Tolerance beyond Virtue

The negative effects of letting go of evils to happen around us are: social pollution, damaging the conscience, hardening the heart, private interest and secrecy, forming bad habits, losing will power, creating distance, live and let live attitude, making things difficult beyond repair, etc. It turns into a scandal that damages the very system we are in, and leads others to fall into it while justifying the same. Why is this so serious? Scandal falsifies and contradicts ones vocation and mission in life. The determined dedication loses its grip over doing good to the needy ones entrusted to our care. The world becomes difficult to live in, where tolerance is ranked above virtue. Even in religious community and in family life, we often let things go and not confront situation or create friction and uneasiness. Yet, conscious pricks, that evil must always be cast out. We should never minimize an evil action. How well do I stand for, confront and speak out in favour of moral truth?

Over tolerance in the garb of clerical caste, tends to be pretty lousy at community discernment – especially when it comes to identifying those in the community who possess the unique gifts for different ministries of service in the community. Often, through individual/group manipulation one gets one’s own way of doing.  One jumps through all norms and traditions to make his way to do the way he decides to.  He may not utilize that very special and necessary skill – creativity with the truth.  Instead, he will have his own variation of functioning code, time schedule, method and style, based on personal experience and pastoral understanding, compromising a number of rules and regulations.

Where is the voice of the community, then? A confrere comes to a community out of Obedience, to fulfill certain role and responsibility in the name of the community as per its Educative Pastoral Plan. He is deemed to be worthy of that role either through the recommendation of the Rector or by the superior himself after certain discernment. The community approves of such responsibility and often it is left to his own initiative to do best in executing the plan of the community in his individual capacity. They see in him qualities to qualify for such role.  What if, this person is accountable to the community, and the ‘entire community’ through prayerful discernment is concerned about the work entrusted to him and suggest paths to fulfill it?

“There are many different gifts, but it is always the same Spirit....There are many different ways of serving, … The particular manifestation of the Spirit granted to each one is to be used for the general good” (1 Cor 12:4-7). “[I]f you are put in charge, you must be conscientious” (Rom 12:8). One has to confirm what the community has discerned in a ‘synodal’ approach to pastoral ministry. All are called to “to knit God's holy people together for the work of service to build up the Body of Christ” (Eph 4:12). Often though, the Rector or the Superior assumes all responsibilities and presumes that he is expected to fulfill almost all the tasks. But, the heads of Church communities must know that, “it is their noble duty to shepherd the faithful and to recognize their ministries and charisms, so that all according to their proper roles may cooperate in this common undertaking with one mind” (LG 30). This is done so, for the entire Church, a journey that must be made together.