A recent commentator to this weblog says: "Nice blog. Probably I am prejudiced, but many of your opinions seem totally out of place, coming from a priest."
I feel quite proud!
I replied " You say many of my comments seem out of place for a priest...I guess that is dependent on what you think a priest ought to be. It seems to me that it is important for a priest to give witness to the truth, and that I try to do.
Probably not very well.
Too often priests (and other holy people) have fallen back on the privilege to withdraw from contentious issues...as a Christian this is not something that I observe Jesus doing.
So I try to follow him.
St Paul says ...it is for freedom that we have been set free...I take this to heart and think that I should be trying to set people free and also to live a free life myself."
If I was clever enough to design my coat of arms then that is what would be on it...it is for freedom that we have been set free.
It just seems to me to touch almost every aspect of our lives.Whether it is about liberating people from actual captivity, or struggling to not manipulate family and friends in personal
relationship we find this rather hard.
One of my problems as a priest is to try and allow people to decide for themselves and for them to not simply decide: "I will let you decide for me".
An organisational dilemma is that in trying to stand back to let people exercise their freedom....all too many other eager beavers, often out of impatience, and even well-meaning kindness are ready to rush in and decide for others.
It always seems to me a mistake except perhaps to avoid extreme danger.
So we live in communities of people who try to never make a decision.
They are thus vulnerable to the powerful and the unscrupulous.
It is a hard struggle but we need to commit ourselves to it!
1 comment:
Unfortunately many people's view about God is formed the same way
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