Dear Archbishop,
Greetings! Wish
and pray that you are fine.
Day before
yesterday, Fr. Pius, your secretary, contacted me to inform that you are coming
to Priests’ Home to see me! Though I have no idea of that meeting, I asked him
to tell you that you need not trouble yourself just to see me when I can come
and meet you in your house according to your convenience, provided you let me
know in advance.
Regarding your
suggestion to convene a meeting of the ‘theologians’/ ‘doctors’ of our diocese,
would like to hear from you as to what exactly you expect from such a coming
together. This is to avoid possible dropping on the way after toiling much. If
you have that letter I wrote on this matter still with you, I would like to get
a copy of it.
I do know that you
are busy enough. But that doesn’t excuse one to keep a deaf ear to
correspondences let alone acknowledging it. Some of my letters, of course
e-mails, must be in your table pending your perusal and possible
acknowledgement or response, if at all they deserve one.
This specifically is a spontaneous outcome of
reading and reflecting the Second Reading of today’s Office of the Readings
from the letter of Polycarp to the Philippians. It pertains to our priests, I
think. Bye the bye, I wonder how many of our priests fulfill this obligation,
devoid of any pecuniary benefits, to read and reflect on these treasures
besides reciting the Psalter. This will certainly have more impact on personal
spirituality/interiority than a profitable and public ritual.
Some of the
salient features of this reading which our priests have long forgotten, or
conveniently ignored are the following:
o
‘…make common cause for the
truth.’
o
‘…treat… no one as an inferior.’
o
‘Let everyone respect his
neighbour’s rights…’
o
‘My heart is sore for Valens,
sometime one of your clergy, that he should have so little understanding of the
office that was conferred on him. It moves me to warn you earnestly against any
excessive fondness for money, and to insist upon your absolute probity
and integrity. You must keep yourselves from the slightest taint of wrong.
If a man has no control over himself in matters of this sort, how can he
possibly preach it to anyone else? If he fails to rise above the love of money,
he will find himself corrupted by the worship of his idol, and be classed with
the heathen who know nothing of the divine judgment…’
Exhort our priests
to read, reflect and pray such readings and other good books to equip
themselves to deliver their homilies prophetically. They are more keen to
engage in some constructions and involve too much in mobilizing money at any
cost and conveniently enhance their life style ignoring the desirable
simplicity of their call.
Once this craze
for money for pompous life creeps in, they will manage to get it in hundred and
one other ways in spite of your insistence on the stipend matter
disproportionately. Your attempt is like keeping the cart before the horse! We
have enough time during the formative period to inculcate such gospel values in
the young minds, in spite of the background they are coming from. This is
better served through living models than mere teaching or preaching.
I wonder whether
you know any of our priests personally and have any say on their lives! This is
in spite of your being a bishop for two and half decades besides your tenure in
the seminary as prefect, professor, spiritual father and rector for almost your
entire priestly ministry.
Still it is not
late. You can dedicate your remaining days in getting closer with the priests
and start influencing them as leaven in dough/meal. Try to be their good friend
with whom they can confide, brother whom they can count on, father who will
understand, guide and everything a pastor could be to his sheep. It will make a
difference in your life and you will certainly enjoy and leave a noble legacy, rich
tradition for generations to come. Shed off all your inhibitions and fears and
get down with the freedom of the children of God.
Don’t bother about
the diocese. The Good Shepherd is very much there for you to leave it on His enduring
shoulders and He will certainly take care of.
Thanking you,
pancretius
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