There is something called the “prophetic dimension” in Catholic spirituality. Of course, that term references the role of prophets in Hebrew Scripture. Hebrew prophets were men who knew their faith tradition thoroughly and were guardians of it. So, they watched what was going on in their local cultures and in neighboring countries. They kept reminding the Hebrews to “stay the course” by being faithful to the God they knew and to the way of life that flowed from that knowledge. They supported the Hebrew people in that, and when they saw something that was going to negatively impact their belief in God, and in a godly way of life, prophets sounded warnings.
As the new Christian (Catholic) church emerged from its Hebrew womb, there was no role like “prophet” in it. Instead, there was the Spirit’s gift of being prophetic, or the “prophetic dimension.” St. Paul, for example, who taught core Christian beliefs through his preaching, sometimes warned listeners not to be misled by those he called “false prophets.” Bishops of the first several centuries were prophetic as they saw various false understandings of Christ arise and rejected them as heresies. Hermits in the early centuries withdrew to live in desert areas, a “prophetic stance” that used actions instead of words, to warn people that life in the world can lead to spiritual death.
After a few more centuries, Religious Orders arose--groups of men and women devoted to prayer, communal living, and service--whom today we call Sisters, Brothers, Monks, Nuns. Eventually being prophetic and the “prophetic dimension” of our faith was seen as a specific gift and role of Religious Orders.
Then Vatican II (1962-65) did something new. In its document, “The Church in the Modern World,” it called on all baptized Catholics to help the Church read the “signs of the times” and consider what its response should be. That’s being prophetic. Today we need to make this a more conscious part of our Catholic commitment. It is laypersons, not religious orders, who are especially needed to read, and if necessary to warn about, the “signs of the times.” Their “worldly” education and experience gives them the best possibility of understanding, correcting, and directing the signs of our times to the common good and the glory of God.
Consider AI, a sign of our times today and for the foreseeable future. The implications and dangers of AI are being raised by many, including by the leading developers of it, and our Pope Leo in his recent encyclical. There are a couple aspects of AI that seem to me to pose special spiritual dangers, especially for our young, and so prophetic response is urgently needed from committed Catholics.
The gurus of AI warn that while all aspects of work will be impacted by AI, especially hard hit will be many “white collar” jobs. So, it is possible that children in preschool and primary grades today will not find work in these well-paying positions. We who are older need to help young people prepare to live happily, but perhaps less expensively. They need our consistent assurance that being as successful or as rich as one’s parents is not necessary. But it is more than a matter of saving money that’s important. What’s important is forming children to be able to live contented and joy filled lives that are not dependent on owning stuff. Materialism is an insidious thing. It makes material goods, money, comfort and pleasure become central in our lives and the measure of our success in the eyes of others.
We have deep resources to draw from as we become more prophetic about this with our children. There is a long tradition of simple living in Catholicism, and in that of other faiths too. We Americans also can draw from the spirituality of our Native people. For them, wealth means having enough to share. Concern for our climate can help motivate us to limit our consumption and its polluting waste. Many other ideas could be given. But the bottom line is that we must be prophetic in presenting a simple living style as a spiritual goal for our youth to prize.
Another related spiritual danger, a sign of our times, is the loneliness epidemic. It leads to mental illness and suicide in young people. We all need to become more prophetic about the importance of relationships for happy human lives, their foundation for communities of all sorts including families, and their foundational importance in our Catholic faith. The first (oldest) meaning of “body of Christ” was not the bread of Eucharist but the body of people gathered at Eucharist. Young people need to grow up in an environment rich in human relationships. Are we doing enough to help them learn how to have well rounded relationships that last? Without that strength, there is danger ahead for them.
Finally, consider the jobs that the AI gurus say may best survive an AI world. These are jobs requiring a “human touch,” jobs needing empathy and compassion and “character” even more than “smarts.” Years ago, a term connected with being prophetic was “counter cultural.” That term meant looking at and evaluating prevailing ways of doing things by the light of the Gospel, and then speaking and acting against things that are harmful. Often it seems to me that the prevailing way of forming our young people is encouraging competition, even aggressive competition, rather that forming youth to be other-centered and empathic. How can we turn that around?
“Do not be afraid,” were often Jesus’ opening words. And he also wanted his disciples to stay awake and watch. In this post Pentecost season, may the Spirit give us generous amounts of courage, hope, and watchfulness, to help us address these and other signs of our times.
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Sister Mary Garascia, PhD (Theology), is a member of the Sisters of the Precious Blood of Dayton, Ohio, where she now resides. She formerly lived and ministered at The Holy Name of Jesus in Redlands. You can follow her weekly Sunday scripture blogs at PreciousBloodSistersDayton.org.