Last week, the Clergy of the Diocese of Bacolod gathered in the mountains of Murcia for our annual retreat. It was a much-anticipated event since for the past two years we have been deprived of this cherished gathering by the pandemic. Consequently, it turned to be an exuberantly joyful family reunion. But more importantly, it was a privileged encounter with God in creation (our venue was nature at its best), in our moments of personal prayer and in our faith-sharing sessions with brother priests.
The theme of our retreat was communion, with a focus on our relationships as a presbyterium. Our retreat facilitator developed the theme in the context of power. It was interesting to see our relationships with one another and with our people in the ministry in this particular perspective. It helped us understand ourselves better and equipped us on how to resolve or at least manage our conflicts.
The first part of our reflections was heavily psychological in content, which made some question if such was matter for a retreat. Gradually we realized the importance of having to know ourselves and our human dynamics in order to better navigate in our own inner journey towards God and in our journey together with our people towards the kingdom.
As Pope Francis once commented, “The devil knows the passwords to our hearts. We must know them too.” How important, indeed, it is to unravel the mystery of man before unraveling the mystery of God. The insightful inputs of the facilitator provided us a deeper understanding of the human dynamics of power and relationships, which in turn gave us a better grasp of the nature and sources of conflict, be it interpersonal, abuse of power, sexual abuse, clericalism, etc.
Personally, I have a number of takeaways from the retreat and from our reflection on power. Allow me to share two or three.
Takeaway 1: Power is a blessing. Unfortunately, we can also turn it into a curse. Power can truly make or unmake.
Takeaway 2: Power is from God. It is not ours. “What do you have that you have not received?” (1Cor 4:7) Power is given us by God in stewardship to be used for his own purpose. Hence the paramount importance of discerning and following the will of God.
I was struck by a quote from Fr. Roque Feriols, SJ, posted recently on Facebook where he says, “Isa lang ang mahalaga sa buhay: hanapin ang kalooban ng Diyos at tupdin it.”
Takeaway 3: The gift of power is a paradox. God’s power becomes fully operative in us to the extent that we surrender our power back to him – to the point of becoming totally powerless. We see this paradox in Jesus. He divested himself of his divinity, and did not only assume our humanity, but took the form of a slave and became obedient unto death. And “because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name… “(Ph 2:6-12)
We see this in the spirituality of St. John of the Cross. I love his description of God as “an all-bestowing God,” a God who wants to give himself completely to us, his life, his divinity, even his almighty power. All he asks is that we give him space. And the space he asks is a heart that is totally empty of self. Nada, nada, nada…
We see this working in St. Paul who says, “It is when I am weak that I am strong.” (2Cor 12:10)
We see this in the saints, like St. John Mary Vianney. A priest perceived as having no particular gifts, he was assigned to an abandoned parish which had no taker. Through his humble ministry (particularly in the confessional), he transformed a “godless parish” into a vibrant Christian community. Soon the parish became a destination to countless pilgrims from all over the world who wanted to confess to the Curé of Ars. In the humble person of St. John Mary Vianney the fulness of God’s power manifested itself. The devil himself admitted to the Curé, “If there were three such priests as you, my kingdom would be ruined.”
We see this in today’s readings. The book of Sirach tells us that it is “the prayer of the lowly [that] pierces the clouds; it does not rest till it reaches its goal.”
In the gospel, it is the humble tax collector, who stands at a distance, beating his breast and confessing himself as a sinner, that goes home justified. Not the proud and arrogant Pharisee who is convinced of his own righteousness and despises everyone else.
“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”