Real modernization is the fruit of wisdom

Feb 13, 2015

VATICAN (Herald Malaysia): “Applying rules to the times is the work of wisdom.” The Gospel is the one irreplaceable rule, and a good cleric humbles himself to God’s will. “Jesus did not come to carry out his own will but the Father’s. Thus, those who follow Jesus choose the path of obedience, lowering themselves and making God’s will their own, even to the point of humbling and humiliating oneself.” Pope Francis reminded priests of this in his homily at the Mass celebrated at St Peter’s Basilica on World Day for Consecrated Life and the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple.

It is wise for the Church to move with the times. “By persevering in obedience, personal and collective wisdom grows, making it possible to adapt the rules to the times: real modernization is in fact the work of wisdom, moulded by docility and obedience.... Obedience is not a theoretical fact; it is docility and obedience toward a Creator, docility and obedience to a concrete rule, docility and obedience to the Church. It is about concrete docility and obedience. The accumulated treasures and charisma of every religious family are preserved through a combination of obedience and wisdom. This path prevents us from living our consecrated life ‘lightly,’ and in a way that is detached from reality,” Francis warned.

“By living the priesthood ‘lightly,’ a priest makes a mockery of religious life: a life without sacrifice, a prayer without encounter, a fraternal life without communion, obedience without trust, charity without transcendence. A priest’s role is to steer Jesus while being steered by Him: being guides who are guided by Jesus. To a cleric, progression means lowering himself in service: a path like Jesus. Jesus did not see being like God as a privilege, He lowered himself, becoming a servant in order to serve. This path is a rule that is shaped according to the charisma of its Creator.

“Sometimes,” Francis continued, “God may give the gift of wisdom to an inexperienced young person. This young person just needs to be willing to take the path of obedience and docility to the Holy Spirit.” Commenting on the passage in the Gospel where Jesus presents himself at the temple, the Pope recalled that “the elderly couple, Simeon and Anna, represent wisdom but both Mary, a young mother and Simeon, an elderly grandfather carry the child in their arms. It is the child, however, that guides both of them.”

“Everyone’s irreplaceable rule,” Francis stressed, “is the Gospel. But in its infinite creativity, the Holy Spirit also translates this into different rules for consecrated life. All of these, however, stem from this journey of lowering oneself in service. It is precisely through this law that the consecrated are able to achieve wisdom, which is not an abstract attitude but the work and a gift of the Holy Spirit. And the visible sign of this is joy. The joy of a cleric is a consequence of this path of humbling oneself alongside Jesus: when we are sad, we should ask ourselves how we are living this aspect of our lives.”