A conversation with Fr Michael Payyapilly, VC: The miracle is Jesus

Feb 18, 2023

By Carmel Dominic and Kathlin Kaminiy Ambrose
We were all spoilt for choice when it came to choosing where we ‘attended’ Mass during the worldwide lockdown. Thanks to the internet, we had the privilege to ‘experience’ Masses from different countries and with different priests. It was during this time that Fr Michael Payyapilly, VC became a household name in many of our homes. Although it was only through the screen, Fr Michael has made a lasting reputation as a charismatic and interactive priest, with his jovial nature and generosity of spirit in sharing personal stories during his sermons.

Back in 2020 and 2021, the Vincentian priest served as the parish priest of the Church of The Holy Family in Victoria, Australia. He currently serves at the Divine Retreat Centre in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The HERALD had the opportunity to have a quick chat with him recently. Despite a hectic schedule travelling across borders to share the love of Christ, he still had his signature smile throughout the conversation, and this writer is happy to report that Fr Michael is the same in person as he is on screen – gentle, calm and unshaken in his love for Jesus.

Despite the reopening of churches, many of us have become complacent where our Sunday worship is concerned. We would rather wake up at a time that is reasonable to us and ‘attend’ Mass online as opposed to putting on our Sunday best and going for Mass in church. The temptation of enjoying the comforts of home while ‘observing’ Mass is a new challenge that we face post pandemic. Fr Michael had some sound advice that might help remind us why physical Mass is still relevant and very necessary.

“Firstly, we must be grateful that we had the platform that enabled us to move to online Masses at a time when we needed it. It was a blessing then and still is now, for example, for those who are home-bound and are unable to make it to church. However, we have to understand that online Mass was meant for that particular period of time. It is not something that the Church feels should be continued.

“As Catholics, it’s most essential that we experience the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. While for a period of time we had to experience Jesus only through Spiritual Communion, now we are able to enter into and receive real Communion because we can gather for physical Mass. So, if we are truly one with Jesus, we will not be able to stay away from the Eucharistic presence because it is essential nourishment for our journey. “It is crucial that we realise who is important. It is Jesus who is important. Without Him, we do not have anything.

It is also imperative that we remind ourselves that we are part of a community. The community dimension is very important. The Church is not individualist, we are a community. We share each other’s faith and we help each other enter the Kingdom of God. If we remain at home, we are going to miss out on that community spirit which is an essential aspect of our faith journey, as Pope Francis has emphasised. We worship as a community.”

People are thirsty for the Word of God
Aware of the large following he has gained and having travelled far and wide over the years at requests to conduct retreats, Fr. Michael opined that people are inclined to attend retreats conducted by foreign/visiting priests simply bec a u s e they are thirsty for more of God.

“Of course, it may be that the novelty of a foreign or visiting priest is exciting but, I think, one of the main reasons why people attend these retreats is because they are thirsty for God’s Word and will go wherever they can to receive it. It is, therefore, essential that the Church is able to give them that.”

In the same vein, the question that Fr Michael believes that all priests should ask themselves is, how much have I, as a priest, grown in the Word of God to be able to share it meaningfully with others?

“Priests are not ‘sacramental machines’ whose task is to merely dispense the sacraments.

We are also breaking God’s Word through the sacraments and more importantly, through the proclamation of the Word. That proclamation is what people are thirsting for.”

In his observation over the many years of conducting retreats, he has seen an exponential growth in people’s interest in the Word of God. This has led the people to want more and more of it. Therefore, if priests do not supply this need, people are bound to go looking for it elsewhere.

“Then of course there is the fascination with miracles and healings, but, that is only the initial phase. As they progress in their faith journey, people want to know more about Jesus, the worker of the miracles. They thirst for Him. We have seen this happening over time. People are dealing with their daily issues not through lofty miracles but by being sustained by the power of God’s Word. They are holding on to God’s Word. I think that is what is important. I think it is the proclamation, and knowing how they can live their faith in a way that is worthy of the Lord, one that is Biblically oriented, that is attractive to the people.”

Fr Michael further added that from his observation, people are searching for ways to make the Bible applicable in dealing with their everyday issues.

“The reason I am emphasising on the Bible is that, sometimes, we fail to realise that the sacraments and the Catechism of the Catholic Church are all Bible based. And so, we can use these gifts provided by the Church to make the Bible a reality in our life. That’s the attraction I feel the people have, especially from the little ministry I have done. It has all been about their thirst for God’s Word. At the crux of it all, what people are truly yearning for is a way to carry their daily crosses and live their everyday life in line with God’s Word and this is what they receive when they attend these retreats.”

Church benefits from different charisms and strengths of the clergy
The conversation then went on to the topic of the Holy Spirit and the importance that He plays in our daily lives. Fr Michael sheepishly admitted that perhaps there has been a slight oversight by some priests on the importance of the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Trinity. However, he also gently added that everyone, priests included, are not gifted in the same way but have different charisms and strengths to offer.

Speaking from his own experience, he related how the Catholic Church benefits from having priests and religious who have different ways in leading and serving a parish. “I was serving as a parish priest, but I don’t know if I was as pastoral as I have seen other parish priests be. I tried to love my parishioners but the other priests were a lot better in that area than I was. Pastoral means knowing and taking an interest in the parishioners and their lives, the nitty-gritty stuff, knowing all their names, for instance.

There are priests who are so involved in their parishioners’ lives. They might not do so well at the pulpit but the community still loves and appreciates them. As for me, I might preach well, but I may not be able to even get two people’s name correctly. Nevertheless, despite the differences in our strengths and weaknesses, a parish would still benefit from whatever we have to offer.”

He also pointed out the differences between the leadership of the late pope emeritus Benedict XVI who was more doctrinal in his approach and Pope Francis who is more pastoral. Different though they may be, the Catholic Church has grown under both their leaderships.

Fr Michael went on to say that likewise, different priests have different gifts to offer. The gifts may vary, nonetheless, they are all necessary for the growth of the parish and its parishioners.

“The Church needs all these gifts. Everyone is not similarly gifted, and so it is with us priests. We see that the Jesuits might be good in education, the Salesians with the youth, and the Vincentians at preaching. The Church is rich with people gifted in all these different areas. The blessing is that we can spread God’s Word by working together in using all of these gifts that complement each other.”

                                      Don’t be sceptical of the Holy Spirit

Fr Michael also spoke about those who were sceptical of the Holy Spirit, the nine gifts of the Spirit and the many manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the physical realm.

“First of all, we cannot be sceptical of the Holy Spirit because He is the third person of the Trinity. This is where I think the Holy Spirit has not been given enough emphasis in our preaching. It is easy to give people an idea of God the Father, through the image of a Father’s love and Jesus, by talking about His life and His works. However, we always leave the Holy Spirit aside as though He is a thing, or the wind or a dove. As a result, we easily forget that He is actually a person.

The Church teaches that the Holy Spirit is a person. As a person, He is relatable to us. I think many are ignorant of this fact. For many, the Holy Spirit is someone far away. They do not experience what He does or is capable of doing because He simply does not exist to them. Therefore, I think it is essential that the Church emphasises about the Holy Spirit and who the Holy Spirit is. Our preaching has to involve the Holy Spirit. At the very least, there should be equal emphasis on the Holy Spirit as there are on the Father and Jesus. The moment the Holy Spirit becomes real to us, then we will know His ways of working and His charisms. Therefore, there is actually no such thing as not being charismatic. This is because we have all been given charisms or spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit and we are all called to use them. As St Paul says, there are different kinds of gifts but each one given for the common good: some have the gift of prophecy, some the gift of healing, and others are given the gift of preaching.”

                           Important to have personal time with the Lord

Going on to speak on his own spiritual infilling, he said that it is essential to him that he has his personal time with the Lord every morning.

“I have to keep it going. I actually get very disturbed if I don’t get that time for my personal prayer because while I might be doing many things related to prayer, it does not mean I am actually praying. For example, when I conduct a 2-hour adoration session, I am not praying during the adoration, I am only leading the adoration but that is not my time of prayer. I could do a full day of ministry but that is still not my time of prayer. My time is exclusively of me with my Lord. Just like Jesus went up the mountain and He prayed to the Father, it is the same for us as well. We need that personal time with God.”

Humbly admitting that sometimes his prayer time can be dry and boring, with a monotony that can cause him to fall asleep, nonetheless, it is spent with the Lord, even in slumber, since it is the time that he has dedicated for the Lord. This is an area that he refuses to compromise, a practice that has kept him going throughout his countless retreats and challenges over the years.

“In spite of this conviction, it is still terribly hard to maintain a consistent prayer time. We can get through physical challenges like fatigue and jetlag, but it’s the spiritual battle that is especially hard because, Satan knows that when he brings down a priest, he brings down a community. It would be like a flock of sheep being scattered because the shepherd himself has lost his way. Then, there are also the emotional battles. As priests, we are often away from our loved ones and cannot be with them in their time of need. This does affect us. During these times, we can only trust in the Lord’s providence, protection and grace to see to the needs of our loved ones as we continue to see to the needs of the people God has placed under our care.”

Fr. Michael also expressed his gratitude for the multitudes who follow him online and to all those who make these livestreams possible and accessible. As a priest, it comforts him to know that there are actually people who listen and are interested in his preaching, more so because it will lead them into a deeper understanding and relationship with God.

“The healings and miracles really don’t concern me at all because you may get healed of something today, but you get sick with something else tomorrow and then at some point, we are going to pass on. This is just the reality of life. The more important question is, how much am I preparing myself for God’s Kingdom and are other people interested in that? The one thing I always put emphasis on is to prepare oneself for the Kingdom of God because we are not citizens of this world. We are citizens of the Kingdom. It is when people get interested in the Kingdom that comforts me the most. It inspires me, keeps me going and also, it keeps me on my toes. It is a constant reminder to myself that if I am not careful, the people might get into the Kingdom but I might not, because I slacked,” he said with a laugh.

In closing, Fr Michael reminded again that we all journey on each other’s faith, even him as a priest. He shared that there were many times when he was deeply inspired and motivated by people’s confessions.

“I hear the depth of their confession and think to myself what wonderful people they are. Considering the lives that they have led sometimes makes me feel as though they are more worthy to be in my place and I should be in theirs. Yes, eventually, I do forget the confessions, but at that moment, when I hear the conviction and how open they are in sharing such delicate details about their lives, it truly inspires me. To me, I have just come across a ‘saint’ and I have come across many such people in my life. They might never be canonised by the Church, but I have definitely been inspired by them.”