the church in this archdiocese in a way that leads to the future with hope.
Acting in Faith rather than Fear
As I said earlier, I went to the convocation reluctantly. One of the main issues I have at such gatherings is the lack of comradery. I did not go the seminary here. I was ordained in India. I don’t have friendships that I built over the years. But this time I decided to sit with people I had never sat with for meals and conversations. I compelled myself to sit with folks who are different than me. I decided to allow myself to be vulnerable. I am glad I did this because I learnt so much. I realized that even though we were different, there was so much that was common to us. I learnt much about the thoughts, hopes, and dreams of people who are different than me and I developed a new respect for them. I realized that so many of us have assumptions about people without knowing them. I am not saying I have new friends, but I will go the next convocation with much less anxiety.
I believe that my personal experience also speaks to the fears we have about Beacons of Light and on a larger level to the situation in our nation. If we operate out of fear, we will make the wrong moves and the wrong decisions. Fear of the other, fear of those who are different, fear of changing, and the fear of losing does not help us to see the goodness in people and the common humanity that binds us. Politicians gain much from telling us that our differences should make us fear and hate each other. But they lie. Rather, whether it is our neighbors, our colleagues, our fellow-citizens, immigrants, refugees, men, women, gay, lesbian, transgender, Democrat, Republican, traditional, progressive, parishioners of St. Anthony, Holy Angels, St. Helen, Immaculate Conception, or St. Mary, let us sit with people we are anxious about, talk to them, get to know them. Let us allow them to get to know us. Soon we will realize that we have much more in common than we imagine. We will learn to not only respect our differences but to even celebrate them.
In conclusion, the theme of the convocation “Leading with the Heart of Jesus: Priest, Prophet, and King” is relevant for all of us – priests and laity. At every baptism when a child is anointed with the Sacred Chrism, the minister of the sacrament says, “As Christ was anointed priest, prophet and king, so may you live as a member his body sharing everlasting life.” In other words, each one of us is anointed priest, prophet and king. Our identity is tied up with Christ who founded the Church. Not just priests, but all the baptized are called to have the heart of Jesus. May our sacred anointing as priest, prophet, and king become our bond of unity with Christ and with one another. In this way, may we become a “beacon of light” for our world. Amen.
- Fr. Satish Joseph