Our Catechism teaches and reminds us that by virtue of our baptism, we are all priests, prophets and kings. We live out our priestly life by being ministers to the world around us, serving and being humble through our reaching out to the community around us. Certainly, not all of us are ordained ministers, but the priest without the capital P, is not an ordained being who serves in the sanctuary of the Church.
The term ‘minister’ comes from the Middle English, deriving from the Old French word ministre, originally minister in Latin, meaning “servant, attendant”, which was derived from the word ‘minus’ meaning “less”.
In the political realm, this aspect of minister is often, sadly, missing and even ignored. In many countries, being a minister in the government brings with it a whole lot of privilege and profundity, honor, and are often paid a rather handsome salary. Many ministers in governments are given the secure protection of police and even secret service. They are often seen as high-ranking beings and are invited to host important events surrounded by press and paparazzi. There is very little emphasis on the role of a servant or attendant in many ministers in governments.
Yet, this doesn’t change the fact that our Catechism teaches us that each baptized person is a priest, prophet and king. We are to live out our baptism in humble service of the community that we are in, and to understand that we have a royal dimension in being the children of God our creator and shepherd of souls. This helps us not to be too disturbed and perplexed when we are not persons of status and rank in society. It is not what our fellow human beings see in us, but more importantly, what our Divine Lord sees in each of us.
The Church teaches us that the prophetic mission of the baptized has to be rooted in the example of Jesus Christ. He came to proclaim the Good News of salvation and to liberate and free people who were subjected to sin and death. This was the primary mission of Jesus Christ, but it was not limited to Jesus’ own ministry, but extended with love to his followers as well. We the baptized are his followers. Just as the 12 apostles continued Jesus’ work of preaching the Gospel and healing the sick, liberating them from enslavement to sin, this task is also ours to continue. The moment we do our bit in proclaiming Jesus Christ with our words and in our work, we become prophets.
We live as prophets when we first listen to God’s voice speaking to our hearts. The prophets in the Old Testament were able to convincingly communicate God’s message to the people, because they heard and responded to God’s voice. Isaiah gives us an example of doing this when he responded to God’s question of “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Isaiah courageously responded “Here am I. Send me!” (Is 6:8). This shows a brave willingness to answer God’s call, despite the fact that it would lead him out of his comfort zone, and this is at the heart of what it means to be a prophet.
Living out our prophetic calling in life is never going to be a bed of roses. Actually, it is, when the bed of roses includes the thorns as well as the flowers. The phrase isn’t a “bed of rose petals”.
Speaking the truth doesn’t come without its challenges. It is also a call to be able to confront the evils of the world. When we speak out against the sinfulness and wanting to transform society, it will in most cases, have us meet with unpopularity and being uncomfortable. Effective prophets do not fear resistance, opposition and even hostility. We need to be mindful that Jesus warned his disciples that they would be like “lambs in the midst of wolves” (Lk 10:3). The true Christian prophet may not be spared suffering, but Jesus assures his disciples that they will be given every necessary grace and strength to be able to carry out the mission God gives them. Sts Peter and Paul are stalwart examples of lives that can be plagued with sufferings and afflictions when being prophetic in their roles as disciples of Jesus.
Many Catholics have not heard the emphasis on the prophetic role of a baptized person. It isn’t hard to imagine how badly this will affect the numbers of babies baptized after birth if it were. And because it hasn’t been emphasized, there are very few Catholics who live out their prophetic roles sedulously and courageously.
There are, I am sure, many parents of baptized children who do read my blog on this website. I am always grateful for this. My hope is that after reading this, you will try to teach your children about this side-stepped role of the baptized person in the Church, helping to propagate the Good News of God’s great and saving love for the world.
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