in a world where priesthood is an anomaly
I would like to reflect on two realities presented by the Lord in our gospel today.
The first is the reality that we are present in a hostile world. We are in a world hostile to our way of life - in a world that looks down on the values that we teach; in a world that scoffs at the kind of heroism that we put forward; in a world which could not understand our point of view.
Last night I was listening to the radio as the names of the new nurses were announced, nurses who took their board exams last December. 22,760 new nurses, and 5 of the top ten come from Iloilo. They are one of the last batches of nursing students who chose to study this course 5 or 6 years ago when nursing was in still very much demand. The US and the Middle East were all looking for nurses then. And because of this even established doctors enrolled once more in nursing so that they could avail of this windfall and earn bigger salaries abroad. Unluckily for these new graduates however, after the boom went bust, most of them will end up, at least temporarily, as call center agents.
Now HRM is on the rise too, the maritime profession remains all the rage as usual, and domestic helpers are as popular attracting even some teachers. In all these excitement and rage, look at the contrast - priests are getting fewer and fewer and nuns are getting older and older with no one replacing them. Last year 2 have retired, this year one will retire, last year one migrated and also one died. This year only two will replace them.
Why, why is this so? As Jesus has said the world is hostile to our way of life, the world scoffs at the kind of heroism the priesthood offers, and the world does not understand our point of view. Why would a gandang lalake choose to become unmarried, why would he confine himself in a bedroom with nothing but a pillow to hug on to? Why would a young man shelve his freedom and instead choose to obey and let others decide his fate and destiny? Why would a talented person with all his managerial and leadership skills, with his creativity and talent content himself with a meager income and a lowly position? The world could not understand a priest because it sees things differently and it values differently these things.
How many of you would become priests? How many of you would resist the values of the world and choose to see things differently, the way Jesus sees things? And how many of you, would-be priest, have already succumbed to this hostile world which puts so much importance on sex and glamour, on wealth and power, how many have already been won over to their side? And finally, and this is one great source of regret, how many of you have we lost because as formators and teachers we have not been keen and careful, we have not been encouraging and protective?
This is the first reality that we need to be aware of. We are in a hostile world. We are in a world that could not understand the priesthood, we are in a world that takes the priesthood as a kind of anomaly.
The second reality which the gospel wants us to be aware of is this: Not everything in this world is done for profit; not everything in this world is done solely and primarily for the self. There are some of us who wish we could have more but are not so immersed in that desire so as to leave us unhappy in what we do. There are people, and some of them are here, who have realized that a man or a woman does not live on bread alone. Do not equate money with happiness. Do not say that more money equals more happiness. Yes more money would make our lives easier but it is never a guarantee that we will be happy and remain so.
If there is one reality this particular thought of the gospel wishes us to be aware of, it is this, human fulfilment comes from deeper sources. Last two Sundays ago I told you of one - it can come from a sense of duty, the thought that I have done my duty to God.
Let just take the example of our feast today - the founders of the servites. Who are they? They are: Buonfiglio dei Monaldi , Giovanni di Buonagiunta , Amadeus of the Amidei , Ricovero dei Lippi-Ugguccioni , Benedetto dell' Antella , Gherardino di Sostegno , and Alessio de' Falconieri. They number seven. They come from the 7 patrician families of Florence. They were rich, they had everything. They were friends, mga barkada, a group of rich young men, who one day decided to serve God and dedicate themselves to help others. These are men who were imbued with a sense of duty, fired up by their faith in God to do what needs to be done, not for their own profit, but for God and for others.
How many will proceed to college; from the high school probably 5 or 6; how many will proceed to theology? Probably 4 or 3 or even just 2. The priesthood is so unattractive. And it will remain so.
Today is teachers’ day. You will honor us with dances, with songs, with a lot of humor and probably even with gifts, which, by the way, and this is just my own opinion, serves nothing but to clutter further my room. If there is one honor I would really appreciate from you is to become that which we are and have sacrificed dearly for, in you and for you - to offer your life to become priests, to be more generous to become priests, to have that sense of duty to become priests. All these other honors which you are going to do today are nothing but wind.
The first is the reality that we are present in a hostile world. We are in a world hostile to our way of life - in a world that looks down on the values that we teach; in a world that scoffs at the kind of heroism that we put forward; in a world which could not understand our point of view.
Now HRM is on the rise too, the maritime profession remains all the rage as usual, and domestic helpers are as popular attracting even some teachers. In all these excitement and rage, look at the contrast - priests are getting fewer and fewer and nuns are getting older and older with no one replacing them. Last year 2 have retired, this year one will retire, last year one migrated and also one died. This year only two will replace them.
Why, why is this so? As Jesus has said the world is hostile to our way of life, the world scoffs at the kind of heroism the priesthood offers, and the world does not understand our point of view. Why would a gandang lalake choose to become unmarried, why would he confine himself in a bedroom with nothing but a pillow to hug on to? Why would a young man shelve his freedom and instead choose to obey and let others decide his fate and destiny? Why would a talented person with all his managerial and leadership skills, with his creativity and talent content himself with a meager income and a lowly position? The world could not understand a priest because it sees things differently and it values differently these things.
How many of you would become priests? How many of you would resist the values of the world and choose to see things differently, the way Jesus sees things? And how many of you, would-be priest, have already succumbed to this hostile world which puts so much importance on sex and glamour, on wealth and power, how many have already been won over to their side? And finally, and this is one great source of regret, how many of you have we lost because as formators and teachers we have not been keen and careful, we have not been encouraging and protective?
This is the first reality that we need to be aware of. We are in a hostile world. We are in a world that could not understand the priesthood, we are in a world that takes the priesthood as a kind of anomaly.
The second reality which the gospel wants us to be aware of is this: Not everything in this world is done for profit; not everything in this world is done solely and primarily for the self. There are some of us who wish we could have more but are not so immersed in that desire so as to leave us unhappy in what we do. There are people, and some of them are here, who have realized that a man or a woman does not live on bread alone. Do not equate money with happiness. Do not say that more money equals more happiness. Yes more money would make our lives easier but it is never a guarantee that we will be happy and remain so.
If there is one reality this particular thought of the gospel wishes us to be aware of, it is this, human fulfilment comes from deeper sources. Last two Sundays ago I told you of one - it can come from a sense of duty, the thought that I have done my duty to God.
Let just take the example of our feast today - the founders of the servites. Who are they? They are: Buonfiglio dei Monaldi , Giovanni di Buonagiunta , Amadeus of the Amidei , Ricovero dei Lippi-Ugguccioni , Benedetto dell' Antella , Gherardino di Sostegno , and Alessio de' Falconieri. They number seven. They come from the 7 patrician families of Florence. They were rich, they had everything. They were friends, mga barkada, a group of rich young men, who one day decided to serve God and dedicate themselves to help others. These are men who were imbued with a sense of duty, fired up by their faith in God to do what needs to be done, not for their own profit, but for God and for others.
How many will proceed to college; from the high school probably 5 or 6; how many will proceed to theology? Probably 4 or 3 or even just 2. The priesthood is so unattractive. And it will remain so.
Today is teachers’ day. You will honor us with dances, with songs, with a lot of humor and probably even with gifts, which, by the way, and this is just my own opinion, serves nothing but to clutter further my room. If there is one honor I would really appreciate from you is to become that which we are and have sacrificed dearly for, in you and for you - to offer your life to become priests, to be more generous to become priests, to have that sense of duty to become priests. All these other honors which you are going to do today are nothing but wind.
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