Pope Francis’s recent address to the Italian bishops was a call to be models of discipleship, not masters over persons.
“The consequence of the love of the Lord is to give everything—exactly everything, even one’s own life—for Him: This is that which ought to distinguish our pastoral ministry. It is the ‘acid test’ that bespeaks the profundity that we have embraced, the gift we have received. By responding to the call of Jesus, we show how much we are bound to the persons and the communities that have been entrusted to us.”
“We are not the expression of a structure or an organizational necessity.” Even in the service of our authority, we are called to be signs of the “presence and action of the risen Lord.”
The prospect of a “career, the desire for money, and compromises with the spirit of the world weigh on him.” They transform him into a “functionary, a cleric who is mainly preoccupied with himself, with organizations and structures, rather than the true good of the People of God.”
To be pastors means to believe every day in the grace and power that comes from the Lord in spite of our own weakness. We even assume the responsibility of going before the flock. We want them to recognize our voice whether they be of our flock or those from another sheepfold. God’s law does not make any distinction of persons. …
To be pastors, we must also dispose ourselves to walk in the midst of or behind the flock. We must be capable of listening to the flock, to the silence of those who suffer. We must sustain the steps of those who fear to take them. We must be able to give hope to others. The bishops should have particular love for their priests.
Read the complete article here.
