Jul 31 – Memorial for St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest
St. Ignatius (1491-1556) was wounded in the leg by a cannonball at the siege of Pampeluna on 20 May 1521, an injury that left him partially crippled for life. During his recuperation the only books he had access to were The Golden Legend, a collection of lives of the saints, and the Life of Christ by Ludolph the Carthusian. These books, and the time spent in contemplation, changed him.
On his recovery he took a vow of chastity, hung his sword before the altar of the Virgin of Montserrat, and donned a pilgrim’s robes. He lived in a cave for a year, contemplating the way to live a Christian life. His meditations, prayers, visions and insights led to forming the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus.
- Patron Saint Index
Jer 26:1-9
Mt 13:54-58
And they would not accept him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is only despised in his own country and in his own house.”
On reading today’s passages, the phrase “don’t shoot the messenger” kept clattering around my mind. Also, I could not stop thinking about the ‘Great Movement of Priests’ across our churches that happened just last week. The Office of New Evangelisation has published a guide to help us navigate these changes. My initial reaction was incredulity — that we needed emotional support for such a thing as movement of priests, especially when this is not anything new.
Upon further reflection, it is clear why some people may bemoan a priest leaving their parish. If the priest has been your spiritual director, your pastor in times of joy and times of grief, a person who has brought the love of Jesus to you and your family, you would be a little upset to see him go. While a priest is most certainly someone that we all come to know and respect and love, we must also remember that he is — first and foremost — a representative of Jesus, and we must never lose our focus on Jesus. This also means that the incoming priest is also a representative of Jesus, and this authority must be respected. Instead of doubt or even resentment, we should try to have faith and obedience. Of course, this does not mean that priests will never be in error. They are human after all, and their errors must be called out precisely out of respect for their office.
Deciding on which priest goes where cannot be an easy feat. On top of all the logistics and planning, a lot of prayer goes into this. And because a lot of prayer goes into this, we can be sure that God has a hand in all of it. God knows all of us and our needs, and he always provides. God himself is the plan and the big picture, while we are usually unable to see the forest for the trees. Therefore, we need to have the humility to accept these changes as a gift from God. Also, this should work both ways — the parish accepts the new priest and the new priest accepts the parish, and guided by the Holy Spirit, both work together for the good of everyone.
Going back to the readings for today, which tell of Jeremiah running afoul of the powers that be simply because he spoke the Truth, it is sobering to know that as a prophet and as a representation of God, the risk of offending someone is always there. Many do not wish to hear Truth nor have their sins exposed. And so they rage against the messenger and try to get rid of him. And so, I see it as similar when we struggle to accept changes in our parishes or even in our archdiocese. I’m not saying we will go as far as to stone someone or riot, but the unease stems from the same place — lack of humility.
There is a quote attributed to St Ignatius of Loyola, “perinde ac cadaver”, which means “as if a dead body”. He means that a Jesuit should be like a corpse and surrender his ego and will to God and his superiors, and be absolutely obedient, so as to be used as an instrument of God. I think this is something that everyone should attempt to do — to let go of our pride and ego and submit to the will of God, and to the Church authorities who are God’s representatives on earth. Incidentally, as my parish priest gave his farewell speech, he exhorted us to read Romans chapter 12, which starts off with St Paul telling us to surrender ourselves to God’s Will.
However, surrendering our will and ego is difficult; and we all know it. Just like the people who tried to put Jeremiah to death and the people who were offended by Jesus that they had him crucified, are we not also blinded by our own pride when we claim that so and so priests are not going to be a good fit for our parish? Are we questioning the discernment that the Church authorities have gone through, and are we doubting their prayers and God’s hand in this? Do we so lack humility that we think we know better than our Archbishop? Are our hearts so narrow that we are unable to give the new priest a chance and accommodate him? We need to work harder at being dead bodies.
It is not easy being a priest. We had recently celebrated 4 new priests being ordained because we know that the flock needs more shepherds. The priests and their families have made huge sacrifices for this, although they would not see it as a sacrifice because to them, God called and they answered out of faith, humility, and obedience. They should be our role models on how to lose our egos and start listening to God.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this week, let us welcome the new priests in our parishes. Let us thank them, and all the other priests, for their hard work and dedication to leading all of us to God, even though some of us actively try to turn away. Respect their authority, pray for them, and emulate them in their faith, humility, and obedience. That is how we can all work together for the good of the Church.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Felicia Zou)
Prayer: Almighty Father, who loved us into existence, who loved us by sending your Son to die for our sins, have mercy on us who have been prideful and even forgotten that You are ever present in our lives. Help us to grow in faith and humility that we may be obedient to Your will.
Thanksgiving: Dear Lord, we thank You for the gift of all the priests and religious who have tirelessly shepherded us in all the seasons of our lives.
OXYGEN 
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