Day 126: Prophetic and Kingly Offices (904-913)
It’s Day 126!!
Our vocation is primarily to be SAINTS
Secondly, it is to live out the PRIESTLY, ROYAL, AND PROPHETIC OFFICES
Jesus is THE High Priest
Jesus is THE Prophet of prophets
Jesus is THE King of kings
He shares that with those in Holy Orders
BUT…
He also shares that with EVERY BAPTIZED CHRISTIAN
PARTICIPATION IN CHRIST’S PROPHETIC OFFICE
PARTICIPATION IN CHRIST’S KINGLY OFFICE
Paragraph 905 says, “Lay people also fulfill their prophetic mission by evangelization, ‘that is, the proclamation of Christ by word and the testimony of life.’”
THIS IS KEY FOR US!!
IT IS INCREDIBLE!!
Because we share in Jesus’ Priestly office, our ENTIRE LIFE can be a gift of WORSHIP
It is an incredible RIGHT and an incredible DUTY to unite the sacrifice of our lives to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ
Today we will talk about how Jesus has extended to all the priestly people the PROPHETIC OFFICE
Which means we have to EXERCISE that prophetic office
He has extended participation in His KINGLY OFFICE
Which means we are called to SERVE
Which means it is also LEADERSHIP
It is a LEADERSHIP OF SERVICE
It is an opportunity to put our gifts, talents, strengths, whatever we have to offer, at the service of the Church and the world
So let’s begin with a prayer!!
Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven, we give you praise. We thank you so much for bringing us to this day. We ask that you please send your Holy Spirit into our hearts to renew our participation in your priestly office, our participation in your prophetic office, and our participation in your royal office, that we can serve as you serve. That we can serve as servants, as slaves of you, Lord God. That we can speak your Word and speak of you in everything we say and in everything we do. Let nothing we say and nothing we do ever contradict who you are in your Goodness, your Love, your Truth, your Justice. And Lord God, help us by your Holy Spirit to offer our lives as a sacrifice along with yours. We are united to you, Lord God. As your Body, we ask that you please send us your Holy Spirit that we can bring your presence into the world in each one of our lives, in the small ways we can do, in the large ways you are calling us to. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen”
There we are!!
Why did Jesus establish a Church?
Why does Jesus give to all of us who belong to Him a share and participation in His priestly, prophetic, and royal office?
Paragraph 913 says, “‘Thus, every person, through these gifts given to him, is at once the witness and the living instrument of the mission of the Church itself according to the measure of Christ’s bestowal.’”
What are these gifts?
The gifts of sharing in His priestly, prophetic, and kingly office
The gifts of intelligence, wisdom, charm, and whatever it is that you have been given
This summarizes THE VOCATION OF THE LAITY
In the Acts of the Apostles Ch 1 the Apostles ask Jesus, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the Kingdom of Israel?”
Jesus says, “It’s not for you to know the time or season etc.”
Jesus says, “But YOU will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And then YOU will be my witnesses here in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and throughout the ends of the earth.”
That word Jesus used in Greek is “mártys” or MARTYR
To BEAR WITNESS to Jesus Christ with what we SAY and what we DO
IN FACT…
That is one of the effects of the Sacrament of Confirmation
Everyone who has been confirmed has been given a SPECIAL STRENGTH to spread and defend the Faith by WORD AND ACTION
INCREDIBLE!!
So the gift of the ROYAL OFFICE and the PROPHETIC OFFICE is to be a MISSIONARY
PARTICIPATION IN CHRIST’S PROPHETIC OFFICE
Paragraph 904 says, “‘Christ…fulfills this prophetic office, not only by the hierarchy…but also by the laity…To teach in order to lead others to faith is the task of every preacher and of each believer.”
THIS IS SO IMPORTANT!!
St. Thomas Aquinas is saying very clearly that YOUR ROLE and FR. Mike’s ROLE is to TEACH AND LEAD OTHERS TO THE FAITH
WHO we teach is up to God
BUT…
We are called in some way to PROCLAIM JESUS CHRIST
Paragraph 905 says, “Lay people also fulfill their prophetic mission by evangelization, ‘that is, the proclamation of Christ by word and the testimony of life.’”
THIS IS SO IMPORTANT!!
This is ESSENTIAL for those who are not ordained
Paragraph 905 continues, “This evangelization…acquires a specific property and peculiar efficacy because it is accomplished in the ordinary circumstances of the world.’”
One of the great tasks of every believer is to bring the Grace of Jesus Christ that has been given to THEM into their particular corner of the world
Priests and bishops are called to do that in their particular way
BUT…
There are so many corners of the world where priests and bishops are not there
We are limited by time and space
AND YET…
YOUR corner of the world…
You have been given the Power of the Holy Spirit
You have been given the Character of Jesus Christ
You have been made into a LITTLE CHRIST
As a Christian, Jesus has given you a participation in His PRIESTLY AND PROPHETIC OFFICE
There is a part of this world where maybe YOU are the ONLY PERSON who can proclaim Jesus Christ
Paragraph 906 says, “Lay people who are capable and trained may also collaborate in catechetical formation, in teaching the sacred sciences, and in use of the communications media.”
Professors, teachers, etc.
Paragraph 907 says, “‘In accord with the knowledge, competence, and preeminence which they possess, (lay people) have the right and even at times a duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church, and they have a right to make their opinion known to the other Christian faithful…”
Lay people have a VOICE
We not only have a RIGHT to a voice
We also have a DUTY to point out what needs to be pointed out, to say what needs to be said
There are many times when a priest, bishop, or any representative of Jesus Christ is not saying or doing what they should
OR…
They are saying something they SHOULD NOT be saying and they are doing something they SHOULD NOT be doing
It’s in the context of CHARITY and the COMMON GOOD and the LAW OF LOVE
So we don’t just spread things out there because we found them in People Magazine
We’re saying something not just because it is true
We are saying something because IT WILL HELP
PARTICIPATION IN CHRIST’S KINGLY OFFICE
The first place we get to exercise Christ’s kingly office is in OUR OWN HEARTS and in OUR OWN LIVES
It’s not necessarily going out first
Paragraph 908 says, “By his obedience unto death, Christ communicated to his disciples the gift of royal freedom, so that they might ‘by self-abnegation of a holy life, overcome the reign of sin in themselves.’”
THAT IS THE KEY!!
Remember when we read Proverbs 16:32?
“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who captures a city.”
That is the WISDOM of God’s Word
There is this quote from Lao Tzu, “He who conquers others is strong. He who conquers himself is mighty.”
To look at all the ways in which the wisdom of the ages has highlighted this
If you want to overcome the WHOLE WORLD, first you must overcome YOURSELF
Our participation in Christ’s kingly office means we are not dominated by our sins and passions
St. Ambrose says in Paragraph 908, “That man is rightly called a king who makes his own body an obedient subject and, by governing himself with suitable rigor, refuses to let his passions breed rebellion in his soul, for he exercises a kind of royal power over himself. And because he knows how to rule his own person as king, so too does he sit as its judge. He will not let himself be imprisoned by sin, or thrown headlong into wickedness.”
Paragraph 909 says, “‘Moreover, by uniting their forces let the laity so remedy the institutions and conditions of the world when the latter are an inducement to sin, that these may be conformed to the norms of justice…”
THAT IS SO IMPORTANT!!
If we have an INTERIOR FREEDOM then we are free to PUT SOME ORDER INTO THIS WORLD
If we know what the balance of MERCY AND JUSTICE is in our own lives, then we can apply that balance of MERCY AND JUSTICE to the people around us
We can join together and do some good in this world
Paragraph 910 says, “‘The laity can also feel called, or be in fact called, to cooperate with their pastors in the service of the ecclesial community, for the sake of its growth and life.”
You can work in the Church
There are apostolates and ministries throughout the Church and the world that are so necessary because we need to EXERCISE OUR CHARISM
The gift that God has given to YOU needs to be EXERCISED
Paragraph 912 says, “The faithful should ‘distinguish carefully between the rights and the duties which they have as belonging to the Church and those which fall to them as members of the human society. They will strive to unite the two harmoniously, remembering that in every temporal affair they are to be guided by a Christian conscience, since no human activity, even of the temporal order, can be withdrawn from God’s dominion.’”
No matter what you are engaged in…
If you are working in the Church you need to be GUIDED by the truth of Christianity, moral principles, and virtue
If you are working in the business world, medical field, education, etc…
Wherever you find yourself in this world, you are called to be guided by a CHRISTIAN CONSCIENCE
We can’t say, “Well I’m a Christian when it comes to Christian things. But when it comes to making money, I’m no longer a Christian.”
Etc. Etc. Etc.
The reality is there is no human activity that can be withdrawn from God’s dominion
He is the Lord of EVERYTHING
Which means He is the Lord of EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIVES
So every aspect of our lives needs to be UNDER HIS DOMINION and GUIDED BY HIS TRUTH
Which is THE TRUTH
WOW!!
Tomorrow we will talk about THE CONSECRATED LIFE which might be something that is very familiar to many people listening
It also might be completely new
Fr. Mike is praying FOR YOU!!
Please pray for Fr. Mike and for each other!!
I cannot WAIT to see you tomorrow!!