Márcio Flávio Martins, CICM

Introduction

Prophecy in a Missionary Synodal Church is the title I am giving to my reflection. I plan to discuss it in three parts. First, I will address the topic in the light of the Holy Scriptures. Second, I will resort to the Magisterium of the Church, especially the Magisterium of the late Pope Francis. Third, I will discuss some challenges and opportunities for religious missionary life to live its prophetic vocation in today's world. I intend to develop all my reflections in a synodal way, that is, reflecting together with you to enter the richness that this topic can offers us.

Following the Paths of the Great Prophets of Biblical Tradition

Prophets in the Old Testament: An overview

The Prophets play a fundamental role in biblical traditions, both in the Old and New Testaments. A separate course would be necessary to cover the biblical content about the prophets in detail, and it would not be feasible to do it now given the available time. As introductory lines and to refresh our memory, there are, in the Old Testament, 17 books dedicated to the prophets even though there are 16 prophetic figures. Prophet Jeremiah contributed with two books: the book of Jeremiah and Lamentations. These books are generally categorized into two groups: the “Major Prophets” (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel) and the “Minor Prophets” (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zeiah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi).

In this session, I will provide a brief overview of some general concepts related to the biblical prophets of the Old Testament and mention some of their writings that, in my opinion, are relevant to the topic I am addressing.

I begin with the premise that the prophets in the Old Testament were people who spoke on God’s behalf without fear and filled with a liberating spirit. There is a definition of a prophet on the cover of the book The Prophets by Abraham Heschel that captured my attention: “A prophet is a person who sees the world with the eyes of God, who holds God and humanity in one thought at one time, at all times… who suffers harms done to others… living in dismay, he has the power to transcend dismay.”¹

Amos and Isaiah, two of the great prophets of the Old Testament, demonstrate how the prophets were aligned with God and this closeness enabled them to see the world with the eyes of God. It was clear to them that they lived to serve God. The Prophet Amos, for example, sees the prophets as servants of the Lord: “For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). As for Isaiah, the prophets are those called to prepare the way of the Lord: “A voice cries: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God” (Isaiah 40:3).

The prophets were people of their time. They experienced the hardships and injustices experienced by their contemporaries. They felt the pain of the people and were deeply outraged by the ruthlessness of the oppressors. However, they did not allow themselves to be blocked by suffering, revolt, powerlessness, guilt and fear. They were able to transform all of these into a positive response to the Lord, to follow Him, to proclaim Him and to bear witness to Him among the people. The prophets were those who embraced with courage and determination their mission. Isaiah 6: 1-8 explains the prophet's mission and his willingness to embrace it regardless of anything.

Stephen Bevans, SVD etymologically defines prophets in the following terms:

“… a prophet is someone who “speaks forth” (Greek: pro ephein), and this in two senses. In a first sense, once having heard or discerned the Word of God, the prophet faithfully announces a message, either in words… or in deeds... In a second sense more associated with popular notions of a prophet, the prophet “speaks forth” the future. Such predictions of the future, however, is not mere “fortune telling,” but the setting out a vision of what God has in store for people in God’s plan of salvation...”

The definition provided by Stephen Bevans reveals that the mission of the prophets originates from God and is sustained by Him. The prophets are those who listen to the Word of God and allow themselves to be guided by it in their proclamation and actions. The Word of God becomes a living reality in their lives, enabling them to impact the lives of those who listen to them. Jeremiah 13: 1-11 further elucidates this.

It is a fact that the prophets' messages were always filled with hope for a better world where peace and justice could truly reign. Their message was of consolation and encouragement. At times they used soft and deeply spiritual language like the prophet Ezekiel. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).

Theirs was a message beyond despair. With the prophets we find no reason to give up hope that things could be different than they were. Beyond any doubt was the certainty of God's presence as Isaiah affirms. “So, do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). In the same perspective or direction, Jeremiah says “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

However, the prophets had their feet firmly on the ground. They saw and felt the people's pain and struggles. They did not hesitate to incite in them a deep desire to fight for their liberation. Through their peculiar, provocative and liberating language, the prophets encouraged the oppressed to walk firmly in the ways of the Lord. They denounced courageously everything that was against God's plans. While talking about hope for a better future, their thoughts were equally anchored in the present and sometimes they became indignant, revolted, sometimes angry, very angry, and why not. Their sense of justice led them to strange and unexpected actions or words, as Isaiah tells us.

When reading the Books of the Prophets, I am sometimes amazed by the audacity and acuity they demonstrated in their preaching methods. They developed a style of preaching and living that made them unique and perhaps unrepeatable. Nevertheless, their writing has a great deal to teach us today. It would be a mistake to reflect on Prophecy in a Missionary Synodal Church without referring to the prophets of the Old Testament. They teach us many things, and just to list a few to conclude this session:

1. The message of the prophets helps us to free ourselves from complacency and indifference in the face of humanity's current dramas.

2. The message of the prophets helps us to become aware of our mission as servants of God and that we have received from Him the task proclaiming His truth of faith andliberation. We do not proclaim ourselves, but rather, the liberating God.

3. The message of the prophets helps us to set out together with the people of God in the concreteness of life. Eyes attentive to the reality that surrounds us, feet firm in history, liberating faith and transformative action.

4. The message of the prophets helps us overcome any kind of despair, discouragement, and indifference that tends to trap us in a comfort zone away from the reality of people’s lives.

5. The message of the prophets provokes and encourages us, supported by the liberating truth of God, to announce and denounce, proclaiming love, justice, and peace.

Prophets in the New Testament: An overview

The New Testament assured the continuation of the Prophets and Prophecies of the Old Testament. Acts 2:17-18 places us before the promises of God, saying, “I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.” Saint Paul, in his letters to the Ephesians 4:11, asserts that “Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and teachers…” as a gift to the early Church. In the same letter, Saint Paul sees the prophets as “God’s people and also members of his household…” (Ephesians 2:19).

The prophets continue their mission in the New Testament, but now with a fundamental difference from the Old Testament: Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word, who, through the action of the Holy Spirit, is the one who chooses, empowers and sends them to prophesy. It is Jesus who encourages all his followers to proclaim prophetically the Good News of the Kingdom of God. Addressing the Twelve, Jesus assured them: “… when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time, you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Matthew 10:19-20). In his first letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul speaks about prophecy as a gift from the Holy Spirit. “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy” (1 Corinthians 14:1).

The Gospel according to Matthew uses Isaiah 40:3 to introduce the one who, in the words of the Messiah, was the last of the great prophets. “This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him” (Matthew 3:3). Initially John’s mission was to preach repentance and baptize in the Jordan River. However, his mission became clearer when Jesus addressing John’s disciples, and later on, the crowd said: “This is the one about whom it is written: I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you. Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matthew 11:10-11).

There are two fundamental points in Matthew 11:10-11 that I want to highlight: First, though it might sound like a play on words, John the Baptist evokes the prophets of old who prophesied about the coming of a great prophet whose mission was to prophesy the coming of the Lord. Someone chosen to be a messenger, not the message. Someone who is chosen to prepare the way of the Lord. Someone fully aware of his mission.

The second point sounds paradoxical. How can someone be the greatest and yet the least? We have seen earlier the significant contributions of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, etc. Then, how can John the Baptist be greater than all of them? This is not a difficult question to answer. The greatness of John refers to the privilege he had of announcing Jesus as the Messiah and recognizing his smallness before Him. “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie” (John 1:26-27). Recognizing his smallness in the face of the greatness of Jesus made him the greatest of all prophets. It is also worth mentioning the audacity of John in denouncing the betrayal of Herodias, Philip's wife, who had an affair with Philip's brother Herod. This provoked Herodias's anger, and she convinced her daughter Salome to ask Herod for John the Baptist's head on a platter (Matthew 14: 3-12).

John the Baptist fulfilled his mission consciously. He knew that he was doing God’s work and was always filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and with a liberating truth. By explicitly proclaiming Jesus through words and deeds, he became an exemplary model of how a disciple of Christ should behave. In fact, John offers us one of the most explicit confessions of faith in the New Testament: “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). He knew Jesus and made him known to all his listeners.

After having briefly discussed the prophet John the Baptist, let us now turn our attention to Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus spoke about his closeness with His Father. He spoke with authority and courage. He talked about future things. He announced the Kingdom of God and denounced the injustices of his time. All of these can lead us to think of Him as a prophet, as he shared common traits with the great prophets of the Old Testament. We can than ask: What was truly new with Jesus? Did he truly inaugurate a new way of being a prophet?

Jesus made it clear to his followers that he did not come to abolish the Prophets. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). Knowing Jesus was a challenging task for those who walked side by side with Him. Upon asking His disciples who people said he was, this was the answer: “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (Matthew 16:14). Identifying Jesus with great prophets like Jeremiah and Elijah was not that bad. After all, they, like Jesus, were chosen and sent by God. They fulfilled their mission in their respective times and contexts.

The great dividing line between prophecy and the prophets of the Old and the New Testaments is the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The Gospel according to Matthew tells of Jesus going to meet John the Baptist at the Jordan River, requesting baptism. At that moment the Holy Spirit empowered Jesus. A revelation took place, and from that moment on Jesus’ public life and ministry begun.

Jesus’ baptism became a crucial event that laid the foundation for the sacrament of baptism celebrated by the church throughout the centuries. A sacrament that became the gateway to Christian life in which the gift of prophecy or the prophetic vocation is given to all the baptized. The sacrament of baptism imprints a new identity as described by the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It unites all the baptized to Christ, who is priest, prophet, and king. Through it, we participate in this three-fold aspects of the Savior’s life. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).

Radcliffe in his book entitled Take the Plunge provokes us with the following reflection about this pericope:

That sounds wonderful but isn’t the language rather inflated? Most Christians do not feel themselves to be priests, let alone prophets or kings. We talk about ‘the priesthood of all believers’, which is the participation of the baptized in the priesthood of Christ, but this seems rather vacuous, given that most lay people are rather passive in the life of the Church. Why is there such an apparent gap between what we celebrate in baptism and the life of the Church, which is often dismally clerical?²

Baptism is a gift from God offered to everyone, making everyone equal before God. What should prevail in every Christian community is unity in diversity. In the community of the baptized are different ways of expressing one’s faith and serving. To be more specific, in a missionary synodal Church, we all walk together, sharing and living our baptism, exercising the various functions and ministries in equal dignity.

However, there may be times when a gap exists between the ideal and the reality of the community of the baptized. Unfortunately, there are signs that the equality we are supposed to share as baptized is ignored or undermined due to clericalism, power struggle, domination, as well as ideological, cultural, and social divisions. According to Cardinal Radcliffe:

Being priest, prophet and king all flow from being alive in God. We are alive, rather than just ticking over, because we are able to mediate God’s love for humanity, and humanity’s love for God. That is the fundamental way in which the baptized share in Christ’s priesthood. We are prophets in so far as it is given to us to speak words that give life and truth. God’s own word. To be a mature human being also means that we bear responsibility in the life of society and the Church. Sharing Christ’s kingship, we are all called to exercise our proper role in the community.³

Other prophets in the New Testament could be mentioned here, but considering the time allotted, I will limit myself to these reflections on John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth. Now, to conclude this section, I would like to highlight five points about prophecy in the New Testament.

First, John the Baptist is an example par excellence of how Prophecy in a Missionary Synodal Church should be lived. He is a prophet who journeyed with his followers, bringing them to Jesus. Once he encountered Jesus, he and his followers became pilgrims who walked in His presence, proclaiming and witnessing Him.

Second, without diminishing the importance of the great prophets of Biblical tradition, Jesus laid the foundation on how we should live the prophetic vocation we receive through the Sacrament of Baptism. Once Baptized, we are commissioned and sent to proclaim the Good News.

Third, the beatitudes narrated in Matthew 5 demonstrate to whom we must go. It requires attention and preference for those who suffer. Prophesying, therefore, requires that we consider the forgotten, abandoned, oppressed, and persecuted ones. In a Missionary Synodal Church, indifference to the poor and alienation from the social realities around us have no place.

Fourth, the kerygma occurs within the context of the early Christian communities. Forming community is essential for a prophetic missionary synodal church. There was a great effort by the early Christians not only to proclaim the Risen Christ but also to form communities of faith around Him.

Fifth, the Kingdom of God was inaugurated by Jesus, yet it seems far from happening in its fullness. Every effort is needed to build this kingdom where everyone will have life and life in abundance

Some aspects of the Magisterium to understand Prophecy in a Missionary Synodal Church

Vatican II

In his work, The Church: The Evolution of Catholicism, Richard P. McBrien states that “[t]he two major sources of the conciliar ecclesiology are the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen gentium), and the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et spes), both of which can be described as the twin pillars on which the entire conciliar ecclesiology rests.”⁴

Lumen Gentium has influenced the contemporary understanding of mission. It deals with the Church’s missionary activity of bringing the Good News to the ends of the earth (LG 17). The Church is seen as the universal sacrament of salvation (LG 48) which is at the service of the Kingdom of God. The mission entrusted to the Church is to proclaim and to spread among all peoples the Kingdom of God and to be, on earth, the initial budding forth of that kingdom (LG 5). Another important element is the stress on the local churches. These understanding questions the principle of merely implanting the “western” model of church in the “missions or mission territories.” It recognizes their autonomy and enhances the identity of each local church. It is the variety of local churches that contributes to the catholicity of the undivided Church (AG 23).

This has concrete implications for the missionaries. They are commissioned to serve the local church in dialogue with the local ordinary who has the primary responsibility of mission in his own diocese.

There is a greater openness for and recognition of the peculiarities of every local church which promotes the idea of reciprocity and exchange of experiences between them.

In Lumen Gentium, “[t]he church is not presenting itself imperiously and proudly but humbly; it does not define itself in legal categories or as an elite of exalted souls, but as a servant community.

LG’s ecclesiology is missionary through and through.”⁵

Gaudium et Spes departs from the Church’s hostility towards dialogue with the modern world. The Church points out the importance of dialoguing with the world and being enriched by the benefits of modern sciences. The Church realizes that she can no longer remain complacent about the problems of humanity. She should face them and dialogue with the world. The opening of this pastoral constitution already presents the main features of this document. “The joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the men of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted in any way, are the joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well” (GS 1).

In line with Lumen Gentium, Gaudium et Spes sees the Church as being at the service of the Kingdom of God. In her missionary endeavors, the Church has to be attentive to the signs of the times.⁶ There is no room for complacency and indifference to what afflicts the people of our times. The signs of the times impel the Church to evaluate her missionary approach in the light of the gospels. Furthermore, in doing mission, we have to be aware that the Church is not tied to or bound by any culture or nation. Rather, in fidelity to the Gospel, she must transcend all kinds of nationalism or indifference to any culture (See GS 42).

LG and GS have changed the self-understanding of the Church, and consequently, the theology of mission. The fact that the Church is seen as a sign of the universal sacrament of salvation reminds us constantly that the missionary mandate is not bounded by space or time, but rather, it transcends all boundaries. All Christ’s faithful are sent to the whole human race, affirming, therefore, the universal character of the Church. A Church that is a pilgrim and is constantly at the service of the Kingdom of God must therefore engage in authentic dialogue with other religions, must incarnate itself in every local culture creating therefore authentic and independent communities, and, as people of God, sees the laity not as merely passive members, but directly responsible for the expansion of the Kingdom of God in the world.

The mission Documents in the Post-Vatican II Era

After having discussed Vatican II’s mission theology and its impact on a Missionary Synodal Church, I will now deal with two post-Vatican II documents on mission, Evangelii Nuntiandi and Redemptoris Missio, in order to see what they can contribute to the understanding of mission ad extra.

In 1975, Pope Paul VI issued the apostolic exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi. This document was issued in the aftermath of decolonization, when Third World peoples were claiming their freedom and asserting their identity. This context influenced the Church’s understanding of mission which could no longer be an exclusive endeavor of foreign missionaries, but rather, the primary task of the local churches and of every baptized Christian. In this sense, the document was prophetic and very relevant to the mission of the Church.

Evangelii Nuntiandi was issued during a time when liberation theology had a strong influence in Latin America. Theologians, Church leaders and basic ecclesial communities began to understand mission as the effort to liberate people from all kinds of oppression caused by social injustices. They read the Scripture and related it to their life experiences. They also dialogued with social sciences in order to comprehend the causes of the social problems. For Boff, evangelization “is based on the gospel rather than on the pure and simple propagation of church doctrine. The people read the gospel together, in communities, interpreting it in an atmosphere of prayer and communion, and living it by applying it to the problems of the popular culture. It is here that the gospel appears as the good news of liberation.”⁷

Evangelii Nuntiandi aimed at revitalizing the missionary fervor which seemed to be waning in the 1970s. The document presents a new understanding and ways of doing mission which are important for those who venture to cross cultural and national boundaries. In the years after Evangelii Nuntiandi, missionaries began to link more systematically the issues of inculturation and social development to missionary activity.

The Encyclical Redemptoris Missio of John Paul II issued in 1991 marks the 25th anniversary of Ad Gentes, and the 15th anniversary of Evangelii Nuntiandi. One of the main concerns of this encyclical is the decline of the missionary spirit of the universal Church.⁸ Signs of this decline are the decrease in vocations especially in first world countries but also in the third world. The fact that the Church has been well established in practically every corner of the world has created an environment of indifference towards the missionary mandate of going to the nations proclaiming the Gospel. Redemptoris Missio 33 distinguishes three situations wherein the missionary activity of the Church is to be carried out:

First, there is the situation which the Church's missionary activity addresses: peoples, groups, and socio-cultural contexts in which Christ and his Gospel are not known, or which lack Christian communities sufficiently mature to be able to incarnate the faith in their own environment and proclaim it to other groups. This is mission ad gentes in the proper sense of the term. Secondly, there are Christian communities with adequate and solid ecclesial structures. They are fervent in their faith and in Christian living. They bear witness to the Gospel in their surroundings and have a sense of commitment to the universal mission. In these communities the Church carries out her activity and pastoral care. Thirdly, there is an intermediate situation, particularly in countries with ancient Christian roots, and occasionally in the younger Churches as well, where entire groups of the baptized have lost a living sense of the faith, or even no longer consider themselves members of the Church, and live a life far removed from Christ and his Gospel. In this case what is needed is a "new evangelization" or a "re-evangelization.

Another issue tackled by Redemptoris Missio is re-evangelization or new evangelization. RM 30 says that “[t]oday the Church must face other challenges and push forward to new frontiers, both in the initial mission ad gentes and in the new evangelization of those peoples who have already heard Christ proclaimed.” RM 37 deals with the re-evangelization of those people who have lost the sense of faith.

While acknowledging that statements about the missionary responsibility of the Church are not credible unless they are backed up by a serious commitment to a new evangelization in the traditionally Christian countries, it does not seem justified to regard as identical the situation of a people which has never known Jesus Christ and that of a people which has known him, accepted him and then rejected him, while continuing to live in a culture which in large part has absorbed gospel principles and values. These are two basically different situations with regard to the faith.

The commitment to a new evangelization in the traditionally Christian countries requires concrete measures. RM 59 stresses that “a new evangelization ought to create among the wealthy a realization that the time has arrived for them to become true brothers and sisters of the poor through the conversion of all to an "integral development" open to the Absolute.”

The Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, on the proclamation of the Gospel in the modern world, was promulgated on November 24, 2013, in the first year of Francis’ pontificate. It is interconnected with the reflections arising from the 13th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, held in Rome from October 7 to 28, 2012, convened during the pontificate of Benedict XVI, and had as its theme “The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith”. Pope Francis revisits the Synod by recalling that the new evangelization is carried out in three areas: in the ordinary pastoral work for those baptized who practice the faith, for those baptized who do not live the demands of baptism, and for those who do not yet know Jesus (EG, n. 14). Throughout the document, the Church’s missionary action is emphasized (EG, n. 15) and that it should not be focused only on itself, self-referential, seeking only self-preservation, but outside itself, going outward (EG, n. 27).

One of the questions to be asked about Evangelii Gaudium is the attention given to the poor. Few Church documents emphatically and prophetically portray the issue of the poor in a direct and thought-provoking manner. The poor is mentioned 87 times in the document. This factor becomes an indicator of the privileged place of the poor in Evangelii Gaudium. This is not a document that exclusively addresses the issue of people with low incomes, but it suggests a fact that warrants more careful consideration. In this sense, what motivated Pope Francis to address the issue of the poor in such a comprehensive manner?

When thinking about a Church that goes forth, Francis considers the countless scenarios that require the evangelizing presence of the Church and that “each Christian and each community must discern what path the Lord is asking of them, but we are all invited to accept this call: to leave our comfort zone and have the courage to reach all the peripheries that need the light of the Gospel” (EG, n. 20). A missionary Church that goes forth has an address, a focus, a goal of where it wants to reach or to whom it intends to address its message. For Francis, the poor are the privileged recipients of this missionary Church that goes forth (EG, n. 48).

Few Church documents emphatically portray the issue of the poor in a direct manner as Evangelii Gaudium does. Pope Francis prophetically challenges the entire Church to reassess its stance on missionary action and warns about the risk of indifference towards the poor. Right at the beginning of the document, he draws attention to the individualistic tendency and indifference that modern human beings have demonstrated, especially towards the poor. “Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades.” (EG, n. 2).

Relativism and indifference towards the suffering of the poor are present in the lives of believers and non-believers alike. This is a reality in contemporary society in which “practical relativism consists of acting as if God did not exist, deciding as if the poor did not exist, dreaming as if others did not exist, working as if those who have not received the message did not exist” (EG, n. 48). To solve this great individual and social sin, it is necessary to “making the Church constantly go out from herself, keeping her mission focused on Jesus Christ, and her commitment to the poor” (EG, n. 97).

It is clear that, in demonstrating his preference for the poor, Pope Francis does not begin with only theological concepts but rather with his own pastoral experience. Imbued with a deep feeling of solidarity, he recounts his experiences with people experiencing poverty, saying, “I can say that the most beautiful and natural expressions of joy which I have seen in my life were in poor people who had little to hold on to” (EG, n. 7).

Paul Suess, his dictionary of Evangelii Gaudium, states that from this document, we discover “an indissoluble bond between the Christian faith and the poor.” The traces of God’s predilection for the poor demonstrated throughout the history of salvation are so evident that we can conclude that “God is with the poor, and the poor are with God”. According to Suess, recognizing this closeness of God to the poor becomes a path to salvation. For him, “association with the poor corresponds to the surest path to salvation. Therefore, our task is to make the interests of the poor our interests.” Pope Francis did challenge us to courageously and prophetically renew our desire for a poor Church for the poor, recognizing that the poor are not only evangelized by the Church but also evangelizers of the Church (EG, n. 19). Here then is a general idea of how Evangelii Gaudium can help us live the profession in a synodal missionary church, a church in which the poor have a voice and a place.

Living our prophetic vocation in today's world

On the brink of post-modernity

Post-modernity has strongly affected society and religion. Postmodern people are very much concerned with their individual interests and economic security. The postmodern mentality hinders people to make lifelong commitments and find meaning in self-denial and sacrifice. This context presents serious challenges for prophesying in a synodal missionary church.

The first characteristic of post-modernity is to overemphasize scientific advancements regardless of ethical principles. This attitude is very visible in the development of new weaponry, and the unsustainable exploitation of natural resources.⁹ Another characteristic of post-modernity is globalization, which on the one hand creates bridges between nations, but on the other hand, overlooks cultural differences and favors the imposition of the culture of the powerful nations on the poorer ones. It creates a form of ‘neo-colonialism’ that leads people to a loss of identity and/or fragmentation of their culture and national freedom.¹⁰

Pope Benedict XVI, in SS 30, analyzes post-modernity by contrasting the kingdom of men which is a product of post-modernity and the Kingdom of God which is what Christians should be promoting.

[O]ur contemporary age has developed the hope of creating a perfect world that, thanks to scientific knowledge and to scientifically based politics, seemed to be achievable. Thus, Biblical hope in the Kingdom of God has been displaced by hope in the kingdom of man, the hope of a better world which would be the real “Kingdom of God”. This seemed at last to be the great and realistic hope that man needs. It was capable of galvanizing - for a time - all man's energies. The great objective seemed worthy of full commitment. In the course of time, however, it has become clear that this hope is constantly receding. Above all it has become apparent that this may be a hope for a future generation, but not for me.

Post-modernity has also given rise to the phenomenon of secularism neglecting the value of religion and undermining its public influence by making it a private reality or simply abandoning it. Religious practices are still part of people’s lives in post-modernity, but they are much less communitarian. It has led people to focus more on their individual salvation. The traditional religions, with all their rigidity and unchangeable rites, are being replaced by neo-Pentecostal practices and new age movements, the danger of which is the tendency towards fundamentalism and indifferentism to other religions.¹¹

For Peter Phan, the question to be asked in dealing with post-modernity is “whether missionaries’ ad gentes can still proclaim the Christian faith effectively and faithfully amid the pluralistic view, widespread in popular culture and in academia, that the Christian faith is but one among many equally legitimate paths to God.”¹²

Prophecy in a Missionary Synodal Church counteracts the problems brought by secularism and post-modernity by taking into consideration a new perspective that will lead people to think globally, not locally, to be counter-cultural, not passive, to be prophetic, not complacent, to be frugal, not consumerist, to engage in dialogue, not in proselytism. Despite all the challenges post-modernity poses everyone, the Church stands prophetically in today’s world.

The Prophets of our time

We have learned that prophets are not only the ones whose names appear in the Holy Scriptures. We have also learned that through the Sacrament of Baptism, we are all called to be prophets. Throughout the centuries, the Church has been blessed with countless men and women who were true prophets, leaving us a great legacy of witness of the love for God and humanity. Many had shed their blood and had their names recorded in the list of martyrs of the Church. Many others prophesied quietly through their gestures and actions. I will mention in this session some of the great men and women of our time who have marked history as faithful saints and authentic prophets.

Sister Dorothy Mae Stang, SNDdeN (Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur community) - (June 7, 1931 – February 12, 2005) was an American-born Brazilian Catholic nun and martyr. She was murdered in Anapu, Pará, in the Amazon Basin in 2005. Stang had been outspoken in her efforts on behalf of the poor and the environment and had previously received death threats from loggers and landowners.

Rosario Angelo Livatino (October 3, 1952 - September 21, 1990) was an Italian judge who was murdered by the Stidda, a Sicilian Mafia-type criminal organization, and Beatified by the Catholic Church. During his career, Livatino worked against corruption, and won several cases, obtaining seizure of large sums of money and property, and the arrests of senior organized crime figures. On 21 September 1990, Livatino was murdered along route SS 640 as he drove to court without bodyguards. The four assassins had been paid by the Stidda of Agrigento.

Beatified last June 15, 2025, at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, a young Congolese member of the Community of Sant’ Egidio is martyr of the Church. He was born on June 13, 1981, in Goma, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo. He studied law and initially worked at the Office Congolais de Contrôle in Kinshasa, a government agency responsible for quality control of goods from other countries. After a period of training in the capital, Floribert returned to Goma, his hometown. Despite his relatively young age, Floribert made a profound impact at the customs office of Goma. Unlike his predecessors, he refused to accept bribes to pass rotten or contaminated foodstuffs. His integrity ultimately cost him his life, as he was tortured and murdered on July 7, 2007, for his refusal to succumb to corruption.

Fr. Fausto Tentorio was born on January 7, 1952, in Santa Maria di Rovagnate and raised in Santa Maria Hoe', in the Northern Italian town of Lecco. He was ordained in 1977 and left for the Philippines the following year. He was a member of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME). On 17 October 2011 he was shot and killed by a gunman inside his parish compound in the town of Arakan, North Cotabato, in Mindanao in the Philippines. A local paramilitary group, Bagani (‘tribal warriors’), reportedly under military control of the 57th Infantry Battalion, is allegedly responsible for the killing of Father Fausto. He was the Director of the Diocesan Program for Indigenous People and a very active member of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines.

The late Pope Francis teaches us what I will call a “prophetic gesture” by kneeling and kissing the shoes of the President of South Sudan and his rivals during one of his apostolic visits on April 11, 2019. He begged the political leaders to end the country’s civil war.

These five individuals are great prophets of recent times. They were people filled and moved by the Holy Spirit to witness prophetically the Gospel of Jesus. People like them make prophecy in a synodal missionary church a reality. Undoubtedly, many other people go unnoticed by the spotlight of cameras and social media, yet they truly live their prophetic vocation.

Embracing Prophecy in a Missionary Synodal Church

Pope Leo XIV, in his inaugural speech on the balcony of Saint Peter Basilica, said, "I am a son of Saint Augustine, an Augustinian, who said: “With you, I am a Christian and for you a bishop.” In this sense, the Augustinian Pope reveals his motivation to be one with the people of God and to promote a synodal Church. Stephen Bevans highlights the importance of dialogue and relationships in mission. He says that "mission as dialogue is ultimately about ministering out of real relationships, about making friends." Saint Paul, in his first letter to the Thessalonians, said, “… we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well” (1 Thes 2:6-8). In an era deeply marked by individualism and indifference, journeying together as community and working for a synodal church is a prophetic act.

The Final Document of the Synod affirms that “practiced with humility, the synodal style enables the Church to be a prophetic voice in today’s world” (Final Document, n. 47). Further, the document asserts that “authentic practices of synodality enable Christians to be a critical and prophetic voice over against the prevailing culture” (Final Document, n. 47).

Furthermore, the Final Document gives attention to the different forms of consecrated life and highlights its prophetic mission in the world. The Synod calls “congregations, societies of apostolic life, secular institutes, as well as associations, movements and new communities; all have a special contribution to make to the growth of synodality in the Church” (Final Document, n. 47). Still about consecrated life, the document reminds the role of intercultural communities to be witnesses of fraternity and communion.

Prophecy in the missionary synodal church does not neglect the digital universe of the internet and social networks. The prophecy that we are called to witness also reaches social networks.

Missionaries should not be afraid to venture into the world of social networks. The great challenge is how to enter this universe playing a critical and prophetic role, that is, to make good use of these resources to promote life and freedom of each person. I believe that missionaries must train themselves to make proper use of the world of the internet so that this “digital environment becomes a prophetic space for mission and proclamation” (Final Document, n. 117).

After having a Pope so concerned with ecological issues and the future of our common home, the theme of ecology could not have been left out of the synodal reflections. This theme was widely discussed with Pope Francis, and it will continue to be, I believe, with Pope Leo XIV. The ecological question has become a moral responsibility of the Church and can no longer be overlooked in its mission. “Synodality and integral ecology both take on the character of relationality and insist upon us nurturing what binds us together; this is why they correspond to and complement each other concerning how the mission of the Church is lived out in today’s world” (Final Document, n. 117). Furthermore, the document states that “integral ecology is part of the evangelizing mission that the Church is called to live and incarnate in history” (Final Document, n. 151).

After briefly reviewing the Synod’s Final Document and highlighting some points I consider relevant to the topic I am addressing, I now proceed to my conclusions.

Conclusion

As a conclusion to this morning’s reflection, I would like to highlight some points that I consider both as challenges and opportunities for missionary religious life in relation to the call to prophesy in a missionary synodal church. Far from intending to exhaust this subject, it is hoped that these final points which I will share may encourage you to continue reflecting on the topic in question, especially in the way we live our religious and missionary vocation.

A Brazilian communion song, entitled “Se calarem a voz dos profetas” (If the Voice of the Prophets is Silenced)," came to mind while I was preparing my reflection. Prophets cannot remain silent. Prophets must speak and bear witness to truth, justice, and peace. The world needs prophets, true prophets filled with the Holy Spirit. Men and women who are not indifferent to the struggle of the poor and the oppressed. Men and women who are willing to sacrifice themselves for the cause of the Gospel and the Kingdom of God. The first great challenge is therefore to rekindle in ourselves and in all Christians the prophetic vocation that we received through baptism and that is confirmed throughout our lives.

We, religious missionaries, consecrated to mission through our vows of poverty, chastity and obedience have a very important task that is to make Prophecy in a Missionary Synodal Church visible. Our vocation does not grant us a superior status to other members of the baptized community, but it does require us to bear witness in our lives to what we propose to be. It is very sad when we become counter-witnesses due to infidelity, hypocrisy, clericalism, abuse of power, and indifference towards the people of God, especially the most fragile and impoverished ones. These are things that weaken the contribution we should give to prophecy and hinder the synodal journey of the Church.

The great prophets of the Old and New Testaments, Jesus and his disciples, as well as the great leaders of the early Christian communities, were community builders. Filled with the Holy Spirit, they prophesied. They announced the Good News and denounced everything that was against God’s plans. And they did all this in the community. They were not individualists who spoke to the wind, instead they formed communities among those they served. We need to learn to create communities among ourselves too. We live in international / intercultural communities. We come from many different nationalities and cultures. We work together to serve God’s people. Without claiming perfection, we must bear witness to the universal brotherhood and sisterhood among us. With humility, we must learn to live our unity in diversity. By doing so, we will be prophesying and contributing to the development of a synodal missionary church.

The world has become a small village. In many countries, different nationalities are living and working together. This social reality also influences the Church in the contemporary world. Christian communities are composed of people coming from different countries. In first world countries there are parishes where Latin American, Asian and African Christians are forming a community which is shepherded by native priests and/or foreigners. Prophecy in a synodal missionary church requires that everyone should have a place in the community. There should not be exclusion or segregation of people due to their nationality or culture. To be prophetic requires that Christians work for just, respectful and fraternal relations.

The Church’s missionary activity cannot but have universal proportions. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19). It has been agreed by Bible scholars that this great commission stresses making disciples of all nations. Therefore, to make disciples has global and/or universal proportions.¹³ In a prophetic synodal missionary Church, mission has no borders. To be prophetic means to be able to cross geographical, social and cultural borders. Christians must not remain closed in on themselves, in their little ghettos, indifferent to the rest of the world.

Finally, being a prophet and prophesying is not possible unless we are firmly rooted in God and guided by profound spirituality. Prophets must be men and women of God. Men and women who pray. The Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner (1904-1984) has a phrase that is often repeated in theological circles. He said, “The Christian of the future will be a mystic or will not exist”. We may disagree with the statement attributed to him. Still, I believe, this phrase highlights the importance of cultivating a deep spirituality to live our baptism. To be a prophet is to allow God to speak to us, in us, and through us. Without a deep relationship with Him, we will be talking about our own aspirations and ideologies, but not about God's liberating message.

1. Abraham J. Heschel, The Prophets (New York, The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1962).

2. Timothy Radcliffe, Take the Plunge: Living Baptism and Confirmation (London, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2012), 185-186.

3. Radcliffe, 189-190.

4. Richard P. McBrien, The Church: The Revolution of Catholicism (New York: Harper Collins Publisher, 2008), 164.

5. David J Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission (New York: Orbis Books, 1991), 372.

6. Jose Comblin, “The Signs of the Times,” Concilium 4 (2005): 73: “The general intention behind the Council’s use of the term ‘sign of the times’ leaves no room for any possibility of doubt. The Council wished to acknowledge that history existed, that the Church was in history, that the times of Christendom had now gone, and that the Church should open itself to the modern world.”

7. Leonardo Boff, New Evangelization: Good News to the Poor, trans. Robert R. Barr (Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1991), 116.

8. J. Neuner, “Mission in Ad Gentes and in Redemptoris Missio,” Vidyajyoti 56, 5 (May 1992): 230.

9. See Stephen B. Bevans and Roger P. Schroeder, Constants in Context: A Theology of Mission for Today (Quezon City: Claretian Publications, 2004), 375-377, and David J Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission (New York: Orbis Books, 1991), 363.

10. See Michael Amaladoss, “Challenges of Mission in the 21st Century,” Theology Digest 47, 1 (Spring 2000): 16-17.

11. Marcello Azevedo, “Modernity: Challenges to Inculturated Evangelization,” Euntes Studies 7 (September 1991): 44.

12. Phan, Peter C. In Our Own Tongues: Perspectives from Asia on Mission and Inculturation. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 2003, 135.

13. See Douglas R. A. Hare and Daniel J. Harrington, “Make Disciples of all the Gentiles (MT 28:19),” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 37, 3 (July 1975): 368; Johannes Nissen, “Matthew: Mission and Method,” International Review of Mission Vol. XCI, n. 360 (2002): 77; and John P. Meier, “Nations or Gentiles in Matthew 28:19?” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 39, 1 (January1977): 94-102.