By Fr. Matthew Pasi Madziva
The table below is basically a snapshot of what happens in a normal parish situation on a daily basis as experienced by the writer in his 19 years of pastoral experience. The table shows, 1) the classes of people who make the day for a priest, we may call them the People of God, 2) the priest himself and how he tends and attend to their needs. Experience as a sound and solid teacher has taught this writer that people do not simply walk, even those who say, ‘I am just passing by, ‘they have a reason. The table attempts to show these people and propose how these people can be listened to. Friends, the marginalized and parishioners may not put us off balance when they become our guests as the politicians can do. By politicians, this writer refers not to the electorate but to those in secular offices and those who actively seek to occupy those offices. These can actually be classified as the marginalized, in terms of ministration by the Church. There seems to be more refereeing by the Church more than the coaching. Our Lord Jesus Christ comes to us and say, “Those who are well do not need a physician,..” (Mk2:17). Politicians need our special attention be they the conservatives or the liberals.
