Now and again, there is an outstanding "From the Pastor" piece, and today I received one such. It is from Fr George Rutler at the Church of Our Saviour in Park Avenue New York City:
FROM THE PASTOR
June 27, 2010
by Fr. George W. Rutler
Insecurity is characteristic of adolescence. Those formative years are a time of figuring out how the self relates to others, moving from self-absorption to self-awareness. There are those who live a lifelong adolescence, whose narcissism, like an orchid living off air, lives off the approval of others. Their desire for self-esteem smothers a mature desire for eternal salvation. Instead of "Have mercy on me a sinner," the perpetual adolescent says, "I want to feel good about myself." Inevitably, that "feel good" approach enslaves the self to the opinions of others. It is the opposite of the glorious maturity of St. Paul, who spoke "not as trying to please men, but rather God, who judges our hearts" (1 Thess. 4).
There is a proper human respect, which is a reverence for others. The immature kind of human respect is a dependency on approval by others. "For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ" (Gal. 1:10).
Some of the most popular cultural figures are those who exploit people's insecurities and make them "feel good" about themselves. Demagogues know how to flatter the spiritually immature into submission, but their intoxicating charisma is a deadly illusion: "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets" (Luke 6:26).
The simmering danger in our political culture is not the deeply flawed people who often get elected, but the immaturity of the people who elect them. "They pursued emptiness, and themselves became empty through copying the nations round them" (2 Kings 17:15).
Pope Benedict XVI recently told ordinands: "He who wants above all to realize an ambition of his own, to achieve a personal success, will always be a slave to himself and public opinion. To be considered, he will have to flatter; he must say what the people want to hear, he must adapt himself to changing fashions and opinions and, thus, he will deprive himself of the vital relationship with the truth, reducing himself to condemning tomorrow what he praises today. A man who plans his life like this, a priest who sees his ministry in these terms, does not truly love God and others, but only himself and, paradoxically, ends up losing himself."
As the Pope practices what he preaches, he is so secure in his service to God, that he does not rely on newspaper editorials or talk-show pundits to craft the Gospel he preaches. What he said to those new priests applies to everyone who seeks spiritual maturity. Self-absorption eventually leads to self-annihilation, but eternal life begins with feeling good about God instead of ourselves. "To know (God's) power is the root of immortality" (Wisdom 15:3).
10 comments:
Dear Fr.Tim. Many thanks for this most interesting Post. A Pastor in need is a Pastor, indeed, as they say. In passing, may I wish Mac (of the "Mulier Fortis" Blog) a Very Happy Birthday, tomorrow. Lots of cream cakes and champagne, Mac !!!
Do priests mainly read each other? This is not a bitchy question. I am just wondering, because of an expression Cardinal Ratzinger once used in something he wrote about modern music having "maneuvered itself, with some exceptions, into an elitist ghetto, which only specialists may enter -- and even they do so with what may sometimes be mixed feelings."
He says "manoeuvre". He sees the conscientious, painstaking effort....
?
Befor V2, the priest in charge of a parish was called a RECTOR. He lived in a RECTORY.There were at least three or four priests who also lived in the parish Rectory and they were called, a curate or a parish priest.
The term Pastor was associated with a Protestant or Lutheran church.In a chapel type church,he or she, would be called, "The Minister".
Thank you, Father!
cantueso - The short answer is "No". For example, if you look on the blogroll, there is a section for priests. The rest are laity except for the "Daily Reads" which includes two priests. This would be the same for most priest bloggers.
In fact, the Catholic blogoshpere has been a very good way for priests and laity to learn from and support each other. It would be more difficult to manoeuvre into an elitist ghetto in this medium
(Incidentally, the piece I posted here was sent to me by a layman!)
Silly of me : "pastores dabo vobis" is the name of the encyclical, I think, etc but I too associate it with protestant clergy , most probably FOREIGN with it, as in:
The shades of night were falling fast
and the snow as falling faster
When thru an Alpine village passed
An alpine village Pastor.
No matter: chapel england is nonconformist, Ireland it's Catholic..
Many Italian and Spanish priests used to be identifiable, in context with Don, ( as in camillo, little world of)
And I thought presbyters lived in a presbitery, and associate rectories with anglican rectors
"is this a wreckeridge or a victory?"
Yes Father, Fr. George Rutler is indeed a gem! Whether he is writing about religious or secular issues he is incisive, witty and has a great turn of phrase. Nor is he a 'respecter of persons' - in the proper sense of the term...
To Fr Tim Finigan
Let's hope you are right, or, as Machado formulated
Esperemos
que no sea verdad
lo que sabemos
Let's hope that what we know is not true
cantueso - I politely pointed out to you that most of the blogs that I read are by lay people and that the same would be true for most priest bloggers.
Yet still you "know" that priests mainly read each other?
:-(
But the problem is very big!
It is first of all in the language, the many formulas that priests use. You can see that problem reflected, for instance, in the Bible translations. It could be worse here in Spain than elsewhere.
Conversely, see how the religious dimension is absent from all writing, speaking, blogging, everywhere except where it is the main topic. That is truly awful.
Post a Comment