Wilfried Hagemann
Priests, deacons
and seminarians today: challenges and questions
A sociological survey commissioned by
the German Bishops’ Conference
[1]
shows that the Church in
Germany
impacts
only three of ten possible social environments. The reason for this distance
between the Church and many groups of society is not only the secularization of
recent years, but above all the fact that the members of the Church, including
those who work full-time for the Church, do not carry out their missionary
responsibility.
There is a thirst for God, but it is not
satisfied. To the eyes of many people our celebrations are rather boring and
meaningless. Caritas still has a
positive image with its numerous initiatives of assistance, as well as the great
works of the Church in favor of development, such as Misereor, Adveniat and Renovabis.
In a society shaken by relativism,
hedonism and growing unemployment, the desire for meaning is felt more acutely.
Thus many seek a God who is near in our celebrations, but they go home
disappointed.
Some priests of the Focolare Movement in
our region are involved, along with these contemporaries who are searching, in
developing new forms of living the Gospel:
-
In one metropolis an
unprecedented type of community has been created made up of small groups that
gather in homes throughout the city (photo).
-
In another area, through the
life of the Word of God a network of brothers and sisters has been created who
meet in the evening at
9:45
for Mass (photo).
-
Courses of spirituality for
certain categories of people (youth, adults, teachers, doctors and nurses) open
a new and vital access to the Gospel (photo).
-
Catecheses and liturgies on
Sunday offer young people an occasion to know more about Jesus Christ and through
him to experience the joy of communion with others ( photo).
The priest, grafted into a life of
communion with other priests and united with lay people who live the Gospel
with the same intensity, focuses his activity and attention on the living
experience of Christ’s presence in the midst of the faithful. He lives like
Mary who gave herself completely so that Christ would come into the world. Such
a Marian priesthood is expressed in full openness to God and to people in their
respective environments. It is marked by dialogue with everyone and at the same
time rooted in the heart of the Church.