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Pastoral Letter of Bishop Jerome Feudjio to the Faithful of St Thomas Diocese
TASTE THE GOODNESS OF FORGIVENESS
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My dear Priests,
Deacons,
Religious,
Men and Women of Good Will in the Diocese of St. Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands,
Forgiveness is the key word of my first pastoral letter to you as Bishop of St. Thomas. The first thing I am calling each and every one of you to do with me as I begin my Episcopal ministry is to forgive.
Forgiveness is the key to unity. Forgiveness is of primordial and of utmost capital importance because in order to live together as authentic Christians, there is a need to forgive so that we can begin anew and move together as God’s family. Priests need to forgive priests; Christians need to forgive priests; Christians need to forgive one another so, “All may be one as my Father and I are one.” This unity among you cannot be achieved if we do not reconcile and forgive one another for errors and mistakes committed in the past.
My Episcopal Motto: “Vivit in me Christus,” is taken from the letter to the Galatians (2:20) and expresses the essence of my life as a Christian and as a priest in service to the Body of Christ “Yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me.” This Body of Christ which we are all part of, needs to be more united than ever before.
In order for this unity to be achieved, there is a need for forgiveness and reconciliation among us, for “To believe in Christ means to desire unity; to desire unity means to desire the Church…” (Ut unum Sint, Paragraph 9).
Since my appointment as Bishop of Saint Thomas in the Virgin Islands, it has been my burning desire as my workhorse to build a genuine unity and communion among all the sons and daughters of God both in our Diocesan Church and in the U.S. Virgin Islands at large. I pray constantly, and I long to see that day when the prayer of Christ in John 17:21, so dear to our forefather Most Rev. Bishop Thomas of blessed memory, may come true: “May they all be One.”
This bishop so dear to us, knew so well the problems that hinder the reality of Unity and Communion in St. Thomas, and that undoubtedly prompted his choice of this prayer as his Episcopal motto: “May they All be One.” If these words of Jesus were not only uttered in ordinary speech but preferred in form of a prayer to his Father through the whole 17th Chapter of the Gospel of Saint John, and at a very peak moment of his mission, then it must have been one of the backbone problems of Jesus’ mission.
Can the Church stand amidst the very strong wind of dissension and division? Can communities face problems and find adequate solutions without keeping unending grudges, resentments and even hatred or developing a spirit of revenge, vengeance and retaliation?
It is even worse when it goes as far as working out a way to ruin another person’s life and dreams. It a very ugly image of the Church. It cannot be the Church our Savior dreamt and prayed for. I feel like Christ about all faithful of St. Thomas.The need for reconciliation
I feel a very strong necessity of reconciliation from the inner being of each member of our diocesan community, in a genuine and sincere commitment to forgive one another and rebuild true love and authentic fraternity. From Faith, as Christians, we can make it possible.
Our faith demands we all make a sincere examination of conscience that goes beyond our personal wrongs or rights, into our attitude towards those who are wrong according to our own judgment. It demands a true conversion of self before looking and expecting the conversion of others.
It may seem strange but most of the time what we think about others is in fact a reflection, a projection of ourselves, built on our ill intentions and stereotypes. In this case others are not guilty of what we think but rather of what we are, they merely bell the cat for us.
So, we may learn to accuse less, and go more into introspection. We will then discover the demon we see elsewhere is within us, the unforgiving crime is hidden in our inner self, and that is why our Lord could openly affirm: “it’s not what enters one’s mouth that defiles that person; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one.” (Matt. 15:11)
We may think we hurt others, while in fact the pain is rumbling deep within ourselves and we are merely stigmatizing it outwardly.Reconciliation means to build back a relationship that has been broken
It is so sad for people who have had some relationship, be it by consanguinity, affinity, professional, or societal links of any kind, to someday find themselves with grudges and unending grief, incapable to see eye to eye, to chat, to move along together. It is not only sad for human beings, but very sad to God whose heart bleeds abundantly, seeing his cherished human family come apart.Reconciliation is the only condition for inner peace and true freedom
Someone rightly said that anger and resentment are a punishment we impose upon ourselves for a fault committed by someone else. When we cannot forgive, we become prisoners of our thoughts; we lose the essentials of our peace and all the time our attention is focused on the wrong that hurts us.
We lose sleep and even our temper, and worse still, we become slaves of grief. We become sick of the other’s sin, and we cannot get healed unless we forgive.
As much as we carry the fault of another person in our conscience, we are no longer steady nor peaceful. The only freedom we need, the only medicine that can genuinely rebuild our inner peace is forgiveness. When we forgive, we find relief and happiness, the great joy of sincere reconciliation.Reconciliation is the only true sign of love and of Christian identity
To be a Christian, beyond sacramental life is to manifest the beauty of the heart of God which we acquire through grace. Then only through challenge of our faith is our capacity to be as loving and charitable as God is in Himself.
A Christian will never remain unnoticed if he could be everywhere and at all circumstances the sign of divine reconciliation, forgiving all hurt and rebuilding love where it has been broken. Forgive means to give love beyond that which has jeopardized it, something or behavior that has destroyed it.
There can’t be a Christian life without open signs of forgiveness. The prayer Christ himself taught us as the pattern of an adequate invocation to his Father is so meaningful about forgiveness. We forgive to give God the measure of the forgiveness we deserve: “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” (Lk 11:4)
We deserve then to be forgiven by God as much as we do forgive others. Our capacity to forgive becomes the measuring rod that God must use for our own sins.
A Christian who does not forgive declares himself a saint, and unblemished. In doing so, he or she is rejecting God’s call to forgive others.
Christians who cannot forgive those who sinned against us are a contradiction, they are counter-witnesses to the mission and teaching of Christ; they are Christians by name, mere lip-worshippers who have never been molded into the loving embrace of the merciful Lord. They deceive themselves, the Church and God.
Christian life void of forgiveness is pure hypocrisy—it is nothing Christian, it is a state of retaliation or the jungle law. It is everything except the teaching of Christ, who even hanging on the cross forgave his executioners, and who previously taught the law of forgiveness as the Christian way to be like the Father in heaven:You have heard that it was said—an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well…
(MT 5:39)
So be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.
(MT 5:48)Reconciliation is the only true condition for a worthy intimacy with God
It is very essential to meditate the condition for a true sacrifice, given by Jesus in the Gospel: “Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there you recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar.” No sacrifice, no celebration, no invocation of the name of God, no quantity of prayers and devotional acts can move God’s heart while tainted with a lack of humility and reconciliation.
We can never be closer to God or expect anything from him when we are unable to emulate his forgiving heart. God so loved the world that he sent his Only Son to come and reconcile mankind to himself.
The sacrifice of God’s Son was for the expiation of our sins and faults. If God is ready for any sacrifice to save mankind, who are we not to forgive? How can we claim God is our Father if we cannot be like him in everything from the richness of his heart?
Forgiveness is one of the major attributes of Divine life, and so to belong to God, to be intimate to him, to long to share in his sanctity and kingdom, demands that we be forgiving and loving just as God is.What is Forgiveness?
Forgiveness involves a decision to let go of resentment and thoughts of revenge. The act that hurt or offended you might always be with you, but forgiveness can lessen its grip on you and help free you from the control of the person who harmed you.
Forgiveness can even lead to feelings of understanding, empathy and compassion for the one who hurt you. Forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetting or excusing the harm done to you or making up with the person who caused the harm. Forgiveness brings a kind of peace that helps you go on with life.Forgiveness: Letting go of grudges and bitterness
When someone you care about hurts you, you can hold on to anger, resentment and thoughts of revenge — or embrace forgiveness and move forward. Who hasn’t been hurt by the actions or words of another?
Perhaps, a parent constantly criticized you growing up, a colleague sabotaged a project or your partner had an affair. Or maybe you’ve had a traumatic experience, such as being physically or emotionally abused by someone close to you.
These wounds can leave you with lasting feelings of anger and bitterness — even vengeance. But if you don’t practice forgiveness, you might be the one who pays most dearly.
By embracing forgiveness, you can also embrace peace, hope, gratitude and joy. Consider how forgiveness can lead you down the path of physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.Who Needs Forgiveness?
No one is perfect, every human being, one time or another, is in need of forgiveness. There's a Spanish story about a father and his son. The two had become estranged.
The son ran away, and the father set off to find him. He searched for months to no avail.
Finally, in a last desperate effort to find him, the father put an ad in a local newspaper. The ad read: “Dear Paco, meet me in front of this newspaper office at noon on Saturday. All is forgiven. I love you. Your Father.”
On Saturday, 800 men named Paco showed up, looking for forgiveness and love from their fathers.What are the benefits of forgiving to someone’s psychosomatic state?
Letting go of grudges and bitterness can make way for improved health and peace of mind. Forgiveness can lead to:- Healthier relationships
- Improved mental health
- Less anxiety, stress and hostility
- Lower blood pressure
- Fewer symptoms of depression
- A stronger immune system
- Improved heart health
- Improved self-esteem
Let us all pause and make a profound reflection within ourselves, whether there is someone we still bear a grudge against or whom we have not forgiven for any wrong done in the past. There is a very didactic anecdote which I would like to narrate to you to demonstrate to you the power of forgiveness.Two Brothers
In a village in the Caribbean, there were two brothers (neighbors) named George and Joseph who did not get along very well. George was an extrovert while Joseph was an introvert. Joseph, the introvert, decided to walk away from the area for some time due to the constant fight he had with George and had an idea to get rid of his neighbor George.
However, before Joseph embarked on a trip, November 1, he kindly asked Filbert, a building contractor who grew up in the same neighborhood, while he was away to build a big wall at the side of his house in order to separate his property from George’s estate, so that when he returned in one month, it would be impossible to ever see George, eye to eye.
Filbert promised to build the large wall between the two pieces of land within one month. He promised the wall would be ready by Christmas time.
Eventually, a day after Joseph walked away, Filbert who knew both men, began to erect the wall according to his own design. Instead of building a wall on the valley beside Joseph’s house, he decided to build a bridge to link the two houses over the valley.
A month later, Joseph returned hoping to see the great wall which his friend Filbert had promised to build. To his greatest surprise, as he was approaching his house, he saw a fascinating bridge that had been constructed above the valley that separated his house from George’s home.
The bridge was so fascinating that he decided to go closer and closer to inquire who had constructed the bridge. To his great surprise, as he was approaching the bridge, George saw him from a distance, since he was sitting in from of his house having a cold bottle of Guava-berry drink.
George got up and ran towards him, embraced him and said, “Welcome back, Joseph, I missed you. Come in. Have some food and drink; we need to celebrate.”
The wife of George and his two children were in their bedrooms when they heard George celebrating outside. They too, immediately left everything they were doing and joined George to welcome Joseph back.
Joseph was so surprised that he did not know what to do. He was totally dumbfounded. He accepted the invitation to join George and his family at the dining table in front of their house.
Some minutes later, Filbert joined them. As Joseph saw Filbert, he and George suddenly left the dining table and ran toward Filbert. When Filbert saw them, he too ran to their encounter as if they were in a race.
The three men all met at the middle of the bridge and embraced. Joseph did not know what to tell Filbert.
After minutes of profound silence, Joseph remarked, “Filbert, thank you for doing this. Thank you for being a mediator of peace and reconciliation.”
Filbert replied, “The idea of building a wall was not good at all, so I decided as a good friend to build a bridge among you, for you and George are brothers in Christ. May the love and peace of Christ be with you!”
Like the anecdote above, I would like you to build bridges like Filbert who was such an instrument of reconciliation between Joseph and George. I would also like to be a bridge among you who have not yet found time to forgive, and reconcile with one another. I come to you as a pastor to reconcile, thereby bringing all together as one Christian family.
On board of his flight from Rabat, Morocco to Rome on March 31, 2019, Pope Francis commented that in his dialogue here in Morocco he saw that we need to build bridges instead of walls.
Walls bring pain. We feel pain when we see persons that prefer to build walls. Why do we have pain? Because those that build walls end up being prisoners of the walls that they have built.
On the other hand, those who build bridges go forward...to build bridges is for me something that almost goes beyond the human, it needs very great efforts… a person who only thinks of building walls, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the Gospel.
As your Bishop, I do not wish to leave anyone behind. I resolve from the beginning of my Episcopal ministry to build bridges with non-Catholics and with those who have left the Church.
I resolve not to leave anyone to fend for themselves, nor leave anyone to be tossed into the shadows of our parishes, schools, neighborhoods, and homes, for all have been called, all must be served, all must be strengthened in faith hope and love. Just as all earthly bridges are made up of stone, earth and mortar, all spiritual bridges, God created in us are made up of living spiritual stones: you and me.
I wish to begin by strengthening our own unity in the diocese and serving the body of Christ in the Diocese of St. Thomas. We are called to love one another and to serve those in greatest need, including the poor, the sick, the disabled, the lonely, the unborn, those who live in fear and distress, and those who have given up hope in life. Every human life is precious, needed and must be taken care of.
As your bishop, I believe that bridges have a unifying power, for the mission of Catholics. We are called to strengthen and build spiritual bridges in our midst. God has built a spiritual bridge into every heart and invites everyone in the Diocese of St. Thomas to unite with Him, to experience his liberating love, and ultimately be transformed.
God loves each person despite the sins and shadows that lurk in every human heart. Like a physical bridge, a spiritual bridge pulls communities together and draws Catholics closer to God, the Gospels and one another as members of the body of Christ.
I ask you to join me, hand in hand, heart to heart, to become builders of spiritual bridges. I believe with all my heart that when God’s mercy is offered to anyone who is afflicted, burdened, lonely or lost, such a person will leap forward and the hand of the Lord will guide us to cross to the spiritual bridge with His grace. Let us have no fear because the Lord will give us all that we need to be the best bridge builders to his honor and glory.
Bridges have a transformative and unifying effect in the life of cities. A people once divided by a valley, like Joseph and George in our anecdote are now able to meet and reconnect with one another, creating a greater sense of community.
Bridges unite, they open opportunities, they can even transform human life. Some of us are no strangers to the power of bridge building. We know that bridges connect cities and allow them to grow and prosper.
Like physical bridges, spiritual bridges have transformative power. The very center of the mission the Lord himself has entrusted to you and to me, has much to do with strengthening and building spiritual bridges among the people of God.
I exhort you to join me in two great tasks in the years ahead—to strengthen the spiritual bridges that already exist in our midst…. and to have the courage to build new bridges to all who have left our community of faith and to all who sincerely seek the face of God. That work begins by strengthening the unity we already share as members of the Church of Christ in the Diocese of St. Thomas, a unity strengthened by grateful praise and right worship and fearless preaching of the Gospel.Conclusion
We need to purge ourselves in order to begin anew:Ecce quam bonum et quam iucundum habitare fratres in unum. Sicut unguentum in caopite quod desendit in barbam, barbam Aaron, quod descendit in oram vestimenti cius; Sicut ros Hermon, qui descndit in momtem Sion. Quonian illic mandavit benedictionem et vitam usque in saeculum.
As Mr. Knox translates it, in his limpid version:
(Psalms 132-133)Gracious in the sight and full of comfort, when brethren dwell united. Gracious as the ointment, overflowing, that gave Aaron his priesthood; fertile as the abundant dews of Hermon, falling on Mount Sion. Where there is this unity, this fellowship of kindred hearts and minds, there the Lord pours blessings and life, everlasting.
It is, therefore, my profound wish that each and everyone in the Diocese of St. Thomas may reconcile and forgive one another so that we may attain that unity of which the psalmist sang, and which is celebrated by a famous hymn: “Blest be the tie that binds Our hearts in Christian love; The fellowship of kindred minds Is like to that Above.” (Presbyterian Hymnal: Publisher Rev. John Fawcette Boylston Lowell Mason 1832, pg. 3)
May the Blessed Virgin Mary, our mother, who carried the Son of God in her womb, assist us as we forgive one another and reconcile with each other: forgive us as we forgive those who trespass against us is the way to go. May the Good Lord “BIND US TOGETHER WITH CORDS THAT CANNOT BE BROKEN” for we are the “precious new wine!”
Saint Thomas, August 20, 2021
+ Most Rev. Jerome Feudjio
Bishop of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands
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