This article is meant to be a challenge to all those who are pastoral agents, this include priests, religious people and of course future priests (seminarians). Let us ask ourselves if we really do what Christ commanded us to do? Are we really dedicated to our vocations? Are we really doing what we are expected to do?“I have come so that they may have life and have it to the fullest” (John 10:10). These are the words of Jesus Christ presented to us by St John, the evangelist. Christ our teacher and master came into this world so that we may life and have it to the fullest. He gives us life and its fullest. Are we not bound then as Christ’s followers to give life to others as Christ did? If we are bound to do that, are we giving life or we are destroying it? It is the duty of priests and religious to give life to the lay faithful of God. This can be done in different ways; our words can make a very good impact but words alone are not enough; our actions too can give life to other people. Among the ways of giving life to the people of God, we cannot avoid pastoral work. Pastoral work is an essential thing for all priests and religious if the people of God were to be fed properly. What is pastoral work? It is not celebrating Mass on Sundays or any day; yes celebrating Mass is part of pastoral work but it is not enough. Proper pastoral work requires one to able to listen, counsel and share one’s life with others. I think that there are many people who need to be listened to, to be counseled and to be advised. This cannot be done by only celebrating Mass hence I said the celebration of Mass is not enough when doing proper pastoral work. Pastoral work is a full dedication of one’s life and time to those people in need (the people of God). Priests and religious no longer live for themselves but for those people in need. They should have killed their own selves for the sake of others, which is one and essential of giving life to other people. I think that this is a vocation par excellence for priests and religious.
Jesus Christ asked Simon Peter three times if he loves him; after Peter had confessed his love for Jesus, he (Jesus) then asked him to feed his sheep (John 21:15-17). This is the mandate for each priest and religious today. Feeding Christ’s sheep is an essential way of giving them life, not just life but in its fullest because you do not feed them your words but Christ’s Word. The challenge then is that we sometimes hear priests and religious saying some words like ‘I cannot help you today because it is my off day or I cannot help you now because it is time for my siesta’. I do not intend to say that priests and religious should not rest and have off days but let them use the other days then to fulfill what is their responsibility. It is absurd to say that today is one’s off day yet one is always off even during other days. Where are St John Vianneys of today? Where are men and women today who are dedicated in giving life to others? Where are people who are ready to sacrifice their own lives for the sake of others? This is a challenge for all priests, religious and seminarians!
Let us pray for all priests in a special way since the Church is celebrating the year of priests from June 2009 to June 2010, let us also pray for all religious, seminarians and indeed for all the people of God. Our prayer should intend to ask the Lord to help them to be able to fulfill their duties as they are expected. I think that there is plenty of pastoral work today than it was before, only dedication is needed from our priests and religious!
