I said this recently but I'll say it again; please be more loving towards our clergy!

It's no secret that the life of a Catholic Priest is not easy. The role of the clergy is onerous, and we often do not see how hard most of our clergy actually work, to build the kingdom of God. Our priests have generously given of their lives to the service of the people of God. It is a 24/7 role. 

I've written recently about how more than a few of us are to blame for the fact that a number of our priests have grown jaded and tired from their ministry. I've also written about how some of us are at fault for the fact that many of our priests are not in the best health, both physically and mentally. However, after two incidents that I've witnessed this week, I felt compelled to remind my readers once again, that we need to be more loving towards our priests. While I am certainly not trying to play the blaming game here, it would be morally repugnant for me to sit back and remain silent on such issues. Our priests are human beings, and we ought to treat them with love and care. 

The first incident happened last Thursday, when the popular Franciscan YouTuber, Friar Casey Cole, released a video titled "Abortion is not THAT important". The title was definitely a click-bait, but in no way whatsoever, did the priest who made the video express that he was in support of abortion. On the contrary, he expressed that as Christians, we ought to be concerned with such issues, and work to put an end to such atrocious acts. He did, however, state that we should do so because we are Christians, and that our lives as disciples should come first. He expressed that Catholics should not compromise their souls on account of furthering their cause, even if it's for the common good, and that they should not become morally bankrupt and commit repugnant acts whilst doing so. The friar told his viewers that they should, by all means, challenge our world leaders to end abortion, but to do so as a disciple of Christ. 

As you might have expected, this video caused a huge stir from all over the world, especially from America. Many wrote in to express their disliking to the video, most of whom did not even watch the video in its entirety. Many people were unhappy solely because of the title of the video. There were more than a few very unchristian remarks made in the comments section of the video, including some who insinuated that they would be jealous of the angel that would get to throw the young friar into the fires of hell. Some even made comments which included foul language. 

Whilst I can understand that such people are concerned with the issue of abortion, I cannot comprehend how they could claim to be Christian and yet behave so repugnantly to people whom they disagree with. Couldn't they be more respectful in disagreeing? Couldn't they have been more open to dialogue first, rather than doing whatever it took to push their agenda? 

The second incident which prompted this musing happened last Sunday. It was during the celebration of the Mass at one of our parishes in Singapore, The presiding priest removed his face-mask before reading the Gospel and preaching the homily. Under the new directives by the authorities, with regard to the COVID-19 situation, up to 5 people can remove their masks during a religious service, whilst performing their duties. In Singapore, the Archdiocese allows for this, but our priests have been asked to keep their masks on when they're at the Altar Table with the hosts for consecration. However, this apparently was not known by a vigilante for Safe Management Measures, who from the congregation, right in the middle of the celebration of the Liturgy, rudely yelled at the priest to wear his mask. 

Whilst I can understand the concerns of many of our Catholics with regard to the pandemic and the measures put in place for our safety, I can't help but notice that intentions may be misplaced here. Was it really necessary to yell at the priest? Was disrupting the celebration of the Liturgy the right thing to do? Couldn't he have spoken to the priest privately after the Mass? Did the person who yelled at the priest even know that he was allowed to remove his mask to perform official duties? 

I think it's safe to say that our clergy suffer much under the people of God. Many of us have high expectations of our priests. And while that in itself is not wrong, as priests should also not grow to be complacent with the Church simply being in maintenance mode, most of these expectations are about us and what we perceive to be right, rather than about building the kingdom of God. 

Jesus gave a commandment to his disciples to love one another. Most of us know that a true mark of a Christian is not in how much scripture or theology that he or she knows, but in loving his or her neighbour. Our priests are human beings, and as much as they are not always right, we are in no position to abuse or condemn them, even if they are wrong. Love entails respect. If we want our priests to be around, we need to be more loving towards them. 

My dear reader, please, for the love of God and his Church, make the effort to be more loving towards our pastors. And please, encourage your friends to do the same.