Prophetic Presence of Montfortians: A Global Perspective!

 1. Introduction:

The consecrated life is a gift which the Heavenly Father has given to the church through the Holy Spirit so that, in faithfulness to the Gospel, the most characteristic qualities of the life of his Son Jesus, the chaste, poor and obedient one (Mt. 8:20), and the profound riches of his mystery (Eph 3:8), might be present in the world and might draw everyone toward the kingdom of God. Therefore, "the consecrated life and its role in the church and in the world" is a grace-filled moment for the entire people of God.

All are called to contemplation, to fidelity and fruitfulness to be prophetic witness. Most of us probably don't think of ourselves as prophets. And yet, if we would go back to our baptism and the ritual that was performed when we became disciples of Jesus through baptism, we would easily understand that every one of us, is called to be a prophet. As Jesus was priest, prophet and king, so may you also live always as a member of His body.

Being prophet is a gift of our Baptism, then even more so it is a Gift of Religious Consecration since that Consecration derives from our Baptism and enables us to stand on the threshold of eternity as a witness to the Light of Christ! Archbishop and official of the Roman Curia, Jose Rodriguez Carballo says, a prophet, is one who calls in the name of God, denounces in the name of God, announces in the name of God and intercedes before God. Therefore, Religious life has been called a prophetic life.

In the history of Israel, the God of Abraham, the God of Jacob, the God of Moses, and the God of Jesus, has always been on the side of the margins of society - the poor, the widows, the children, the victims of violence and corruption. Jesus himself was sent to "bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and new sight to the blind; to free the oppressed and announce the Lord's mercy."

2. The source of our Prophetic Presence: St. Luke 4:16-21

When Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim, release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.

3. The Pope Francis’s message on prophetic life:

The Consecrated men and women are to take joy in the fact that they have been chosen and called by God. They are to: radiate this joy to the world around them; water the roots of this joy daily by spending quality time with God who has called them in love; daily steep themselves in the word of God; let their hearts be warmed by God and in turn transmit that warmth to other people; incarnate the gospel in their lives; enliven their communities; make their communities a home they return to, a circle of friends or like a real family.

Pope invites consecrated men and women to be “splendid witnesses, effective proclaimers, companions and neighbors for the women and men with whom we share a common history and who want to find a home in the church.” They could even ask themselves: ‘to whom are we witnessing?’ ‘Who do we serve?’ Have the courage to go against the tide … against the tide of this culture of efficiency, this culture of waste. Be witnesses of a different way of acting, of living! It is possible to live differently in this world. It is this witness I expect from you. Religious should be men and women able to wake up the world.

4. The Prophetic Task of Brothers:

We, Brothers as Montfortians and as "God's Prophets today," are called to work for what Jesus proclaimed: the reign of God, a kingdom of justice, peace, love, harmony and fraternity (equality) of all peoples.

When Jesus announced that the Kingdom of God was at hand, he did not intend to have slaves. He called his disciples as friends and washed their feet as a sign of what they have to do with one another. In the spirit not only of humility but equality and fraternity, the disciples were to serve one another and the rest of humanity. The "Kingdom of Empowerment" is a language that is proper today. Religious Brothers, who are expected to be Sequala Christi, or "walking in Christ's footsteps," are challenged to be companions of the poor in bringing about their own empowerment in a society that rejects them, uses and abuses them.

In a world of conflicts and division, the cries of the poor — those who continue to be economically deprived, the victims of violence, injustice and crimes against humanity — reach the heavens and beg for God's justice. We, Brothers who are called to walk in the footsteps of Jesus are challenged to live our vocation from the prophetic perspective of the marginalized and work for and with the economically weaker sections of the world.

The distinguishing mark of the prophetic vocation is the proclamation of the Reign of God directly in a particular situation. That is how, the Charism of bearing prophetic witness in the sphere of education may evolve into addressing all kinds of ignorance (Intellectual, Moral and Spiritual) caused by all kinds of factors (Poverty, Discrimination, Corruption and lack of Pastoral Care) and  in all kinds of different situations (Schools, Spiritual Life Centers, Social Work Centers, Counseling Centers, Environmental Projects, Catechetical Centers and Others).

Our contemplation on the word of God magnifies us into a prophetic aptitude. The prophet is one whose eye is opened and who hears and speaks the words of God; a person of three times: the promise of the past, the contemplation of the present, the courage to point out the path towards the future.

A common reality unifies consecrated Brothers is the call to total self-giving to God; love for Christ the teacher who is intimately followed and served above everything; and the decision to live according to the Spirit. The consecrated life is a prophetic witness to the primacy of God and to the things that do not pass away. Indeed, its value lies more in "being"- from God and for God - than in "doing" - in our mission, although there should be no dichotomy between being and doing.

The consecrated life, which is inspired by the Gospel, is a sharing in the consecration of Jesus, the Son of God and Savior. However, we have to find the life-giving breath of the Spirit from whom comes all that is true, good, just and beautiful, as seeds of the Word called to bear fruit in due time and as the renewing leaven of society. In this way the consecrated life, in taking on cherished spiritual values, exercises a critical symbolic and transforming role within society and interprets the transcendent hopes of humanity.

5. The challenges of our Prophetic Presence are:

1.  The first and ultimate challenge for our life and mission is fidelity to Christ and to His Gospel. Fidelity to the church and her mission in the world. The gift and duty asked of consecrated persons is to feel with the church, to live her mystery, ecclesial communion and to identify with her mission which is open to the needs of our world at this moment in history.

2.     Fidelity to the consecrated life and to the Charism of our founder. Fidelity to the people of our era. As witnesses to God in the world, consecrated Brothers are invited to that dynamic fidelity which discovers, through contemplation of the Lord's expression and attention to the needs of the men and women of our day, the paths of salvation through the charism of the Gospel sown by the Holy Spirit and St. Montfort.

3.     Changing social conditions and the excessive use of social media, mobiles and internet have placed enormous pressure on the harmonious life of people all over the world.

4.     Addictions to drugs, alcohol and pornography are ruining the lives of many young adults, causing disruptions within families and in society.

5.   Poverty and inhuman living conditions deprive a substantial part of our population of equitable opportunity and dignity of life, creating uncertainties about their future.

6.     Massive displacement of peoples (presently in Ukraine), loss of land and fishing rights in the name of industrial and corporate development result in forced migration, dispossession, loss of livelihood and further marginalization.

7.      Greed and consumeristic life styles are eroding the life of faith and centrality of prayer.

8.     Some civil legislations and policies often seriously hamper pastoral engagements of the Religious  today in the world.

9.     Misuse of anti-conversion laws in some States and false propaganda about ‘forced conversions’ are discouraging and hindering the life and service of the Christian community. This calls into question the Constitutional rights of the minorities in India.

10.  The growing culture of religious intolerance, hatred and even violent attacks on Christians in some states is a matter of grave concern to Christian Missionaries particularly in India.

Being prophetic is to take on a role similar to that of the prophets in ancient Israel who spoke truth to power. Action on behalf of social justice promotes social change in institutions, policies and systems. Social justice is central to being Catholic. It is not new, nor is it optional. It is an essential dimension of the proclaiming of the Gospel, in other words, the Church’s mission for the redemption of the human race and its liberation from every oppressive situation

6. Following are the Way forward, let us:

1.    Accompany youth and families so that faith is deepened, family prayer is nurtured and the bonds of communion are strengthened; foster respect for life from the moment of conception to natural death.

2.  As educators and consecrated persons, take more seriously our responsibility to care for our students, teachers, co-workers, families, individuals and all to whom we are sent.

3. Stand in solidarity with those affected by persecution, displacement, discrimination and marginalization.

4.    Make it our mission to protect and preserve mother earth (which Pope Francis has described as our ‘common home’ in Laudato Si), by employing all means at our disposal to promote eco-friendly lifestyles at all levels.

5.    Basing ourselves on the shared faith of all Christians, avoid all fundamentalism and unitedly tell the story of love, justice and human fraternity.

6.    To be with Jesus is to be joyful and being joyful as a Religious Brother is a prophetic witness.

7.  We cannot be mere consumers of good governance, we must be participants; we must be co-creators. ...... Good governance is the art of putting wise thought into prudent action in a way that advances the well-being of those governed. …… with proper governance, life will improve for all. 

7. Let Me Sum Up:

In the present context, the Montfortian Mission as educators needs to be done even more courageously, creatively and authentically, considering that the Good News is to be proclaimed in season and out of season (2 Tim 4:2). Assured by the words of Jesus: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33), we need to continue our mission by the power of the Holy Spirit that God loves everyone unconditionally.

We jointly pray to God that our way be purposeful and our footsteps be firm on God’s goodness and love that God may give us a heart of wisdom to hear His voice and make us strong by His grace. We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28). Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us and establish the work of our hands. As Jeremiah 23:28 says, The prophet who has heard my message should proclaim that message faithfully. My message is like a fire and like a hammer that breaks rocks into pieces. The task of the prophet is not to smooth things over but to make things right. The Prophets have no other purpose, no other mission except to serve God and People.

Thank you.

Bro. Antony Samy SG,

Delhi Province, India

Montfort Resource Center (MRC)

e-mail: tonyindasg@gmail.com