The news on Pope Francis’ recent acceptance of Bishop
Antonio P. Palang’s resignation came to my knowledge last Sunday, 5th
Sunday of Lent. The official Pontifical action was released by the Catholic
Bishops Conference of the Philippines’ (CBCP) and though I am now away from organized religion, the news made me reflect for a while and uttered a prayer for the spiritually-confined
71-year old and sickly prelate who is my employer since he was ordained bishop in May 2002 until my separation from the
diocese’s social action apostolate in 2012.
In John 12:20-23, the gospel that day, Jesus speaks about
the grain of wheat that must fall (resign?) to the ground for its eventual
fruition. The almost rotten seeds kept in a jar for a very long time ought to
reach its true destination, which is the soil, to be truly productive and
relevant. With this latest development in our Local Church, big social
challenge is ahead of her.
Complete. The road we aim to tread must be complete as the
important and divine events of the Holy Week: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Black
Saturday and Easter Sunday. We cannot allow one occasion of holiness and
mystery be left behind. It is written, “When
anyone is united to Christ, there is a new world. The old order has gone and a
new order has already begun” (2 Cor. 5:17) for God is not a God of burned
things and ashes but of renewed things, as I have written some years back.
Bishop David William V. Antonio was officially installed February
12, 2016 as administrator of Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose and now reappointed
by Pope Francis to take full charge of the local church as mandated by the Roman
Pontiff until the seat for the Vicar Apostolic is occupied.
Three years ago, Bishop Palang gained attention in the US when
he issued an official statement in defense of his priest, Fr. Fernando Suarez,
from a memorandum of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops or USCCB alarming their local dioceses over Suarez’ healing masses there. The prelate protected
him against the alleged “damaged caused to the reputation” of Fr. Suarez by the
Conference in a statement he released April 20, 2015.
The vicariate’s pastoral nets must again cast into the deep
sea of pressing needs, immediate concerns and urgent social questions via her
pastoral and administrative thrusts. The seed’s falling is just a transition to
a new life as emphasized in yesterday’s gospel. God aspire for a truly complete
new life for our Church, His seed.
The Swiss critic and theologian Alexandre Rodolphe Vinet
said centuries ago: “Resignation is the
courage of Christian sorrow.” It is, indeed in this case...
--------
(Photo:
Roderick Ignacio FB Account)
References:
It is okey if he resigned voluntarily, but being forced to resign is tantamount to have been bullied by the CBCP itself. Church politics is worse than of the Government politics, at least in Occ. Mindoro.
ReplyDelete