As a key part of our student-led newsletter, The Durham Eye, Fr Simon kindly produces a “Chaplain’s Thoughts” piece for each issue. In the latest issue, Fr Simon explores themes of responsibility and how we might use what we have to help others.
In 1994, when I was 15 years old, a television phenomenon began that went on to last for many years: Ready, Steady, Cook. If you have never seen the show, it involved members of the public providing celebrity chefs with a bag of ingredients that they had bought up to a set value – usually £5. The chefs then had to take this random selection of ingredients, combine them with some staple ingredients they already had in the studio like oil, salt, pepper etc., and create a dish which the studio audience then voted on. Strangely enough, this is what came to my mind as I found myself reflecting on being ordained to the priesthood during this week, many years ago.
In Matthew’s gospel, St Peter is described as receiving the “Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven” from Jesus. These are not physical keys, rather spiritual, or metaphorical, keys. Keys of authority to “bind or loose” people. Set them free or tie them in knots. And it is this authority that is seen as being passed on to priests upon ordination. With great freedom comes great responsibility. New priests suddenly find that people start treating them differently. Some will assume that you are judgmental and bigoted and will seek to avoid you at all costs. Others are drawn to the mystery and hang on your every word. Relationships change. Something is given and something is taken away. Amongst the things you are given is a new opportunity -a bit like the ingredients given to the chefs in the TV show – and you are asked to make something of it. What you do will make a difference, but if you’re not careful the power to set people free might end up tying people in knots.
In May this year, the Catholic Church elected a new successor to St Peter, Pope Leo XIV. Have you ever wondered what you would do if you became Pope? What new name would you choose? Would you wear the traditional red shoes of Pope Benedict XVI, or the humble black orthopaedic shoes of Pope Francis? If you suddenly found 1.3 billion people looking to you for spiritual guidance and inspiration, how would you respond to newly found opportunity? Would you sell off the treasures of the Vatican and give the money to the poor, or invest in the resources you had in the hope of making an even greater impact in the future? Would you bring the Church back to “traditional values”, or seek to move it forward into a more inclusive and liberal space? The thing is, we’ve all been given keys. They may not be the same as the keys that Peter received from Jesus but we’ve all been given something – a random bag of ingredients – opportunities that will, inevitably, make a difference to the world around us one way or another. The question is, will we use them to set others free or tie them in knots? How will each of us use our unique combination of experience, talent, insight, and confidence to influence the world around us?
It is easy to see form the news that we live in an increasingly polarised world. Social media creates an echo chamber that reinforces and amplifies the prejudices and perspectives that we already hold, and drives us apart from those who think differently. It is far too easy to view others with suspicion and hold them at arm’s length under the banner of justice. I’m not convinced this is helping us. If really are to build a society where everyone can flourish, then we need to do it together. As Jesus once said, we need to learn to “love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us”. Indeed, maybe we need to learn to see our fellow, and similarly flawed, human beings as brothers and sisters and siblings, and never our enemies.
As we come to the end of this academic year, I hope you can be proud of the many things that you have learned, the skills you have developed, and the friendships you have made over the past twelve months. That said, there is a world of difference between learning new things and putting what we have learned to good use for the benefit of everyone. For Jesus, this was the difference between building a house upon a foundation of solid rock, and a foundation of sand. How are we going to use the ingredients we’ve been given this year and turn them into something delicious? How are we going to use the keys we’ve been given to unlock the chains that bind so many people? How are we going to use our unique gifts, talents, and insights to make the world safer and more peaceful place? I look forward to seeing what we will do. The future is in our hands.
