IT'S YOUR MINISTRY

In baptism, you, the laity, were given your ministry. It is a ministry by right and does not depend on the ordained ministry of the priest. The days of waiting for Father to tell you what to do are over. The days of needing Father’s permission or approval are gone. No longer do the people ask Father, “Should we have hamburgers or hot dogs at the parish picnic?” Father is no longer looked upon as the font of all wisdom or the solver of all problems. Whether Father realizes it or not. You have your own ministry. If you see something that needs to be done, do it. If you see something that needs to be stopped, stop it. Never forget that in baptism you were graced with the power of Jesus’ ministry as prophet. It’s not easy to be a prophet. Frederick Buechner in his book, Willful Thinking, said, “There is no evidence that anyone ever invited a prophet home for dinner more than once.” In ancient times, prophets were persecuted and put to death. Jesus, the Prophet, was crucified. In our own era there have been many prophets who were persecuted, silenced, inside and outside the church, and many have been assassinated. Gandhi comes to mind. Marin Luther King. Oscar Romero, who is still waiting to be canonized. And there are myriads of other prophets whose names we don’t even know who have been tortured and put to death. These prophets fulfilled their baptismal ministry. It takes courage to fulfill your baptismal prophetic ministry. It takes courage, for example, to speak out against the war in Iraq when all those around you are saluting the flag. Brennan Manning in his book, The Signature of Jesus, said, “The radical demands of the gospel have dissolved into verbal Alka Seltzer and prophetic preaching has become almost impossible.” I would add, and prophetic living. To see whether or not you are fulfilling your baptismal prophetic ministry, you have to ask yourself continually, Have I done anything countercultural recently?