Saturday, April 9, 2016

Doctrinal orthodoxy and pastoral charity

THEY are not supposed to be in conflict with each other,
though we have to admit that in real life there is some kind of
tension between the two. This should not come as a surprise or as a
big, insoluble problem, because this is as much part of our human
condition as the tension between our thoughts and actions, between
what is ideal and what is the reality on the ground.

            We have to learn how to live with this fact of life and do
our best, with God’s grace and our docility to the authority of our
Church leaders, to put them together. What we should try to avoid is
to emphasize one at the expense of the other, doctrinal orthodoxy over
pastoral charity and vice-versa.

            This is going to be an ongoing affair, a never-ending work
in progress. New insights, new ways will always come as new
developments, challenges and issues arise.

            Before this reality, we should not over-react no matter
how right we think we are or how wrong we think the others are. We
just have to help one another, quick to engage everyone in an abiding
dialogue that is constructive and marked with patience and clear love
for God and souls.

            Especially these days when many people, mostly the young,
find themselves in very complicated situations due to the new
developments that are not matched by a proper progress of people’s
spiritual and moral life, we all need to be most delicate in striking
the balance between doctrinal orthodoxy and pastoral care.

            Many of them are confused and practically lost precisely
because they are not with Christ. They simply depend on their own
instincts, their own perceptions and estimation of things that can
only do and cover so much.

            I suppose what is ultimately needed here is true sanctity,
not the officious kind that’s good only on the outside but is empty
inside, or as Shakespeare would put it, like “a tale told by an idiot,
full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

            What is needed is the sanctity that knows how to be with
Christ in a living way, identifying himself with Christ’s sentiments,
his will and ways. It’s the sanctity of the Good Shepherd who knows
how to look for the lost sheep, the sanctity of the paschal lamb who
is offered as a sacrifice.

            In concrete terms, priests when giving homilies should
avoid resorting to bombast and condescending lectures. The
sensitivities of the people, especially the young, have changed
drastically. No one wants to be shouted upon, much less, scolded, and
given lectures full of “sound and fury” only to be given a very basic,
generic reminder.

            The messages given in homilies, while on the whole simple
and with the distinctive mark that it comes from Christ and not just
from the priest, should be more nuanced and more attuned to the
complex fabric of today’s world. Simple should not be mistaken for
simplistic. A world of difference separates them.

            And while some literary devices and rhetorical sparklers
may be used, good judgment is truly needed to distinguish what can
truly foster the transmission of the gospel message from what is mere
gimmickry and theatre.

            Yes, it’s true that the shepherd, if he is truly good,
should go all the way to even smell like the sheep, as Pope Francis
once said. He should be able to fraternize with everyone, including
those who are far from God and the Church, ever showing compassion and
understanding without compromising the truth.

            But he should see to it that the people get convinced that
with his mere presence alone, not to mention, his words and behavior,
the presence and the words of Christ are somehow felt.

            Remember what Christ said to his apostles: “He who hears
you hears me, and he that despises you despises me, and he that
despises me despises him who sent me.” (Lk 10,16) This is a tremendous
standard to reach, but with God’s grace and our all-out effort, we can
abide by it.

            Yes, we need a never-ending formation for this, immersing
ourselves in God’s word and ways as well as in the very lives and
conditions of real people in the real world. Constant study and prayer
is needed as well as continuing monitoring of developments and
accompanying of people in their earthly journey.

            We should never think that we already know enough of
doctrinal orthodoxy and pastoral charity. We should never forget that
we are dealing always with mysteries even if we are right in the
middle of things.

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