Priests must open their eyes

BY CHILEYA MOBA CSSp

Most of the Church’s activities are done through the parishes. It is important therefore to look at the relationship between priests and the laity—the People of God.

The laity and ordained ministers are equal members of the Church by virtue of baptism (Eph 4:4-16). The documents of the Second Vatican Council and Pope John Paul II’s encyclical letter Christifidelis laici  encourage the laity to assume active roles in the Church and to collaborate fully with ordained members. Anything that may hinder their mutual collaboration should be addressed instantly.

This could apply to instances such as the accusation made by several African lay leaders and consecrated nuns of being marginalised by priests, as reported in The Southern Cross of September 1-7.

Formation for the priesthood takes a long period; at least eight years. This shows the seriousness of the ministerial priesthood in the Catholic Church. The period presupposes that the future pastors would appropriate values and a character proper to their ministry.

However, the recent revelations about priests’ misconduct have shocked the Catholic family and beyond. This has definitely strained the relationship between the laity and priests. Placed on the spot, priests nowadays have to be very vigilant regarding their conduct.

Despite shortcomings, the Catholic family has always been in solidarity with priests. But Catholics long to see more priests who uphold their integrity. There is no time for petty excuses if priests are to restore their lost glory.

Parish priests are spiritual leaders, canonically entrusted with the noble work of leading the people. By virtue of their office, they must possess qualities of the Good Shepherd (Jn 10:3-14). The critical shortage of priests notwithstanding, those who lack basic leadership qualities should not run parishes.

Some appointments are tantamount to taking the People of God for granted. St Paul knew what it takes to be a spiritual leader when he advised Timothy (1 Tim 4:12-16). Many priests meet St Paul’s expectations, but others regrettably neglect their gifts and become ineffective, including in their homilies.

Sometimes it seems as if the Catholic Church is a farm on which nice fruits are produced, but due to gross negligence, Protestants harvest and eat these fruits. Poor or uneducated parishioners also deserve committed and attractive priests of whom they can be proud.
Societies today have highly educated people. An uninformed leader, especially if he is a priest, is a disaster and a shame. Intelligence is a spiritual discipline; a powerful pastoral tool.

We may not like it, but the era of purely sacrament-oriented priests is long gone. Likewise, seminaries that float on the sea of dogmas and sacraments are retrogressive. There is a need for contemporary courses in leadership, communications and human development.

Parish ministry is essentially about facilitating the connection of people with God, with one another and with the environment. Jesus Christ needed no diploma in communications to know how to mix feelings and thoughts. He embodied communication skills in his personality; attracted discipleship, captured the audience and won many converts. Parish priests who communicate and connect well with parishioners are fulfilled men of God.

Parish priests who have understood their calling have the power to change deserts into the ocean. They have eyes that see and ears that hear. They respond to the local needs swiftly.

But in this broken society, many priests are still idle, disorganised and uncreative. They are preoccupied with the litany of demands and unceasing complaints.
I call on such brother priests to wake up and help the people to feel Jesus Christ and to be proudly Catholic. Over time, visionary and zealous priests can motivate and educate people.

Parishes should care and collaborate well with their priests. The unbearable struggles many parish priests go through—in the name of Jesus and on the pretext of poverty, sacrifice and service—should be ended. A virtue that causes pain and suffocates relationship is not a virtue.

At the same time, irresponsible parishes do not deserve priests until they change their attitude. For  parishes to function properly, parishioners should equally meet the genuine demands of their priests.

The meeting point should be sought and treasured always with total docility to the Holy Spirit, to the greater Glory of God.
n Fr Moba ministers in the diocese of Dundee.