The Prophetic Ministry

I have strong personal judgements about many current events in the Church and in the world. For example, I certainly have 'views' on the Vatican's concordat with the Chinese Communist Party. I have 'views' about the Wuhan virus and social violence. However personally satisfying it would be to go off on a rant about these things, that is not my job. St. Paul says that there are many ministries in the Church. Thank God for those who have the ministry to speak out boldly about current events. They truly have a ministry of prophecy in the Church.

This week, in the reading from Isaiah at Mass we heard this: "If you do not stand firm in faith, you shall not stand at all." This is the prophetic voice speaking loud and clear to us in our present circumstances. Stand firm in the faith! Everything must be evaluated in the light of the Gospel, because Christ is the measure of every time and culture. Stat crux dum volvitur orbis: the Cross stands firm, while the world turns.

Pope John Paul II, in his book 'Crossing the Threshold of Hope', wrote:

Against the spirit of the world, the Church takes up anew each day a struggle that is none other than the struggle for the world’s soul. If in fact, on the one hand, the Gospel and evangelization are present in this world, on the other, there is also present a powerful anti-evangelization which is well organized and has the means to vigorously oppose the Gospel.

The Gospel is not a promise of easy success. The Gospel does not promise a comfortable life to anyone. It makes demands and, at the same time, it is a great promise — the promise of eternal life for man, and the promise of victory through faith for man, who is subject to many trials and setbacks. The Gospel contains a fundamental paradox: to find life, one must lose life; to be born, one must die; to save oneself, one must take up the cross. This is the essential truth of the Gospel.

Always and everywhere the Gospel will be a challenge to human weakness. But precisely in this challenge lies all its power. Man feels the inner need to transcend himself. Only in transcending himself does man become fully human.