Laity and Clergy in Goa: Moods and Expectations (2/3)
In continuation of yesterday’s post, here are the final lines of the PRIEST’s letter, saying that the Catholic priests have been “an object of acerbic criticism by probably some vested interests who have found the social media very handy for the dissemination of their bilious anger against Catholic priests and the Church in general.”
‘Vested interests’? A ruse to divert people’s attention from pressing issues! The enemies of the Church are not outside but inside. It is not only the ‘smoke of Satan’ that has entered the Church; it is Satan himself who is lurking in our midst, and many simply don’t wish to notice his presence.
Why blame the social media? Another convenient ruse. Doesn’t the Archdiocese have a Centre called the Diocesan Centre for Social Communications Media? Don’t priests individually use social media to disseminate news and views? And how much of it is the ‘Good News’? A case in point are the views expressed by the clergymen on this forum: often ambiguous, sometimes contradictory, rarely the full truth.
‘Bilious anger’? Nay, Righteous Anger! We are with the Priests as long as they are with God! Let’s speak the truth, and nothing but the truth. Facts are facts; against them, there can be no arguments. ‘Let your speech be yes, yes: no, no: and that which is over and above these, is of evil.’ (Mt 5: 37). That’s the people wish. Vox populi.
Some more comments below show the mood and expectations of the Catholic laity and clergy in Goa:
*** I have sent it to some senior priests. Can something be done or the priest corrected? … I sent it to some top clergy. Let’s pray that they take this seriously. I sent it to a Nirmala sister too. They didn’t answer me. But Sister was upset. She summoned me to Nirmala’s to speak to her… I told her the last post came from Canada and sent by a very good friend who was also an ex-student of Nirmala Institute of Education… And we are concerned about what’s happening… I told her that some lay people and priests too are upset with what’s going on. Inculturation is one thing, but this is crazy. To which she just kept quiet.
*** […] There is a thin line between respecting everyone’s faith and praying to other deities. Total breach of our First Commandment. Really sad.
*** We had a conference for catechists recently at Joseph Vaz Centre, Old Goa, to explain the Pastoral Letter 2022 of our Bishop. The above image [‘One Light – Many Lamps’] was used in the presentation slide by the priest… Through the catechists, they are corrupting our children… Since they started such exercises, has the religious harmony increased or is it more vitiated now than earlier? […]
*** […] Wonder what we could do to educate our priests. I am game for anything.
*** What is happening! So sad. Hopefully there is a […] clarification from Church authorities.
*** Claro, como diz, uma coisa é o diálogo e bom convívio inter-religioso, outro é sincretismo… Ainda para mais, dada a idiossincrasia goesa.
*** […] There is no punishment by our Church. Christian politicians worship idols and break coconuts in front of them. Archbishop has not commented or excommunicated any of them. So, Catholics in general are not cautioned against the consequences. One priest's excommunication without much publicity would send a strong message down clergy and lay persons... It's ridiculous to see things happening around us ... Nowadays, I don't know if you have come across the streets in Panjim... There are these so-called fellowship groups, Born-again Christians going about talking about the Bible, convincing you about things in the Bible... They know the Bible so well that a fool can get mesmerized... I would say that's sheep stealing...
*** I agree with you 100%. I’ve said the same thing time and time again. I particularly condemn the blatant idol worship indulged in by many of our so-called ‘Catholic’ politicians…. But a priest doing the same thing is taking it to another level altogether… I'll be posting your article liberally, both individually and in various groups.
*** This interfaith dialogue has crossed boundaries.... Our priests (some of them) bend over backwards to please […] those who matter. We don't see them coming to our homes at Christmas time, and bowing in front of the crib, for example. If Goa has gone to the dogs, it's the Church to blame. […] I feel quite disgusted with this […] attitude of some of our religious starting with those at Archbishop House.
*** […] I’m aghast that a Catholic priest could do what he’s purportedly doing here. I hope there’s an explanation somewhere.
*** Very true. It violates the very First Commandment.
*** I came across your social media post ‘Elephantine Blunder’. […] The priests did not bow before the idol but prayed to God along with the family without invoking Ganesh. – My comment: That’s instant absolution! Which ‘god’ would he pray to other than the idol itself?
*** It may be for optics, which is also a blunder.
*** It is absolutely wrong to pray before other gods, I agree. However, social visits to people of other faiths during their festivals should be encouraged. It is also unfortunate that inter-religious dialogue has been limited only to organising prayer meets, with no room for inter-religious dialogue of life issues. We have so much in common to work for to establish justice and peace in our society. – PRIEST – My reply: Interaction on the social plane is fine but we can't compromise on the tenets of the faith. Such syncretic practices are an absolute no-no. – PRIEST: I agree.
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Jesus, our Light and our Life
Today’s readings are about giving thanks, glory and praise to the Lord our God for the wonders he has wrought in our life… They are about remembering him with gratitude and never taking Him for granted… They are about doing our bounden duty and awaiting the crown of glory when the race is done.
The first and third readings talk about healing. In the First Reading (2 Kings 5: 14-17) the Syrian general Naaman goes into the Jordan, as recommended by prophet Elisha, and comes out clean, his flesh restored like that of a little child. He returns with a present to thank the man of God, who does not accept it – for he was not there to serve himself but the Lord. Extremely thankful, Naaman wishes to carry earth with which to build an altar for the Lord in whom he now believes, in his land of origin.
In the Gospel (Lk 17: 11-19), only one of the ten lepers who were cleansed return to thank Our Lord. An instance of kam’ zalem, voiz melo (once cured, one forgets the physician), a classic case of human ingratitude. The Master Physician notes that the lone grateful man whose faith had cured him is indeed a foreigner – a man from Samaria, a district that was anathema to Israel.
The two stories above are not about physical healing alone; they are about liberation from sin – yet failing to proclaim the Good News to the world. How many of us who stop everything to ask God for healings and successes also stop to thank God on receiving them?
The Anglican-turned-Catholic writer G. K. Chesterton in his Autobiography stresses ‘the idea of taking things with gratitude, and not taking things for granted.’ But alas, gratitude seems to be one of those rare commodities in our jet age. It is as though we expect everything as a right, not a favour. In our self-centredness no gesture of kindness from another touches our soul. Sometimes, a ‘thank you’ is a mere formality; and when it comes to God, hardly a necessity.
St Paul (2 Tim 2: 8-13) clinches it. He places before us the everlasting model that is Jesus Christ our Lord. Our Lord is faithful even to the faithless – because He can’t be any different. What a noble lesson for humanity. The Apostle of the Gentiles who, a little earlier in the letter to Timothy, had spoken of the good fight, the race, and about keeping the faith, now uses a fragment of a hymn from his area of evangelisation to convey the same message.
The point is: why do we sometimes deny Him? Why are we faithless? Is it mere weakness or is it malice? Sometimes we do not know that we are caught up in the web of the evil one. Let us break free. Let us wake up and think. Let us rise and speak. The Word of God is not fettered. Have faith, Jesus is the Light of the World; those who follow Him will have the light of life.