Need to be responsible and responsive...

 

Dear friends,

Wish that this message finds each of you fine.

The clergy of our diocese being rather young with a bishop in his early sixties and auxiliary in his fifties, let me try to introspect the recent past, especially the new episcopacy.

It was in this episcopacy the diocese was mindlessly pushed to an unheard of humiliation by an immature and irresponsible leadership in an unusually prolonged agitation against the 'mighty' Adani Port supported by the ruling as well as the opposition fronts in the state and the ruling BJP in the Centre, besides the neighbouring communities in the ground.

The people this hooligan 'shepherd', under the 'counsel' and pressure of the boisterous few, mobilized was mostly our illiterate people. The exhausted people were  provoked and pushed to the police trap facilitating heavy lathi charge wounding people and priests besides charging any number of conspiracy and criminal cases implicating the bishops even.

If the diocese was humiliated to this extent, the very archbishop was humiliated to the core with no parallel in our known history in the Thazhampally cemetery issue.

As if to add insult to injury, the talk of the town is that both the 'bishops' were remotely controlled in almost everything! And they seemingly have no shame moving in all paraphernalia.. Who actually is running the diocese?

Are we too going to be mute spectators, or mere onlookers, letting the diocese go to the dogs!

In this pitiable context, let's resolve not to bend our knees before these 'insolent might's and rise up to challenge them with our dignified discipleship as envisaged by Jesus in the gospels.

For this we need to really understand the mystery of incarnation and live up to that following the evangelical virtues of poverty and chastity and obedience to the Kingdom values, categorically and uncompromisingly.

This could be realized only through a life as simple and transparent as possible.

If so, shall we be authentic and accountable in everything, to start with, say,  money matters?

Shall we come up with declaring our 'assets and liabilities' annually?

Let's not aspire or attempt for anything unworthy.

Tomorrow is our bimonthly ritual Presbyterium! As usual there would be a talk with least concern for our everyday life and ministry, confession amidst a dramatic adoration and an episcopal 'address' addressing nothing worthwhile followed by a ഊർക്കൂട്ടം like outpourings.