Apostolate February 6
In your walk, comportment, and in all actions, let nothing occur to give offense to anyone who sees you, but only what becomes your holy state of life (Rule of St. Augustine, 21).
Ministers of the Church take responsibility for the integrity of the message and appropriate relationships with those they minister to. There are scandals—Jesus said that they are inevitable (Mt 18:7)—where ministers of the Gospel deceive people about the Gospel message. But equally deplorable are the scandals where pastoral agents exploit the persons they are sent to serve. These scandals can include, amongst others, economic exploitations, disregard of rights and sexual abuse. Before giving someone pastoral responsibility, the community has the right to verify not only the doctrinal orthodoxy of the minister but also his knowledge of appropriate boundaries for personal interaction. To be a minister does not give anyone the right over the goods of others, nor sovereignty over their freedom, nor license to invite or force intimate relationships with them. “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe [in me] to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea” (Mk 9:42). Holy message, holy delivery.
The snake changes milk into venom. (African proverb)
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