EVERY baptised person is called to be a modern-day prophet, living as a witness of Jesus to others, Pope Francis said on Sunday.

In his Angelus address July 2, the Pope recalled that at baptism, each person received “the gift of the prophetic mission”.

The Pope, addressing an estimated 15,000 pilgrims and tourists gathered in St Peter’s Square, said a prophet was not a kind of magician who could tell the future.

“This is a superstitious idea and a Christian does not believe in superstitions, such as magic, tarot cards, horoscopes, and other similar things,” he said, lamenting that “many, many Christians go to have their palms read”.

“A prophet is a living sign who points God out to others, a prophet is a reflection of Christ’s light on the path of his brothers and sisters,” he explained, inviting everyone to ask themselves: “Do I live as a witness of Jesus?”

“Do I bring a little bit of his light into the life of another person? Do I evaluate myself on this? I ask myself: What is my bearing witness like, what is my prophecy like?” he said.

He said not only were each of the baptised called to be prophetic witnesses of Christ, they also should welcome other Christians in their identity as prophets.

“It is important to welcome each other as such, as bearers of God’s message, each one according to his state and vocation, and to do it right where we live — that is, in the family, in the parish, in the religious community, in other places in the Church and in society,” he said.

“The Spirit,” he said, “has distributed gifts of prophecy in the holy people of God. This is why it is good to listen to everyone.”

His advice for making an important decision is to pray about it first of all and to call on the Holy Spirit.