Card.
Alencherry: pastors called to prophetic role
(Vatican
Radio) The third General Congregation of the XIV Ordinary General Assembly of
the Synod of Bishops opened on Tuesday morning with the celebration of Terce
(mid-morning prayer).
The
homily for the Liturgy was delivered by Cardinal George Alencherry of
Ernakulam-Angamaly, Major Archbishop and President of the Synod of the
Syro-Malabar Church.
In
his homily, Cardinal Alencherry reminded the Synod Fathers that “the pastors of
the Church in the present times are called to take upon their lives a prophetic
role of suffering and kenosis.”
Below
please find the full text of Cardinal George Alencherry’s homily during Terce
at the third General Congregation of the Synod of Bishops:
Holy
Father and My dear friends,
The
reading from Jeremiah 22:3, gives us a message very much applicable to the goal
of our Synodal deliberations on family. Prophet Jeremiah uttered a few oracles
to the royal family of Judah cautioning the King against the ruin that may fall
upon the Kingdom, if the King does not render Justice and righteousness and
save the oppressed from the hand of the oppressor. Josiah and Jehoiakim were
the Kings of Judah, at that time. We know that both of them were weak Kings,
and Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon destroyed the Kingdom of Judah and the
temple. Owing to the failures of the Kings the people were driven to exile and
all the sufferings arising there from. Josiah and Nebuchadnezzar, the Kings of
Judah could not render justice and righteousness and save the oppressed from
the hand of the oppressor. Justice means the acceptance of the reign of God and
righteousness is the grace of God resulting from the acceptance of God’s reign.
The Kings of Judah failed in their responsibility to give justice and righteousness
to the people due to which the people had to suffer the consequences.
The
words of the prophet are applicable to rulers and leaders of all the times and
also to the people governed by them. In many countries of the world people are
denied of justice and righteousness by the promotion of individualism, hedonism
and oppression by secularist values and lines of action. The question arises
whether the leaders of the Church have come forward with a prophetic role like
that of Jeremiah to support the people by the Word of God and by personal
witness.
Jeremiah
had to suffer at the cost of his prophetic role. His life was a symbol of the
message he gave. Suffering and ruin, he had to take upon himself. He was asked
to accept three signs in his life: not to marry, not to attend funerals and not
to attend parties.
Do
not take a wife (16:2): Jeremiah is not to experience the deep love of a bride,
for the bride, Israel, has rejected Yahweh’s love. He must experience
loneliness, as Yahweh experiences loneliness. In Christian times, celibacy
becomes a sign.
Do
not go into a house where there is mourning (16:5): Jeremiah is not to mourn or
show compassion to the dead, because Yahweh has lost all feelings for his
people. They will die unlamented.
Do
not go into a house where there is a celebration (16:8): Jeremiah is not to
join any celebration, because there is nothing to celebrate. Jeremiah is called
to lead a terrible life, no wonder he goes into deep depression and bitter
lament (cf. 20: 7ff). It is not easy to be a prophet. (The New Community Bible,
St Paul Publications, Mumbai, India)
The
pastors of the Church in the present times are called to take upon their lives
a prophetic role of suffering and kenosis, similar to that of prophet Jeremiah.
The words of Holy Father Pope Francis in Evangelii Gaudium (n.
49) become meaningful here.
“I
prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on
the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and
from clinging to its own security. I do not want a Church concerned with being
at the centre and then ends by being caught up in a web of obsessions and
procedures. If something should rightly disturb us and trouble our consciences,
it is the fact that so many of our brothers and sisters are living without the
strength, light and consolation born of friendship with Jesus Christ, without a
community of faith to support them, without meaning and a goal in life. More
than by fear of going astray, my hope is that we will be moved by the fear of
remaining shut up within structures which give us a false sense of security,
within rules which make us harsh judges, within habits which make us feel safe,
while at our door people are starving and Jesus does not tire of saying to us:
‘Give them something to eat’ (Mk 6:37).”
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