LESSONS, precious lessons, can be learned
from that recent
incident involving a priest and an unwed teen mother who went to
church for the baptism of her child. It was a nice story, a good,
riveting drama that went viral and stirred practically the whole
world. It started as a shocker but ended happily, thanks to Christian
mercy.
Obviously, the first lesson is that anyone who has the
duty to say anything in public, let alone, in a liturgical
celebration, should really study what he has to say. If he is a
priest, this duty is all the more important, since the priest can only
expand on the word, the wisdom and the mercy of God.
St. Paul said that our word should improve and edify
others, not destroy and scandalize them. Thus, outside of that Pauline
advice is already a violation of one’s priestly identity and dignity,
and will certainly cause harm on the faithful.
If for some reason, a priest strays from this duty, then
everything has to be done to help him. If he has some health,
emotional or psychological condition that makes him susceptible to
irritation and unmindful of his words, then appropriate action should
be given by his companions, by the people around, or by his superiors.
We should not wait for a blunder to explode especially in
public. Prevention, anticipation and preparation are always preferable
to the harder task of curing, cleaning up the mess and making up for
the injury and damage.
I always believe that priests should be closely monitored
and supervised by everyone. Their position and ministry is so
important and delicate that they (we, me included) need all the help
they can get. It’s not a matter of spying. Rather it’s all about
brotherly concern and care.
They should never be left alone. In the manual for
priestly life and ministry, this point is clearly highlighted. They
are encouraged to live a very refined fraternity among themselves and
others. A priest who prefers to be alone, with no family or community
life, except when in retreat and in prayer, is clearly courting
danger.
Being alone, that is, not in communion with God and with
others at least in mind and heart, can only lead one to disaster. It
hardens one’s idiosyncracies and individuality that is not
constructive but destructive of the unity of any group or entity.
Another lesson to be learned is that whenever some
irregularity or anomaly is observed among some public, let alone,
ecclesiastical officials, a report to the nearest authority should be
promptly made.
As much as possible, we should refrain from indulging in
some trial by publicity, making use now of our modern and powerful
technologies that can blow things out of proportion. We can only
generate a kind of mob rule that way, feeding our wild instincts, and
throwing to the wind a fair, sober, extensive assessment of the issue.
Let’s always remember that if any complaint is made, a
thorough investigation should be made first. Prudence dictates that
all relevant facts and data should be gathered first, and other
considerations may also be made, since a complaint usually tends to be
one-sided. We have to listen to all parties and give due notice to
other relevant circumstances left unsaid in a complaint.
In this recent case of the erring priest and the aggrieved
mother, the video that was put online only whipped up a terrible storm
of outrage that, I believe, only worsened the case. The media and the
public in general had a fiesta, making all kinds of comments not
excepting those clearly tinged with malice and vile.
It was just a happy turn of events that the offending
party promptly made his apology and his superiors took immediate
action. In a while, some reconciliation took place.
The offender humbly asked for pardon, acknowledging the
gross cruelty of his words and offering to make up. And the offended
party also magnanimously forgave. It was truly heartwarming to witness
this episode that, to me, reprised a Christian duty of mercy.
Well, I suppose, life has to go on. We commit a lot of
mistakes along the way. But we should never lose hope. We may get
stung, distressed, angered, depressed, etc., in a given moment, but
let’s not stay long in that condition.
There’s always hope. We just have to take up, as soon as
we can, the path of mercy, guaranteed by God’s wisdom and teaching, so
we can move on all the wiser and all the better as a person and as
people.
incident involving a priest and an unwed teen mother who went to
church for the baptism of her child. It was a nice story, a good,
riveting drama that went viral and stirred practically the whole
world. It started as a shocker but ended happily, thanks to Christian
mercy.
Obviously, the first lesson is that anyone who has the
duty to say anything in public, let alone, in a liturgical
celebration, should really study what he has to say. If he is a
priest, this duty is all the more important, since the priest can only
expand on the word, the wisdom and the mercy of God.
St. Paul said that our word should improve and edify
others, not destroy and scandalize them. Thus, outside of that Pauline
advice is already a violation of one’s priestly identity and dignity,
and will certainly cause harm on the faithful.
If for some reason, a priest strays from this duty, then
everything has to be done to help him. If he has some health,
emotional or psychological condition that makes him susceptible to
irritation and unmindful of his words, then appropriate action should
be given by his companions, by the people around, or by his superiors.
We should not wait for a blunder to explode especially in
public. Prevention, anticipation and preparation are always preferable
to the harder task of curing, cleaning up the mess and making up for
the injury and damage.
I always believe that priests should be closely monitored
and supervised by everyone. Their position and ministry is so
important and delicate that they (we, me included) need all the help
they can get. It’s not a matter of spying. Rather it’s all about
brotherly concern and care.
They should never be left alone. In the manual for
priestly life and ministry, this point is clearly highlighted. They
are encouraged to live a very refined fraternity among themselves and
others. A priest who prefers to be alone, with no family or community
life, except when in retreat and in prayer, is clearly courting
danger.
Being alone, that is, not in communion with God and with
others at least in mind and heart, can only lead one to disaster. It
hardens one’s idiosyncracies and individuality that is not
constructive but destructive of the unity of any group or entity.
Another lesson to be learned is that whenever some
irregularity or anomaly is observed among some public, let alone,
ecclesiastical officials, a report to the nearest authority should be
promptly made.
As much as possible, we should refrain from indulging in
some trial by publicity, making use now of our modern and powerful
technologies that can blow things out of proportion. We can only
generate a kind of mob rule that way, feeding our wild instincts, and
throwing to the wind a fair, sober, extensive assessment of the issue.
Let’s always remember that if any complaint is made, a
thorough investigation should be made first. Prudence dictates that
all relevant facts and data should be gathered first, and other
considerations may also be made, since a complaint usually tends to be
one-sided. We have to listen to all parties and give due notice to
other relevant circumstances left unsaid in a complaint.
In this recent case of the erring priest and the aggrieved
mother, the video that was put online only whipped up a terrible storm
of outrage that, I believe, only worsened the case. The media and the
public in general had a fiesta, making all kinds of comments not
excepting those clearly tinged with malice and vile.
It was just a happy turn of events that the offending
party promptly made his apology and his superiors took immediate
action. In a while, some reconciliation took place.
The offender humbly asked for pardon, acknowledging the
gross cruelty of his words and offering to make up. And the offended
party also magnanimously forgave. It was truly heartwarming to witness
this episode that, to me, reprised a Christian duty of mercy.
Well, I suppose, life has to go on. We commit a lot of
mistakes along the way. But we should never lose hope. We may get
stung, distressed, angered, depressed, etc., in a given moment, but
let’s not stay long in that condition.
There’s always hope. We just have to take up, as soon as
we can, the path of mercy, guaranteed by God’s wisdom and teaching, so
we can move on all the wiser and all the better as a person and as
people.
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