The Responsibility Not only for our Actions, but also for their Consequences

The Schoenstatt Fathers in Paraguay Express Themselves Regarding the Events Which Disturb the Country

P. Pedro Kühlcke Fr. Pedro Kühlcke P. Peter Kühlcke Fotos: Cabral © 2009

PARAGUAY. "With regard to events made public" in Paraguay – concerning the scandal caused by a series of accusations against the President of the country and children not recognized which he may have had while he was bishop of San Pedro – the Community of the Schoenstatt Fathers in Paraguay has issued a statement which in a few hours began to circulate and spread by the media. "Here, the religious world is rejoicing because of the talk given by Father Pedro Kuehlcke," said Fr. Antonio Cosp. The statement is based on that talk of April 19^th which was delivered at Mass in the Santuario Joven in Asunción. At the end of the talk, the people begin to applaud, louder and louder, and 800 persons stand. The great majority are youths who did not miss one single word of the celebrant…..

The Fathers asked Fr. Pedro to write down his talk which could serve as a more general statement "since there is so much pain and uncertainty by the total absence of morality on behalf of our president. There we said…..this is a prophecy which comes at the right time and touches each Paraguayan in some way. So, on Wednesday, we had it in writing. We talked about it and we all contributed, and now it goes out to the entire country signed by the Fathers," comments Fr. Antonio. "We are already receiving remarks from everywhere, also from the press. A Schoenstatt woman just called me demanding that we Schoenstatters should say something regarding this dark moment. When I tell her what has been done and a little about its content, very emotionally and with a broken voice she says: "I am so proud to belong to Schoenstatt." In the meantime, the statement arrived at Zenit and Aciprensa. Miriam Diez from Zenit commented: "thank you very much, and I will send it also to other Catholic news agencies."

We published it on Schoenstatt.de because beyond the concrete happenings in Paraguay which have already reached news agencies globally, this statement has a message which gives a response to so many similar events which we experience, calling everyone to see and live "the responsibility not only for our actions, but also for their consequences."

Regarding events made public…..

As Catholics and members of Schoenstatt, we cannot remain silent. In the first place, it is helpful to remember that we are not permitted to judge people and their consciences: "Stop judging, that you may not be judged" (Mt 7, 1). But, if we have to take a stand when facing objective deeds: Are they in agreement or not with our morality, our principles and values? We respect the classic difference between subjective sin and objective sin: God rejects the sin and loves the sinner.

It is also important to reflect on our attitude: Do we simply join the chorus of critics and copycats? Or, on the contrary, do we remain silent or justify the unjustifiable? The spirituality of Schoenstatt teaches us to look for the voice of God behind every happening: What is God telling me through this event and what response does He expect from me? It is what we call practical faith in Divine Providence.

In the events on which we are commenting, we discovered several important values which have been damaged or directly ignored. This invites us to reflect on how we experience and emphasize those values.

A first value is "fidelity to the given word." If I say something, will the others be able to trust that I will fulfill it? If I break a promise, how will they be able to believe in other promises I make? "When you say ‘yes,’ let your yes mean yes, and your ‘no’ mean no. Anything more is from the evil one" (Mt 5, 37). How often do we not promise to return a book or some money, and we "forget;" how often do we not wait for someone who promised to arrive at a certain hour, and he/she does not appear…..To be faithful to our word makes us into free and firm personalities. In the Catholic Church, no one is obligated to make a vow of chastity or a promise of celibacy. Both point to the same: we who are consecrated renounce biological paternity so that our paternity can be at the service of the Kingdom of God…..that it may be more fruitful. We are all human, limited and sinful, but we are all invited to battle against temptations, to avoid sin and to grow in the life of Grace. This leads us to another important value: the "responsibility not only for our actions, but also for their consequences." We are not little animals, enslaved by our instincts; we are human beings gifted by God with free will. The immediate consequence of that freedom is the responsibility for what we do or do not do, and also for all consequences which may result from our actions and omissions. If we fall into sin, not only do we repent and ask for forgiveness, we also assume the consequences without looking for cheap excuses or childish justifications ("I’m a man," "it’s my right"). A similar case took place within our community of Schoenstatt Fathers in another country and sometime ago: very painfully, a priest informed his superior that he had broken his promise of celibacy and as a result, a woman was pregnant. Since his child would be born within a few months, he had to abandon the priesthood and assume his responsibilities. Amidst all the difficulties and the pains of the case, he became responsible for the consequences of his actions as soon as he became aware of the situation. A third value, perhaps the most important, is all which refers to the family, to the rights of children and adolescents, and to paternity. All human beings, and especially the most helpless, are children of God and have inalienable rights. We do not have the right to deprive a child from the experience of having a father, a mother, a well-set-up family, of feeling longed for, loved, and valued. No child should have to discover that he/she was a "problem," a "threat" turned into reality…..something shameful which had to be hidden and denied at all cost. Of course, it would be much worse to deny a child the right to live, falling into the crime of abortion. Nor do we have the right to "dazzle" a minor with the importance of our position, our possessions, or with promises we will not fulfill – and much less use her as an object for sexual satisfaction. That is the corruption of minors! With the sixth commandment, God reminds us that the good of the child and of the family is above all the supposed "right" to indiscriminate use of our sexual instinct.

Unfortunately, we have to confirm that there is a great absence of authentic paternity in our country. The true father is responsible for the life he engenders. He loves and cares for the child. He educates him/her without violence and does not spoil the child. He accompanies him/her throughout the various levels of maturity and helps him/her grow toward a healthy originality and autonomy. He does not neglect the child, leaving him/her in material misery or as a psychological or spiritual orphan. Nor does he lock up the child in a crystal box, over-protecting him/her. Nor does he force the child to be his carbon copy. The about-face of paternity is "machismo" which ultimately is not the sign of a special masculinity, instead, it is a great sign of insecurity in the face of paternity. If I really accept my masculinity and am happy with it, I will not have to demonstrate it continuously and much less have to denigrate women as sexual objects or objects to conquer and then cast aside. I want to be a "first-class male and not a second-class macho!" Perhaps we should ask ourselves how we act, how do we educate our children, our men and women. Could it be that some fathers are greatly responsible for transmitting this anti-value, encouraging hurtful sexual conduct in their own sons; and also some mothers who fearing that their son might be a "little different" do not let him wash dishes in the kitchen?

Shamefully, another anti-value became evident, that of the "opportunistic politician." To praise a belated acknowledgement under judicial pressure as an act of bravery, a sign of honesty, etc…..does it not have something of flattery in search of personal benefits? Again, the central question is not that, rather: how do we act? Perhaps we do not hold political office, but we are tempted to do something similar when facing our boss at work or when facing the classroom teacher.

We who are consecrated want to continue living according to the promises we made one day and which we renew every Holy Thursday, witnessing that a life consecrated to the Lord in celibacy is not a sterile life, rather it is fruitful, happy and full of love for God and neighbor. Therefore, we want to ask all our brothers and sisters in the faith to pray especially for us priests and bishops. We are exposed to the same temptations as everyone. We are also sinners, but our falls are often very noisy, they cause much harm and are painful to many. For that reason, we need a lot of prayer in order to be faithful to the style of life and mission which Jesus Christ, supreme and eternal Priest, has entrusted to us.

Let us not stay with the accusation, the sterile plagiarism or resignation. Let us understand with a Providential attitude that God is calling to our attention the determined values and anti-values. Our best response facing the situation is not lamenting, rather it is the firm decision to battle for these values in our own life and giving daring and joyful witness that it is possible to live coherently…..that our Catholic faith does not lead us to be repressed beings or liars, rather, that it is a way of authentic happiness and fullness of life. In this way we will be able to contribute more than a grain of sand in the construction of a Paraguay which will be more and more a "nation of God."

Secular Institute of the Schoenstatt Fathers
Asunción – Paraguay, April 23, 2009

Translation: Carlos Cantú Schoenstatt Family Federation La Feria, Texas USA 050509