Opinion… A Ministry That Swallows Another Ministry
Opinion… A Ministry That Swallows Another Ministry
It sometimes happens that one of the priestly fathers pays attention to the liturgical ministry, for example, an attention that swallows the spiritual and educational ministries… This appears clearly in some churches where engagements, weddings, funerals, oil lamps, and vespers abound!
Or another priest who pays attention to the social ministry with an attention that swallows all his time and all his effort, in which concern for the spiritual work, for pastoral visitation and preaching is lost—while these are the foundation of the ministry.
And the Lord Christ said: “These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone” (Matt. 23:23).
And the Lord Christ presents to us in His life an example of an integrated ministry that neglects nothing. It cares for the spirit as well as the body, for public work as well as individual work…
We say this not only to the priestly fathers, but to all servants, and to fathers and mothers.
Faithfulness in work should not overpower the ministry and faithfulness within it. Attention to work in the church does not prevent attention to work in the home, and also does not prevent attention to the self and its spiritual life.
It is not fitting for one ministry to swallow another ministry…
And it is not fitting for a spiritual work for the sake of the Lord to swallow another spiritual work.
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