ID of a Comboni Priest (2)
Bearer of the Mystery
As a priest in a different cultural and religious context, he understands that truth and belief can only be accepted when presented not as having value in itself, but as an explanation of what the Divine Mystery has already been doing in the life of the hearing community. Acceptance of truth becomes the next logical step in their spiritual journey of listening to God who invites them to faith in Jesus Christ.
Priestly ministry asks that we be persons who have allowed the Christian mystery to sink into our lives—to have that inner freedom to recognize the mystery inhabiting us at work in different ways and with new expressions in the lives of those to whom we minister. This demands the inner freedom to accept that "the Spirit blows where (and how) it wills" (cf. Jn. 3:8).
We are not preachers of doctrine and moral code, but bearers of the mystery of the Risen Lord, who enables us to listen to the same Mystery already at work in the life, culture, and religion of the people to whom we are sent.
The missionary encounters religions presenting a curious mix of God-given gifts and human inventiveness—realities where evil's destroying power is dramatically present. This doesn't contradict God's real presence and activity, since even in Christianity, darnel grows with good wheat (cf. Matt. 13:24ff). Traditional culture becomes more than a source of exotic elements for Christian liturgy—it is the raw material the Word of God uses to build a suitable tent for his dwelling among this new portion of his people (cf. Jn. 1:14).
Three basic characteristics emerge for the identity of the Comboni priest:
He is deeply inhabited by the mystery of the Risen Lord, not a preacher of doctrines.
He has a profound capacity to listen and be surprised by God's new and different ways of being present outside Christianity.
He is a man of dialogue, able to bring his faith experience into respectful dialogue with others' religious experience, aware of what happens when the Gospel passes from one cultural context to another (see Acts 14-15).
Working in apostolic communities, the Comboni priest is greatly helped by fellow workers in discerning God's ways among the people they serve together.
We must listen for God's voice already echoing in the hearts of those we serve before we presume to speak His name.
