Faisalabad bishop tells religious that their work is a model of spiritual and temporal well-being
Karachi (AsiaNews) – "The Consecrated Life, deeply rooted in the example and teaching of Christ the Lord, is a gift of God the Father to his Church through the Holy Spirit. By the profession of the evangelical counsels the characteristic features of Jesus - the chaste, poor and obedient one - are made constantly 'visible' in the midst of the world," said Mgr Joseph Arshad, bishop of Faisalabad (Punjab).
The words he quoted are from Saint John Paul II’s post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata and he used them to welcome the religious of his diocese (pictured) to the celebrations of the Year of the Consecrated Life. The bishop thanked them for their work at the local level.
Quoting again from the Vita Consacrata, Mgr Arshad said, "’In every age there have been men and women who, obedient to the Father's call and to the prompting of the Spirit, have chosen this special way of following Christ, in order to devote themselves to him with an "undivided" heart.’ You and I have been really blessed to be called by our Lord Jesus Christ to be His holy people, special sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father."
The prelate praised those present for "your precious apostolate in education, health care and pastoral work, strengthened by your charism for the good of the diocese, in the face of today’s many challenges."
He keenly emphasised that, from the moment he took office, he had the religious orders on his side, so much so that their presence is for him a "state of euphoric nirvana" and a "model of spiritual and temporal well-being" for the faithful. In his view, they “are children of God! Lavished with love, with grace, witnesses of mercy and overflowing with hope!”
Mgr Arshad explained that Pakistani religious were consecrated to proclaim the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ "in a territory plagued by terrorism and extremism,* a weak government, an unjust distribution of resources, and a slow, corrupt and expensive judicial system.” In addition, “Discriminatory laws against women and minorities are two heavy boulders on the road to peace and peaceful co-existence for disadvantaged members of society."
The prelate noted that most Christians live in conditions of poverty. Few are literate, which means that most can aspire only to menial jobs. This in turn holds back their children from education and denies them better job opportunities, and a chance to get out of their backward situation.
What is worse is that such a hard life often leads to alcohol and drug abuse, “adding further pain to families and children.”
Mgr Arshad warned against the rising number of (Evangelical) Churches that are popping up like mushrooms, and the growing number of foreign-sponsored, self-proclaimed pastors and bishops “sowing divisions among Christians.”
"People of lukewarm faith are easily charmed by healing” performed by self-proclaimed guides who lead idle, unskilled and unemployed youth astray.
Asking what role the Church has to play in this, he went on to wonder whether the Church’s and consecrated people need to change their ways. "We need to reflect,” he wrote, “and act to meet these challenges before it is too late. Perhaps, reading the signs of time, we need to change our training, review our personal lifestyle, renew our commitments and examine our way of dealing with the faithful.”
Still, change needs patience and kindness. Quoting Timothy, he noted, "The time is sure to come when people will not accept sound teaching, but their ears will be itching for anything new and they will gather around series of teachers according to their own taste, and then they will shut their ears to the truth and will turn to myths. But you must keep steady all the time, put up with suffering, do the work of preaching the gospel, and fulfil the service asked of you.”
* Two churches were attacked in in Lahore in March of this year.
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