Tomorrow Cardinal Wim Eijk will ordain Deacon Joost Baneke to the priesthood. In an interview for diocesan magazine Op Tocht, the nestor of the latest class of new priests stresses the importance of making our faith visible, not just as a task for himself as a future priest, but for all of us. In essence, showing our faith is nothing less than making Christ visible in the world. In that sense, the transferred feast of Corpus Christi, which we celebrate in the Netherlands on Sunday, is ideal for Deacon Baneke’s first Mass (for which he has something extra planned as well, we read…).
“It may sound strange, but when I wear my black deacon’s or priest’s clothing and collar, it gives me a sense of freedom. It is simple and clear, and who I am as a person does not really matter as much. In a sense I am clothed in Christ, that’s how I experience it. But sometimes it also triggers aversion in people. Why should we, even with a certain pride, not show in our clothing who we are and what we represent? I have heard several people say that, since the election of the current Pope, they are no longer ashamed of being Catholic. I find that fascinating: why that shame? I think we can show more of our Catholicism. That is what this Pope does very clearly, he does not hide his light under a bushel. That is why I have the intention of organising a procession on Corpus Christi, on the occasion of my first Holy Mass. It suits the Catholic traditions of Soest, the town I live in, which has one of the oldest Catholic fraternities in our country. There are conflicting reactions to the plan, but I think: let’s express our faith and give it room, let’s go literally out into the streets, into the world.
What’s more, when you organise such a manifestation, you may certainly try to achieve more unity among Christians by inviting faithful of other communities and think about the role they can play. It’s after all not about us, but about making Christ visible, and all Christians can take part in that. When you consider that there was a prohibition on processions in the Netherlands until the 1990s, such a tour through the fields of our parish also fits well with the thought of giving our faith room.”
