Lay People need Religious to inspire them

HUA HIN, Thailand (UCAN) -- Men and women Religious are needed in Asia today to inspire laypeople and be a powerful a sign of God's presence in their economically driven societies.

This was the message a lay Church worker gave to leading Asian Religious gathered for a Federation of Asian Bishops' (FABC) meeting in Hua Hin, Thailand.

Religious must live the consecrated life not only for themselves but as an inspiration for laypeople, who face the pressures of modern living, Sherman Kuek told some 60 nuns, brothers, priests and bishops at the Nov. 16-21 FABC symposium. The meeting had the theme, "The Impact of Today's Culture on the Church, especially as regards Consecrated Life in Asia Today."

Kuek, 33, is director of the Melaka-Johor Diocesan Pastoral Institute in Malaysia and was the only lay speaker at the symposium. Religious must live radical antithetical lives that inspire and excite laypeople to emulate them, albeit in their lay state of life, he said.

He noted that laypeople live in a culture that urges them to "work more, earn more, spend more," and which is "at odds with the Gospel."

He said that laypeople have inevitably reinterpreted, redefined and compartmentalized religion. From being at the center of their lives, it is now relegated to a corner. They faithfully perform religious duties and obligations but otherwise they are busy engaging with a culture that advocates consumption and the acquiring of wealth.

In modern Asian societies such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan, laypeople "choose both God and mammon," Kuek asserted.

Now the Church in Asia is challenged to answer a prophetic call to authentic discipleship, Kuek continued, explaining that this call is for Religious to make a stand for the sake of the laity.

"The Church can shout and shout" in condemning materialism and urging charity but laypeople do not necessarily listen because they have to survive in the modern world, he stressed.

Many Religious said on the sidelines that his call to them was a powerful challenge.

Filipina Sister Julma Neo noted that after Vatican Council II, many Religious not only "adapted" to the world, as was intended, but also "adopted" the ways of the world.

The former general councilor for Asia of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul agreed that for the consecrated life to make sense, it must be mystical, prophetic and counter-cultural.

(Published in UCAN News, November 19)
Dr. Sherman Kuek was Pastoral Associate of Formation and Youth Ministry in the Church of Visitation, Seremban and Chapel of St. Theresa, Nilai from 2008-2009. He now serves as Director of the Pastoral Institute of the Melaka-Johor Diocese.

Test: Do you appreciate your priest?

Spanish Bishop Composes Test

PALENCIA, Spain, SEPT. 18, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The Year for Priests isn't just an internal celebration among the clergy, but rather an opportunity for all the faithful to assess their appreciation for the priesthood, says Bishop José Ignacio Munilla of Palencia.

"Do we appreciate the priesthood and love our priests?" the bishop asked in a posting on the Web site of his dioceses.

To answer this question, the bishop composed -- "with a bit of humor" -- the following test titled "Priestly Appreciation." The test is complete with instructions to evaluate your answers and your level of appreciation for the priesthood.

* * *

1. Have you prayed recently for your parish priest, your bishop or the Pope?

a. I don't even know their names.

b. At Mass there is usually prayer for them, and I add myself in that petition.

c. I do so every day in my personal prayer.


2. Have you disclosed your conscience to a priest, trusting that he can help you in your problems?

a. Each one has to solve his problems.

b. "Four eyes see more than two." It is always good to listen to and accept the advice of someone who can help us.

c. The greatest help I have received from a priest has been when his advice was joined to God's forgiveness in the sacrament of confession.


3. When I hear among my friends comments criticizing priests ...

a. I followed their lead, so as not to stand out.

b. I tuned out, and pretended to think of something else.

c. I said what I thought, giving witness to my faith.


4. I see in a priest ...

a. A "relic" of the past.

b. A "professional" of religion.

c. A minister of God; "another Christ" among us.


5. How many times have you invited the parish priest to your home?

a. The priest is only called when someone has died.

b. When grandmother is with us, he usually brings Communion.

c. Several times. I was delighted when he told us the story of his vocation at the dinner table.


6. When you hear a priest give a homily ...

a. I listen, if he has good oratorical skills.

b. I listen, I am interested in the topic he is addressing.

c. I see him as an instrument through which God is speaking to me.


7. When a collection is taken up for seminaries ...

a. I think, "Priests" are always begging.

b. I say to myself, there are collections for so many things! One more!

c. I collaborate gladly, because I believe no vocation should be frustrated because of lack of financial means.


8. When I see an elderly priest in the Church or on the street ...

a. I think the Church is on the decline.

b. I hope he says the Mass quickly.

c. I thank God for his fidelity and for all the good he might have done.


9. When I see a young priest at the altar ...

a. I mistrust his lack of experience. What is he going to say to me?

b. I observe what he does and "classify" him.

c. I thank God for his vocation and pray intensely for him.


10. How would you react if your son said he wants to be a priest?

a. I would ask him if he's gone mad, and I would remind him that we must take into consideration what others might think.

b. I would ask him to give it considerable thought and to have a university degree first.

c. It would give me one of the greatest joys of my life, and I would support him fully.


11. Have you asked a child, adolescent or young man about the possibility of being a priest some day?

a. I don't get into jams. Let everyone live his life.

b. I am of the opinion that all vocations must be appreciated, even if they are different from our own.

c. Yes, I have thought of someone specifically, and I pray for him ... One of these days, "I will let him know."


12. What do you think of the expression of the Saintly Curé d'Ars: "The priest is the love of Jesus' heart"?

a. I think it is a disembodied spiritualism.

b. I think that can only be said of a saintly priest.

c. I believe it is exactly so, though "they have this treasure in earthen vessels" (2 Corinthians 4:7).

* * *

Guide to evaluating the results:

If the letter "a" appears in the majority of your answers, I am surprised that this test reached your hands. But, I thank God that this happened so that I can tell you as the priest that I am, that God loves you the point of folly and that he expects from you an answer of love.

If you have responded to the majority of questions with the letter "b," I would like to tell you that you are not enjoying the treasures that God is offering you through the priesthood.

But if the letter "c" is yours, then I ask you not to cease to pray to God for the sanctification of priests and for the increase of priestly vocations, because I am very sure that God is going to listen to you.

The Year of the Priest

"Faithfulness of Christ, faithfulness of priests" is the theme of the Year for Priests announced on March 16, 2009, by the Holy Father. The Pope inaugurated the Year on June 19, the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, presiding at Vespers in St. Peter's Basilica. He will close the year on June 19, 2010, at a "World Meeting of Priests" in St. Peter's Square.

The Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur also launched the Year of the Priest with Solemn Vespers and a Eucharistic Celebration on the same day at the Church of Sacred Heart, Peel Road, Kuala Lumpur. Our parish followed suit on the following day, 20th June, at the Sunset mass.

What is the Year of the Priest?

According to Pope Benedict XVI in proclaiming the Year of the Priest, he announced that the Year of the Priest, was "meant to deepen the commitment of all priests to interior renewal for the sake of a stronger and more incisive witness to the Gospel in today’s world." (the full text)

The Year of the Priesthood also commemorates the 150th anniversary celebration of the death of the saintly Curé of Ars, St. John Mary Vianney, the Patron Saint of Parish Priests and Pastors of Souls.

The Congregation for the Clergy also suggests and highlights the following points for reflection and action:
• It must be a year that is both positive and forward looking in which the Church says to her priests above all, but also to all the Faithful and to wider society, that she is proud of her priests, loves them, honours them, admires them and that she recognises with gratitude their pastoral work and the witness of the their life.
• May this year be an occasion for a period of intense appreciation of the priestly identity, of the theology of the Catholic priesthood, and of the extraordinary meaning of the vocation and mission of priests within the Church and in society.
This special year it is intended “to encourage priests in this striving for spiritual perfection on which, above all, the effectiveness of their ministry depends”.
• It must be, in a very special way, a year of prayer by priests, with priests and for priests, a year for the renewal of the spirituality of the presbyterate and of each priest.
• It also be a year in which the concrete circumstances and the material sustenance of the clergy will be considered, since they live, at times, in situations of great poverty and hardship in many parts of the world.
• It is a year of religious and of public celebration which will bring the people – the local Catholic community – to pray, to reflect, to celebrate, and justly to give honour to their priests. May it therefore be an opportunity to develop the communion and friendship between priests and the communities entrusted to their care.

Some Videos related to the Year of the Priest:

Pope Benedict XVI inaugurates the Year of the Priest

Year of the Priest

The Cure D'Ars, Patron Saint of Priests