Archbishop Thomas Macwan of Gandhinagar, Gujarat, answers our questions with a simplicity and directness that is truly refreshing. Those who know him are touched by his humanity, pastoral vision and deep convictions. Learn the secret of his joy and inner strength—and his main suggestion to religious.–Editor
Dear Bishop Macwan, please tell us something of your vocational journey: How you thought of becoming a priest, what kind of a priest you wanted to be, who inspired you in this decision, etc.
My family lived very close to the parish church. My mother woke me up daily quite early in the morning and encouraged me to go to the church for Mass so that I could serve as an altar boy. This began when I was in the third standard. My parish priest was Fr John Palau, a Spanish Jesuit with a long beard. While serving Mass, I said to myself a couple of times, “If he (my parish priest) can come all the way from Spain to serve here in India, could I not be at the altar and also celebrate holy Mass?” That was the starting point. I was at the altar daily, at wedding Masses, funeral services, Way of the Cross, adoration, rosary, every single day of the week. The final exams in the school usually were scheduled during Holy Week, but that did not matter much to me. I served at all the Holy Week services. I was rather weak in studies, but managed to clear the year with grace marks. However, I stood first in Catechism!
Later, I graduated in chemistry with a rather good percentage. My parents were teachers in the mission school in Bhavnagar. I was the eldest of six siblings. Since my family faced financial difficulties, I decided to do my part. I found employment with the State Bank, where I worked for nine years. I did not miss my daily Mass, and even served Mass at times as a young man.
The lives of my parents had a profound influence on me. They were God-fearing, courageous, truthful, hard-working, committed and very faithful to the church. Both my grandfathers were excellent catechists. In his early years, my father too had been a catechist for more than ten years. The regular family prayers at home and catechism classes given by the Vedruna Sisters in their school strengthened the call the Lord had given to me when I was in my mother’s womb.
My parish priest was my model. He was a good shepherd who “smelt of the sheep.” He visited families regularly; he was kind and loving, and took spiritual care of the sick. He was seen praying; he did not keep grudges even with those who troubled him. In short, he had the heart of Christ. I experienced this at close quarters for more than twenty-five years of my life.
The seed of vocation in me was always waiting to germinate; it had never dried. I did not know what to do, whom to approach and where to go.
Then it happened. During a three-day charismatic retreat, I had a very deep experience of being touched by the Lord. My whole body seemed to be burning with fire from within. This happened in January 1979.
I joined the seminary in January 1982. I am a priest for thirty-two years now, and a bishop for seventeen years. I always wanted to be a pastor, and God ensured that. I responded to his call!
When you look back on your life and ministry as a priest, what gave you deep satisfaction? Which part of priestly ministry did you find most meaningful?
As a priest, I enjoyed the pastoral ministry: the celebration of the daily Eucharist in the parish and mission stations; visiting families; reconciling broken families in spite of the trouble and humiliation, which I often had to face; visiting the sick and those about to die; preparing people to receive baptism; guiding couples during the prenuptial process; going out with my community for picnics; enjoying supper with the community after the monthly community meeting once a month. There is much more, of course; but what I enjoy most is the time I spend daily with the Lord before the exposed Blessed Sacrament. I talk to Him and he listens to my prayer; and, in silence, He guides me and strengthens me with his grace
According to you, what do people, especially the young, expect from a priest?
Our youth are the backbone of the Church. They seek acceptance and recognition. They want to do something for the church because they love the church. They want the priest to accompany them, to mentor them and guide them. Appreciating the youth even in small ways makes a big difference in their lives. They look up to their priests and want to be modelled in the image and likeness of Christ.
As a Bishop, what do you see as the most important two or three priorities for the Church in India? What should we focus on? Are we doing it?
For me, there are several priority areas for the Church in India. Let me highlight some. In India, we live in the midst of pluralism: religions, cultures, ethnicities, languages, traditions, etc. This diversity is the wealth of our land. We need to preserve it in every possible way and respect the differences in other people.
We are disciples of Jesus; so we should never fight shy of doing what the first disciples of Jesus did which is so vividly described in the Acts of the Apostles. The treasure we have received is not to be stored up but to be shared with others. Everyone else has a right to receive this treasure. All our ministries are extremely important, but we need to give the Person and message of Christ to others.
The second priority is the empowerment of our laity and our religious sisters, who need to be given their rightful place in the Church, as directed by Vatican II.
Thirdly, we need to be more open for meaningful, respectful ecumenical and interfaith relationships. This is the ‘Laudato Si’ Year: we are mandated to care for our common home by addressing systemic issues which are destroying our environment.
To be honest, we are very far behind in each of these areas.
According to you, what is the Lord telling us—especially bishops, priests and religious—through the current socio-political situation?
The current socio-political situation in our country is bad. To add to it, the pandemic COVID-19 and the lockdown have taken a toll everywhere, especially on the poor and the vulnerable, like the migrant workers and daily wage earners. The Lord reminds us that we need to be the light of the world and salt of the earth. We need to put on the mind of Christ. Like Christ, we are called to be spiritual persons. We need to walk in truth with the courage like Christ and stand up for the rights of the poor, the oppressed, the excluded and the other vulnerable people of our land. Pope Francis has constantly been reminding us of this fundamental of Christian discipleship. Above all, we should fear no one. Christ has promised us that He will be with us till the end of times. There will certainly be difficulties and persecution when we witness for truth and justice – but that too, is an integral dimension of discipleship.
What do you see as the main strengths and weaknesses of the Church today, especially our Church in India?
The Church in India has over the years done considerable and yeomen service for all sections of society and particularly for the empowerment of the poor and downtrodden. There has been the whole spectrum of activities: education, healthcare, rural development, social forestry, cooperatives, homes of mercy and other charitable works. These services have positively impacted the lives of millions of people, particularly in areas where no one else dared to go.
Priests, religious and laity have selflessly accompanied the poor for a more just and dignified life. During this current pandemic and migrant crisis, the Church has done a commendable amount of relief work, opened up institutions as shelters, cared for the afflicted and provided food, water and medicare to thousands everywhere. Our laity and many of our nurses have been at the forefront. These and much more are our strengths. These services truly bear witness to Christ.
Yes, there are weaknesses and opportunities which we need to address. Among them, we need to keep our faithful in the front line; the sisters should be allowed to play their role. Vatican II has mandated that we make our Church a people-centred Church; we need to hasten towards that goal and move out of a priest-centred and patriarchal church.
The Pope and the Vatican constantly give us directions towards a more meaningful and people-centred Church. Besides, in the CBCI and CCBI, we have several important statements in the context of ‘being Church in India today’; sadly, a lot of this remains on paper. We are often caught up in our routine matters, both administrative and pastoral, to mainstream these directives and ensure it reaches every single person in our respective dioceses.
Yes, we have a long way to go. We do have limitations; but with the Lord’s help we will surely reach our goal
How can we be more effective witnesses to Jesus today?
The best witness is to love one another as Christ loved us. In the first three centuries what distinguished Christians was the love they had for one another—which changed the history of mankind. Our love should reach out to all sections of the society but particularly to the poor, the marginalized, the oppressed, the excluded (like our migrant workers today) and other vulnerable communities. We have to take a visible and vocal stand for justice. This is what Jesus would have done if he were physically around today! The vision of Jesus should be our vision; we need to internalise His person and message in our lives. In the long run it will bear an abundance of fruits.
You come across as a caring, humble and joyful pastor. What gives you strength and enthusiasm?
I love Jesus and I want to make Him known. My daily time spent with Him gives me strength and zeal to serve Him without getting tired. I am extremely happy to carry out my responsibilities despite the many challenges I have to face! I do have my limitations, but I place all my trust in the Lord.
Anything else you like to share, especially with the religious of India? (MAGNET reaches all the bishops and major superiors of India, as well as thousands of religious houses, an increasing number of lay people, especially professionals, and a small, but interested readership outside India)
We all need to go back to the roots. Jesus Christ has to be our centrifugal and centripetal force: our Saviour and Master, our model, our icon and our strength. I have a humble suggestion which many religious (and communities) are already perhaps doing: each community needs to find at least an hour before the Blessed Sacrament daily and, whenever a member is free, she/he could spend time with the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament without avoiding one’s own daily responsibilities. Prayer is the powerhouse of all our activities which will surely transform the Church in India. God bless you all!
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