For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Matthew 25:35-36
“The bishop should not fail to personally examine all the priests and all the clerics of the place which he visits by interrogating each one of them in private, first on their employments and their mode of life so as to recommend to them, if necessary, assiduity in hearing confessions, in attending the dying, application to study, or prayer and detachment from dangerous societies, etc.
Finally, he should make inquiries in regard to the defects of others, and especially of the parish priest (since the visitations aim particularly at reforming parish priests), to find out whether he attends to the duty of preaching, of hearing confessions, of assisting the dying, whether he visits dangerous places, takes care to remove scandals, sees that the church is always kept clean, etc.; he should put similar questions in regard to the other ecclesiastics.
For this purpose it will be very useful, as is done by vigilant bishops, to keep a register in which, with the names of all the priests and all the clerics inscribed in alphabetical order, are noted their good or bad qualities according to the secret information that has been obtained. This register may prove very useful, particularly in order to select parish priests, rural deans, and other ministers, to give to every one the advice that he needs, and to watch more carefully over his conduct, etc.
The bishop should also make general inquiries about the abuses, the scandals, and the dissensions which exist in the place. Let him rest assured that in these private and secret examinations he will succeed in learning many important things of which he would have been ignorant; he will thus be able to remedy many abuses which otherwise would not be remedied.”
Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787) in The Complete Works of Saint Alphonsus de Liguori, translated from the Italian, edited by Rev. Eugene Grimm (New York: Benzinger, 1890) 461.
When you read this I will be somewhere between Denver and Istanbul en route to Islamabad. And while the details of today’s post may sound antiquated, they demonstrate the value of order and oversight.
Generous service includes visits and vigilance. That’s why I am headed to Pakistan. GTP welcomes two new staff members, Emmna Pervaiz and Sharoz Sajjad. They may feel like strangers to GTP, but shortly they will be oriented and activated.
How might you set aside the irrelevant details of this post (since you are likely not a priest) and model the generous service it contains? What might visits and vigilance look like in your life?
Notice that the overseer uses questions to make sure proper order exists. To ask questions requires thought, preparation, empathy, and more. That’s part of diligent oversight.
Imagine if every church and ministry had such order and oversight! Part of my reason for heading Pakistan relates to helping Khurram Younis, GTP Country Coordinator for Pakistan, activate it at his ministry.
What questions do we ask at GTP? Our GTP Diagnostic Tool asks 36 questions and points to Templates. Find it here. It’s free and available in Arabic, Czech, English, French, Russian, Slovak, and Spanish.
Khurram did the Diagnostic Tool and I will coach him on using templates. In this way he will implement order and oversight for having a flourishing and sustainable ministry.