Pope Francis: A New Understanding of Baptism and Leadership
Our opening speaker was our own Dr. Robert Schreiter from Catholic Theological Union. I first met Dr.Schreiter at our Ministry Summit in 2008 where he was our closing speaker. I have heard him a number of times since and have been deeply influenced by his vision for ministry. If you have not read his The Ministry of Reconciliation: Spirituality and Strategies you might want to check it out!
Dr. Schreiter focused on baptism and leadership in the understanding of Pope Francis. Here is some of what he said:
We are experiencing a kairos moment, like the shifting of tectonic plates. Three events in our time are shifting the landscape:
- Fifty years after the council we are still experiencing pre and post Vatican II. We have the actual teachings of the council; the interpretation of the council as communio (1985); and the concern for continuity and rupture (2000) in a world church.
- Pope Francis the first post-Vatican II pope and the first pope from the world church.
- When we look at leadership in the church we see the impact of secularization, the declining numbers of clergy, and an increase in migration.
In this newly global church Francis' themes are mercy (a treasure of mercy is entrusted to the church), care for the poor, and missionary evangelization.
This missionary impluse requires daily encounter with Christ. It is best expressed when it is open and inclusive to all. It must always be "by and of" the poor. For Francis, missionary = mystical. To be mystical means that our actions must be sacramental. We must both love God and heal wounds. Therefore we are called to be both mystical and political, going out into the public square offering the 'sign value' of our faith to a world in search of the dignity of all people.
Our call to be missionaries is rooted in Lumen Gentium baptismal call to be priest, prophet, and king:
- "priest" in building bridges to God
- "prophet" making visible the existential reality of suffering
- "kingly" in the right ordering of creation.
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My Reflection
The political is the mystical! This insight into Pope Francis' understanding of mystical as having to do with the mystery or aura of something was very helpful. And the connection to the political as being in the public square were fascinating to me. If we connect the mystical to the political this implies that we must recognize both the inner and outer dimensions of our lives and bring them together.
