RECENTLY I had the pleasure of having Archbishop Andrew Nkea from Bamenda in Cameroon stay at the Procure in Rome. As a student, he had lived here for four years.
One of our conversations triggered my memory that we have met before, and that his perspective had highly influenced my thoughts on recruiting members from our missions.
At the time he had said, “The decision of Mill Hill to recruit candidates from our mission territories is a mistake because the diocese is the Mill Hill fathers and brothers. They came with nothing to enrich and build the diocese, and the churches, seminaries, chapels, schools, hospitals etc. become diocesan property. Unlike other congregations, where their buildings become the property of their respective congregations. The decision therefore to recruit members from the missions made Mill Hill more like the others, having, like them, Mill Hill meetings, houses etc. The decision made Mill Hillers no longer part of the diocesan clergy.”
What a powerful charism! The Mill Hill Society was a great gift from God to the local church they evangelized. Prepared to be poor, they made the local churches rich!
This, I think, has to do with what I came to appreciate about the Church living here in Rome. Many of the scandals that affect the Church everywhere in the world, do not appear to upset the Church in Rome in the same way.
When for instance people in countries are leaving the Church because of abuse, financial mismanagement, dislikes or quarrels with individuals, it is less likely that people do so in Rome. Why?
The Church is seen as God’s gift. You may not like the gift or throw away the gift, but it is still God’s gift. You cannot refuse his gift or start your Church, because when you do so, the Church you start is no longer God’s gift. It becomes the gift of John, Tom, Dick or (historically) Luther, Calvin etc. They become the owners.
When you are baptized, God says to you, like when he said to Jesus, “You are my beloved son” (Mark 1:11)! You become God’s son and a child who is part of God’s family. This you can never deny, just like you cannot deny being a child of your parents. Once a Christian, always a Christian. It does not depend on whether you are good or bad, faithful or disloyal, deny or abandon the church, or even start your own church.
The Church is not like any other community, association, fellowship etc. of which we can be a member or cancel our membership. As St Paul says, “In baptism, we have died with Christ” (Romans 6:3). Yes, in baptism we talk about the death of someone, as one can see in St Paul’s letter to the Romans.
As a zealous, but insensitive newly ordained priest, I thus preached during the baptism of my niece about death. Needless to say, the parents and especially the grandparents were not ready for this message. The parents were shocked, and the grandparents were furious with me, and I can see why. At the time, I said literally to the young parents “Your child is to die when I immerse her into this water, but she will receive a new life, a new identity – she will no longer be your child, but God’s child”.
What joy to know that Church and the baptized are both a gift from God! We can either contribute towards its light (like the example of Mill Hill above) or diminish it, but we cannot destroy it! “You are the light of the world… you are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13-16)
The question, therefore, is not “what can the Church do for me, but what can I do for the Church.
Question:
- At the Eucharist (= Thanksgiving)we must thank God foremost for …..,?
- What was wrong with my homily as a young priest?
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Fr Guido Gockel MHM
A member of St Joseph’s Missionary Society of Mill Hill, headquartered near London, Father Guido was ordained a priest in 1969. Shortly after ordination, he was sent to Malaysia (Sarawak) where he served as a missionary for 18 years.
While on a vacation to Sabah, he was introduced to a group of young people who had become involved in the Charismatic Movement (CCR). This experience helped him to be instrumental in introducing CCR to Miri, Sarawak, where he was assigned to a mission outpost.
Since his first missionary stint of seven years in the early 70’s, he has been back to Malaysia three more postings, and numerous short visits. He has acquired a basic knowledge of “Melayu pasar” and other languages of Sarawak.
Catholic Sabah has the privilege of being acquainted with Fr Guido, who has been generous in giving his time to write for a year under the column titled “I’m on My Way” since the launching of the Catholic Sabah online portal in 2020.
With a little encouragement, Fr Guido has agreed to continue to write, and thus Catholic Sabah decided to upload his writings, once every month, in both English and Bahasa Melayu. Father is open to questions, to offer further discussion/explanation. He can be reached through email or whatsapp @ frguidomhm@gmail.com.
