RBWords - Volume 18 - Number 10: October 2005
Something to Think About
During this month of October, a Synod of Bishops took place in Rome to discuss the subject of the Eucharist. I have been going to the Vatican website occasionally to read the summaries of the presentations by the various bishops from around the world. As might be expected of anyone, I found some of the presentations inspiring (greater emphasis on quality preaching) and some appalling (more meticulous attention to rubrics). And, as might also be expected with a topic so central to Catholic life and worship, almost every other “hot” issue in Catholic life and worship showed up to take a bow on the stage: ordination of women, married men, celibacy, communion in the hand, concelebration, shortage of priests. [Off the synod stage but in a central spot on the media stage was news about a prospective document on homosexuality and the priesthood.] The outcome of the synod was not surprising in terms of the content of the “propositions” presented to the Pope for consideration in a future document. What WAS surprising at times was the fact that some topics were even mentioned. Some topics showed a “ripple effect”, e.g. shortage of priests in the U.S.A. leading to priests coming to this country to work, with the resulting need to train them in American culture, etc. etc. since they do more than simply celebrate the Eucharist.
The question of the shortage of clergy in the U.S.A. remains a mystery to me because all the major surveys of American priests show that anywhere from 85 to 95 percent of them are very happy with their vocation and do not see celibacy as a great burden (contrary to what some media claim). Why aren’t these clergy communicating their happiness and satisfaction to others? I occasionally preach retreats for priests and I think those figures are accurate. Yet, these same priests are not recommending the priesthood with the enthusiasm that will attract others in this country. The surplus of priests in parts of South America, the Philippines, Africa and India may provide some insight, but it still remains a mystery to me. In any case, the consolidation of parishes and the shortage here means that many clergy are getting “burned out”. The Synod provided no “quick fixes” but at least we know now that many bishops are willing to discuss publicly what was once hush-hush. IT’S SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
It Has Been Said
Paradoxically, our security does not lie in grasping, but in letting go. Our security lies in the awareness that everything, at every moment , is God’s gift. Our life is not our own; we cannot claim it, but only receive it as it is given, at every moment. We do not belong to ourselves, but, in God, to the whole of creation in a relationship of deep mutuality and reciprocity. Our life grows and deepens only as it is shared, consciously and willingly, freely and generously. And so to loosen our clutch on life, to relax comfortably and gratefully into the awareness that we are being held in an immense web of relationships, that is where our security lies.
From TOWARD A SPIRITUALITY FOR GLOBAL JUSTICE – A CALL TO KINSHIP
By Elaine Prevallet, SL