I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;
I will lead him and requite him with comfort, creating for his mourners the fruit of the lips.
Peace, peace, to the far and to the near, says the Lord.
I was puzzled over these verses because of the verse preceding them: “I smote him, I hid my face and was angry; but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart.” To me, the passage in its immediate context seemed to go against what I posted yesterday, at least in the sense that a pastor’s role is not solely in comforting sinners. The gist of Isaiah 57 seemed to be that wrath didn’t work, so consolation would.
But was that really the message? Yes, God desires mercy, not sacrifice, but is mercy
only given by way of soft words and “there theres?”
Then Psalm 23 popped into my mind:
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want; he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Of course, this psalm reiterates almost everything I wrote yesterday, but I remembered something that struck some time ago and that makes sense of the passage in Isaiah: “thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.”
The meaning here is easy to miss, particularly if you don’t know how shepherds use the rod and staff. These tools are used to guide sheep to the right or left, to prompt them to move forward, and when necessary, to get them back into line. They’re tools of guidance and discipline. What does one use the crook of the staff for? To drag a straying sheep back into the flock. What do you do with the rod when a sheep isn’t moving in the direction he or she should? You whack it on the rump with the rod to prompt compliance. A good shepherd would never beat the sheep with these tools (not that some of us couldn’t use a good beating now and then), but he knows when discipline is necessary to get us back on track.
Proverbs 13:1 underscores both the responsibility of the good child, and the foolishness of those who will not be led: “A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to a rebuke.” In the same chapter, we see that it is indeed discipline that demonstrates ones love for a child: “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him” (Proverbs 13: 24). Paul reminds us again in Hebrews 12: 5–8 that discipline is a sign of love, not wrath or antipathy:
And have you forgotten the exhortation which addresses you as sons? –“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you are punished by him. For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
The very word disciple comes from the same root as discipline. How can one call oneself a disciple if one will not heed discipline?
3 comments:
Hello, Bill. It was nice to meet you today at the "mini-retreat."
Something in your post caught my eye, and made me think of canon law - imagine that.
You wrote, "A good shepherd would never beat the sheep with these tools (not that some of us couldn’t use a good beating now and then), but he knows when discipline is necessary to get us back on track."
It is true that there are times we, as the Christian faithful, need to be put back on track. We are human, afterall, and are easily distracted from where we are supposed to be.
Anyway, c. 255 speaks of the formation future priests receive in the seminary is "pastoral" in nature and should be in keeping with the three fold munera of teaching, governing and santifying.
The "job description" of a parish priest (pastor) is found in cc. 528 and 529:
Can. 528 §1 The parish priest has the obligation of ensuring that the word of God is proclaimed in its entirety to those living in the parish. He is therefore to see to it that the lay members of Christ’s faithful are instructed in the truths of faith, especially by means of the homily on Sundays and holydays of obligation and by catechetical formation. He is to foster works which promote the spirit of the Gospel, including its relevance to social justice. He is to have a special care for the catholic education of children and young people. With the collaboration of the faithful, he is to make every effort to bring the gospel message to those also who have given up religious practice or who do not profess the true faith.
§2 The parish priest is to take care that the blessed Eucharist is the centre of the parish assembly of the faithful. He is to strive to ensure that the faithful are nourished by the devout celebration of the sacraments, and in particular that they frequently approach the sacraments of the blessed Eucharist and penance. He is to strive to lead them to prayer, including prayer in their families, and to take a live and active part in the sacred liturgy. Under the authority of the diocesan Bishop, the parish priest must direct this liturgy in his own parish, and he is bound to be on guard against abuses.
Can. 529 §1 So that he may fulfil his office of pastor diligently, the parish priest is to strive to know the faithful entrusted to his care. He is therefore to visit their families, sharing in their cares and anxieties and, in a special way, their sorrows, comforting them in the Lord. If in certain matters they are found wanting, he is prudently to correct them. He is to help the sick and especially the dying in great charity, solicitiously restoring them with the sacraments and commending their souls to God. He is to be especially diligent in seeking out the poor, the suffering, the lonely, those who are exiled from their homeland, and those burdened with special difficulties. He is to strive also to ensure that spouses and parents are sustained in the fulfilment of their proper duties, and to foster the growth of christian life in the family.
§2 The parish priest is to recognise and promote the specific role which the lay members of Christ’s faithful have in the mission of the Church, fostering their associations which have religious purposes. He is to cooperate with his proper Bishop and with the presbyterium of the diocese. Moreover, he is to endeavour to ensure that the faithful are concerned for the community of the parish, that they feel themselves to be members both of the diocese and of the universal Church, and that they take part in and sustain works which promote this community."
I believe these canons clearly outline what being "pastoral" means... and can be applied not only to the clergy, but to the laity as well. It even includes the hand-holding I think you mentioned in your post. We all, as the baptized, have a role to play, according to our state in life, in this "pastoring." The trick is finding the proper balance between using the rod, and using other more gentle ways of correcting the path of a wayward sheep. Not always an easy task.
Hey, Mark. Tyanks for the excellent comments. I hope I didn't give the impression that comfort and consolation are never a priest's business. That would vertainly be far from the case. Clearly, canon law addresses the many different facets well. I tink that's what truly frustrates me when I hear the term "pastpral" as if it excluded those responsibilities that do require admonishment, stern action, or simplydirect communication of the doctrines of the faith.
I recall in Engaged Encounter that the deacon was trying to soft-pedal the Church's teaching on sterilization to an older woman who had a great deal of anxiety about getting pregnant at 48. He kept coming back to the need to follow our conscience. The problem is that, while the stament is true, it can be misinterpreted in so many ways, and people can improperly claim "conscience" for what is really preference. The context for the teaching on conscience was completely missing. That is what is frequently missing from the term "pastoral"—that there are contexts in which the pastoral thing to do is to console and comfort. At other times, the pastoral thing is to admonish.
Thanks again. I think we're going to have to have coffee and talk some more sometime.
Bill, I think we're saying the same things here. And yes, there was part of your original post that made me think you didn't see the need for comfort and consolation. Sometimes it's difficult to express beliefs, ideas, emotion, etc., via the internet.
Anyway, I once had a prof. who said, when teaching moral theology, that it was his job to present to the class the church's official teachings on the topic. He said there may have been people in the class who disagreed with the "official position" he was going to teach, and that as a theologian (STD), he may, at some level disagree with a point here or there... but as a theologian teaching students what it is the Church teaches and believes, it was his duty to "tell it like it is" without any apologies. I completely agreed with him on those statements and appreciated the fact that he came out at the start of the class and said those things.
At the same time, human nature being what it is, I don't think it is useful to "beat" someone over the head with either the Church's position on something, or one's own personal view. Not saying you are doing that here, by the way... although there are some places on the internet which seem to presuppose that ranting is the best way to bring someone over to their side of an argument. Nothing wrong with a good solid argument... but beating someone with a theological club isn't productive, in my humble opinion - it simply pushes people away as they believe they're being attacked. No one likes being attacked. What's that saying... you can attract more flies with honey than with vinegar. Sometimes I think that's an applicable phrase when teaching the truths of the Church - teach them, but teach them with compassion, not with a club.
Pax,
Mark
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