THE SHEPHERD’S VOICE
My brothers and sisters,
The recent exposure of pedophilia among the clergy in certain parts of the world, highly exaggerated by the media in contrast to its incidence in other groups has certainly upset many of you. With their usual attitude of forgiveness and giving people another chance to make amends and get renewed, the Church leaders landed into real trouble for failing to do justice to the victims and talking appropriate action against the offenders. We read reports on the Church losing its credibility and of thousands leaving the Catholic Church. Naturally all of us feel sad about what has happened and is happening.
But we must appreciate the stand the Holy Father and the hierarchies around the world have taken. They have faced the reality, acknowledged the failures on the part of the clergy and have done their best to make amends and get justice done to all parties concerned. One cannot ignore the commercial interests of some and the misuse of the opportunity by others to attack the church for its uncompromising teaching on justice and morality which they cannot stand as it goes directly against their vested interests.
Today is the Sixth Sunday of Easter and since I would be away
for ordinations etc. the next two weeks, I had to write the Shepherd’s Voice
well in advance, I thought the Gospel of the day has a very good message for us.
Should we lose our peace of mind on occasions like these or should we not make
use of these occasions to understand the Church better, deepen our faith, renew
ourselves and learn from our Master how to face such situations.
In the Gospel of the day Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” (Jn. 14: 27) He was aware of what was happening behind his back when he was addressing his apostles. Judas was planning to betray him for thirty pieces of silver. He also knew that he would be persecuted, crucified and die on the cross an ignominious death. All this must have pained him extremely but did not seem to have taken away his peace. Otherwise how could he say that he would give his peace to his apostles if he himself did not have it?
The secret of this peace, I believe, is his faith and conviction in his resurrection which he knew would definitely happen. It was this hope of guaranteed final victory which his Father would grant him that ensured peace within. Those who hated him and tortured him were forgiven. He was challenged to save himself as he saved others. He could have come down from the cross. But he did not. He stayed on because he wanted the salvation of humankind rather than his own life. The choice was clear. And he chose to die that humankind may have life and have it in abundance.
We need to remember that we are pilgrims here on earth. Jesus did not choose the best. He chose ordinary people and in
course of time empowered them. They
had their weaknesses. They had to grow.
And they did, and worked wonders.
Peter, James and Thomas are good examples.
The failures of the Church remind us that the Church is
human. It is an assembly of people on their way to the Promised Land, an
assembly of saints and sinners at various stages of their becoming holy. The weaknesses of the church also
remind us that ultimately it is God who saves, not our talents or competence or
achievements. It’s God’s grace that
transforms us as it was so clear in the life of
I recall what my predecessor Archbishop Angelo Fernandes once shared with us at table. He was instructing a catechumen who wanted to become a Catholic. Towards the end of his instruction he started sharing with him the seamy side of the Church lest he gets a shock or scandalized when he would experience the sinful aspect of the Church. As he listened to the then Fr. Angelo, the catechumen said, “Father, I have made a thorough study of all this. And I said to myself, “If the Catholic Church survived after all that she had to face in history from within and without, it must be divine”. That was the day I decided to become a Catholic”.
At the last supper Jesus said to his disciples. “It is good for you that I am going
because unless I go the Advocate will not come to you but if I do go I will send
him to you” (Jn.16:7) . The apostles
were sad at the thought of the physical absence of Jesus. It was a call to live by faith. Many saints also have experienced
such dryness and sadness. It did not
reduce their love for God. Instead
it enhanced their thirst and hunger for God and enabled them to fall back on
their faith totally trusting in God.
We should never forget the Advocate that Jesus has sent. He is our strength and he will keep
the bark of Peter sailing till the end of time.
There will be storms. Why, hasn’t the Church seen worse days than our own? The history of the Church has sordid pages – the crusades, the inquisition, the immoral lives of some Renaissance popes and the bad politics. The Church is always in need of reform, as also you and I are in need of reform and always will be till the end of our lives.
But the Church is more than just a community of believers, although it is that; more than a people who study the word of God and try to put it into practice in their lives, although it is that; more than a people who celebrate the sacraments, although it is that too. The Church is an assembly guided by the Holy Spirit, to teach Christ’s truth authentically.
That truth does not change. There is no new Gospel. But Christ’s Gospel can be applied to different situations. The Gospel develops, but does not depart from its original deposit of faith. There is nothing in the mango tree that was not first in the mango seed before; yet the mango tree has certainly grown and developed. The Church has always confronted new problems from within and without. This shouldn’t cause consternation. The Church will continue to solve life’s problems as she has always done by relying on the Holy Spirit. The Church’s authority remains the same, an absolute guide in matters of faith and morals.
While we humbly acknowledge our shortcomings and repent, aware of the bountiful mercy of God and the power of his grace to transform us, we express our solidarity with those local churches which are going through a painful period of time and assure them of our prayers. We know how Peter’s denial of his master became an opportunity for him to experience the mercy of God and become a greater martyr for his cause. Paul is certainly another example of how one’s past can be a very powerful instrument to turn out zealous missionaries. Didn’t Jesus himself transform what was the worst crime from the part of his enemies into the most powerful communication of God’s love for humankind?
The challenge for us is to believe even more strongly, to renew ourselves, not to be afraid or worried but make the best of all situations to listen to what the Spirit is saying and do it. Let us be grateful to God for the gift of the Church and the hope it offers to all of us and the world. If God has allowed the present crisis to take place, there must be a purpose. Who knows what it is? It may remain hidden from our eyes. What we need to do is to trust in the Lord and hang on to him as the apostles did when their ship was caught in a storm.
The month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Patron of the Cathedral and the Patron of the Archdiocese, a very powerful symbol of God’s boundless love for us. Let us believe in that love and put our trust in him and we will experience the peace that Jesus has given us.
Yours in the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
+Vincent M. Concessao
Archbishop of Delhi