THE PRIEST AS PROPHET

...Prayerfully immersed in the Word of God and profoundly aware of the world in which he lives

By Fr. Roger Brennan, S.F.M.
March 2002

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A prophet is one who proclaims the Word of God. The prophet's message is not his or her own, the prophet speaks in God's name, calling people to conversion, to cease doing evil, and offering hope in time of darkness and despair. The prophet looks to the future, but is rooted in the present.

In Matthew's Gospel we see Jesus speaking as a prophet. Jesus sees the future consequences of the present actions of the people and he warns them of what will befall them:

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often have I longed to gather your children, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you refused. So be it! Your house will be left to you desolate." (Matthew 23:37-39)

A priest is ordained to the service of Word and Sacrament. As a minister of the Word the priest is called to exercise a prophetic function. He proclaims the Word of God and in preaching, applies the message of God to the people's life situations in today's world. Like the prophets of old, the priest challenges the people of God to be faithful, urges them to turn from sin and the false values of the world, and comforts them when the forces of evil seem overwhelming.

Probably no other person today so continually exercises a prophetic role as Pope John Paul II.

Completely immersed in the message of Jesus Christ, he never misses an opportunity to call the world to discipleship. He continually points out the dangers of materialism and moral collapse. Pope John Paul speaks most eloquently on issues of justice and human rights, warning world leaders of the consequences for humanity when the powerful trample the rights and dignity of the weak and vulnerable.

We saw the prophetic stance in Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador, El Salvador. In the late 1970s when his country was immersed in a brutal civil war fuelled by outside forces, Archbishop Romero continually denounced the abuse of the human rights of the poor.

Over and over again he called for those supporting the war to cease. He called for justice for his people and a reform of the economic and political structures, which had enriched a handful of families, leaving most of the population landless and in poverty. Like so many of the prophets, Archbishop Romero paid for his courageous preaching with his life, murdered as he celebrated Mass on March 24, 1980.

I was recently made aware of the prophetic dimension of the life of the founder of Scarboro Missions, Monsignor John Fraser. Fr. Fraser first went to China in 1902, but he quickly realized that if the Church in China was to take root it would have to be a thoroughly Chinese Church, with a Chinese clergy and hierarchy. This was not a popular position among the mainly European missionaries with their colonial backgrounds and sense of cultural superiority.

Fr. Fraser was criticized and ridiculed because of his vision for the Church in China. History has of course proven him right. Despite years of intense persecution, the Chinese Church, with its Chinese bishops and clergy ministering to the faithful, has survived and even to some degree thrived. Monsignor Fraser died in 1962 in Japan, exiled from China but still working to build up the Church in Asia.

As these three individuals illustrate, the priest can only fulfill the prophetic aspect of his ministry if he is not only a person prayerfully immersed in the Word of God, but also profoundly aware of the world in which he and his people live. The prophetic priest must be courageous with an unshakeable faith in the promise of Jesus.

"Blessed are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven; this is how they treated the prophets before you." (Matthew 5:11-12)

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