Tough and strong

THAT’S how priests, and others in similar position, should

be. They, we—me included—have to be tough and strong because aside

from bearing our own personal burdens, from contending with our own

personal demons, we also have to bear the burdens of the others. It is

no joke to serve like the receptacle of the problems of the others and

to find ways to help them.

            Since we priests usually hear confessions and give

counseling and spiritual direction to others, we cannot help but be

affected somehow by what we hear. And the problems of some people can

be so heavy and heart-wrenching that we end up exhausted, practically

emptied of any strength and energy.

            The worse part is what to say as advice and how to say it.

It indeed is a big challenge to be able to present the mercy and love

of God when the people’s problems seem to have no human solution or

when their miseries and weaknesses seem to be persistent and

insurmountable despite their efforts.

            In these cases, the challenge is how to present God’s love

in such a way that his love and mercy is seen as soothing, acceptable

and meaningful. The challenge is how to present God’s love such that

even if pain and suffering are unavoidable, people can see that God’s

love takes care of everything. They would realize that what they

cannot solve, God will always solve it for them in his own mysterious

ways.

            There is no doubt that a lot of spiritual and supernatural

means are needed here. We have to pray that the people’s faith gets

stirred and enlivened, that their hope gets reaffirmed and

strengthened, that their love for God gets enkindled.

            Aside from prayer, a lot of sacrifices are also needed.

Prayer and sacrifices vitally unite and identify us with Christ who is

the one to give us all the strength and light we need. Let’s remember

what St. Paul said in this regard: “I can do all things through Christ

who strengthens me.” (Phil 4,13)

            Yes, it’s only with Christ and in him that we priests can

truly be tough and strong as we should be as we carry out our ministry

of helping people in their spiritual and moral life that can be filled

with all sorts of problems and challenges.

            Our toughness should be the toughness of Christ who was

and continues to be willing to bear all the problems of men, and goes

all the way to offer his life for the salvation of men.

            With Christ and in him, our toughness would also know how

to be tender and gentle, how to be understanding, compassionate and

empathetic, as described in this passage from the gospel of St.

Matthew: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he

will not extinguish, till he leads justice to victory.” (12,20)

            While our toughness will always be a fruit, first of all,

of God’s grace, it will also depend on our proper attitude, skills and

virtues. What we have to do first is to rein in but not suppress our

emotions and passions, subjecting them to the tenets of our faith

rather than just the impulses of our hormones.

            We have to learn how not to overdramatize the pain and

suffering involved in bearing the burdens of the others. This is

important because this will help us to think more objectively, and

therefore enabling us to make better judgments and assessments of

things.

            What can also be helpful is the consideration that when we

exert the effort—sometimes the heroic effort—to bear the burdens of

the others with Christ, we are actually already helping them greatly.

It is the truth about the communion of saints that assures us that

whatever we suffer for the others will always redound to their own

good.