ARCHBISHOP ANTHONY
PANTIN
August 27th,
1929 - March 12th, 2000
A LIFE OF
HUMILITY, SERVICE AND INTEGRITY OF CHARACTER
Submitted by Rev.
Cyril Paul of the
Presbyterian Church
In Memory of His
Grace
SUNDAY GUARDIAN
March 19, 2000
Page 12
Since Archbishop Anthony Pantin's death, much has been said and
written about the greatness of this faithful and beloved servant of God. But this greatness can only be understood
and appreciated by looking at the Archbishop's life in relation to the life of
Christ.
True
greatness, i.e. greatness shown to us by Jesus Christ, is an urgent need of our
time. Jesus came into the world to save
us, not only from sin but also from mediocrity. He came to make us genuinely important and eternally significant,
in politics, in industry, in education, in the church. Now, this of course, raises the question; what
are the qualifications for this Christ-inspired greatness? What was it that made Archbishop Pantin such
a great leader?
One
qualification of greatness according to Christ is humility, about Christ's
condemnation of arrogance, conceit, and pride.
Jesus said, "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever
humbles himself will be exalted."
(Luke 14: 11z0
The
truth is that no Christian virtue is so misunderstood as the virtue of
humility. Humility is not
self-deprecation. It is not a
groveling, cringing obsequiousness, nor is it refusal to accept out gifts and
strengths.
Humility
is not thinking little of ourselves.
Self-acceptance and self-respect are vital to a balanced personality.
The
humility that makes for greatness is to live in the full awareness of the
unique, irreplaceable and incomparable quality of one's individuality. Archbishop Pantin accepted his strengths and
weaknesses gracefully and used them to God's honour and glory. He was always himself and his life was a
celebration of his uniqueness and individuality.
The
humility that makes for greatness consists of: unselfishness, i.e. deliverance
from petty self-seeking and boastfulness.
It consists of teachableness, i.e. a mind open and flexible, eager for
new light and truth. It consists of
patience, i.e. an awareness of the fact that the best of us fail and fall
short. It involves graciousness, i.e. a
concern and a consideration for our fellows, whoever they are. It consists of a sense of humour, i.e. the
steadfast refusal to take ourselves too seriously, however disciplined and
dedicated we may be. The whole national
community knows about the Archbishop's tremendous sense of humour. How much joy and happiness his gift of
humour has brought to so many people!
True
humility and true dignity always go together.
Nothing that others can do can ever destroy the greatness of a humble
person, for real humility can never be humiliated. Archbishop Pantin was always a very humble person - just like our
Lord, and his greatness came from his humility.
A
second qualification for greatness according to Christ is service.
"He
who is great among you shall be your servant". Jesus admired and commended the qualities we look for in great
people - qualities like energy, initiative, enthusiasm, ability, and
perseverance. But He added that the
ultimate test of a person's stature is the test of service. And what He preached in this respect, as in
all others, He practised. His life from
beginning to end was a life of service for others.
Jesus
said: "He who is greatest among you shall be your servant." Years ago, Albert Schweitzer, whose name is
synonymous with compassionate service and practical humanitarianism, addressed
a graduating class at one of England's well-known public schools. He said to the boys: "I do not know
what your destiny will be. Some of you
will undoubtedly achieve fame and greatness in politics, in business, in the
arts. But I do know that the only ones
among you who will be truly happy are those who have sought and found how to
serve."
Archbishop
Pantin's whole life was one of service dedicated to his Lord and Master. This he did by serving his Church, his
country his fellow human beings, everyone, to the best of his ability. He knew that service to man is service to
God. He heeded the words of our Lord,
"In as much as you have done this to one of the least of these my
brethren, you have done it unto me" (Matthew 25: 40). One other qualification for greatness
according to Christ is integrity of character.
When
we look at the context in which Jesus' words about greatness were spoken, we
cannot help noticing how He lashed out with scathing invective against a
religion of form rather than of force.
"But woe to you…hypocrites," His voice thundered. "Woe to you!" A hypocrite is not someone who fails to live
up to the creed he professes - that takes us all in. A hypocrite is someone who doesn't try to live up to it. He wears a mask, acts a part. He lacks basic integrity.
Integrity
of character is indispensable to greatness.
There is no substitute for it that a person's cleverness can devise or
that his ingenuity can invent.
As
a Church we believe in no person's infallibility but it is wonderful to be able
to believe in a person's integrity. He
was always a person of great integrity.
True
greatness is within reach of the least and lowliest. We can all be people whose word is our bond, people who will
never sell our souls for cash, people who set duties above rights, people who
put self-sacrifice before self-interest, people who, like Archbishop Pantin,
believed that at the end of the day what a person is will count infinitely more
than what he has. "He who is
greatest among you shall be…" marked by humility, service and integrity of
character.
Archbishop
Pantin was a great Church leader, Shepherd and human being because of his
humility, service and integrity of character.