Fr Ženíšek continues his reasoning: “What if, despite sincere discernment and honest preparation, he does not come up to the expectations; what if he does not make it? What do we do? Pope Francis' prayer intention this month is for those suffering from depression or burnout. (Let us pray that people suffering from depression or burnout will find support and a light from all to open them to life).
The General Councilor for Youth Ministry, Fr Miguel Ángel García, SDB, explains in this regard: “'Burnout' has to do with a person's energy. Burnout refers to those who can no longer cope, who have spent all their energy and are unable to regenerate it. Pastoral workers can also suffer from this syndrome: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and lack of personal satisfaction. We are talking about normal people who have started their service with generosity and dedication and later got scalded or burnt-out. Listening to their discomfort and helping them to read their internal and external situation realistically will help them make decisions that keep alive the 'flame' of dedication. It is certainly a flame that must be fed with prayer and other spiritual aids, but must also acknowledge that sometimes the concrete conditions in which pastoral service is carried out, can result in the burn-out of the resources of evangelizers, at least for some of them.”
For this reason, Fr Ženíšek adds: “We should be sensitive to these people who may be close to us, indeed even among us. Not only to respect them in their fragility but also to allow ourselves get concerned about them. The apostle and missionary, Paul of Tarsus, wrote, ‘when I am weak, it is then that I am strong’ (2 Cor 12:10). If we look at Christ in the Gospel, we see that what brought us salvation was not the great power with which he worked wonders for the good of the people but, in the end, it was his weakness and helplessness on the cross. We are a vibrant and strong congregation; we do so many good things, so many activities mostly, thanks to our missionaries. Without their courage, determination and energy we could never be who we are called to be. We should, however, not be afraid to recognize and accept our limitations too, to present our empty hands to God. Certainly, thanks to faith and trust in the Spirit of Christ, we can do much more than we think. Along with the contemporary theologian Tomas Halik and the architects of skyscrapers, we can admit that ‘what does not shake, is not necessarily solid'.”
