CLERGY MEETING – APRIL 26 to 27
The General Body Meeting of the diocese of Varanasi was held from April 26-27, 2012. There were all together 127 priests. The reflection and deliberation took place on the theme FOLLOWING JESUS IN THE MISSION IN TODY’S CONTEXT. The Resource Person Rev. Fr. Leo Sequeira, priest of Allahabad Diocese stressed in his talk that three things required in following Jesus in Mission:
1. Taking Jesus seriously;
2. Taking Mission seriously;
3. Taking Life seriously.
1. Taking Jesus seriously entails personal love and devotion to Jesus, prayer and solitude, intimacy and personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, being Christ-like in perception and behaviour with all: rich and poor, literate and illiterate, need of reconciliation and forgiveness in life.
2. Taking Mission seriously entails living meaningfully and credibly in today’s context. He stated emphatically that there is amnesia of the poor, as if they do not exist or excluded from the society or displaced; there is eclipse of social consciousness, which implies that there is lack of intellectual awakening, free and creative thinking, wisdom and experience; Human beings have become more and more individualistic and consumeristic in the society. There is also loss of cultural capital.
3. Taking Life seriously entails living a life of credibility, authenticity, transparency, accountability and confidentiality.
He strongly stated that “the world may grow in knowledge, science and technology and research, it is only the power of love and compassion that can sustain healthy relationships. In today’s techno-mind and consumer heart, culture of greed and pride, human sensitivity and compassion are slowly fading from human hearts. Today more than ever the hope of humanity lies in human solidarity and togetherness.” At the end Most Rev. Raphy Manjaly exhorted the priests to lead a more respectable priestly life and to live in unity and solidarity.
