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Posted by on Sep 29, 2024

The Company of Prophets – Open to All

The Company of Prophets – Open to All

“You’re right, but you’re too young to know this.”

These words were actually spoken to a young woman by a graduate school advisor when she presented the results of her doctoral research. The faculty member advised her to go back to the data that had been collected previously and see whether there were statistics that would back up what she was presenting in her case studies, so they could be cited to back up her claims.

As it turned out, her sample fell right into the range of responses seen in the entire set of data collected over the multi-year period in which the program had been serving the community. When presented with the evidence, the advisor signed the paperwork for the young woman’s degree.

What is a Prophet?

We tend to think of prophets as being somewhat like fortune tellers. Those who can see what is coming and advise their clients accordingly have a long history of popularity. Will I meet Mr. Right? Will my children be healthy? Who will win the competition? What do you see in your crystal ball?

But a prophet, in religious terms, is not a fortune teller. A prophet is one who praises God, proclaims God’s love for all, and speaks this truth to power. A person who sees through the trappings of power and influence, whose heart is on fire for justice and who is willing to take risks to make the world a better place for all – this is a prophet.

Most prophets do not seek that role. They would be very happy to go about life unnoticed and living in peace with their families and friends. But something gets awakened inside their hearts and builds until they cannot resist it anymore. They must speak. When they do, the opposition begins.

Not all prophets realize the significance of what they are doing in the beginning. A question is asked and they answer truthfully, giving their opinion or an explanation of the reasons for the choice they have made. The opposition they face is not always obvious to them. They assume the questions that follow are a sign of the honest interest of the questioner. Sometimes that’s all it is. Other times, it leads to much more serious opposition.

The Call to Prophesy

In Hebrew and Christian scriptures, the prophet is called by God to speak on behalf of the poor and those of low status in their society. They call out a reminder to the people, “The word of the Lord came to me…” “Thus says the Lord…”

Prophecy is not limited to those who are educated or who have leadership roles, though sometimes prophets will move into leadership. For example, Moses is remembered as the one who led Israel out of Egypt at the time of the Exodus. He spoke the Lord’s words and brought the Law as dictated by the Lord to the community. He combined the roles of leadership and prophet. Moses had been raised by one of Pharaoh’s daughters, according to tradition, so he most likely had an education. However, when he was called by the Lord, he was a shepherd in another land, to which he had fled after killing an Egyptian overseer who was abusing a slave.

A large group of elders helped Moses and Aaron lead the people as they traveled through the Sinai Peninsula. A younger man named Joshua was his assistant. One day, “the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses.” This had happened before, but that day something different happened. The Lord shared the spirit that he had poured into Moses with the seventy elders of the people. In a sign of what had happened, all of them began to prophesy, to praise God and share the Lord’s message.

Two elders had remained in camp rather than go out into the desert with Moses. (Somebody’s got to stay home and make sure everything is in order!) They too began to prophesy. A young man hurried out to let Moses know what was going on. Joshua, advised Moses to make them stop what they were doing. However, Moses refused. Instead, he declared, “Would that all the people of the Lord were prophets! … that the Lord might bestow his spirit on them all!” (Num 11:25-29)

Would that all the people of the Lord were prophets!

Can you imagine what kind of world that would be, if all were prophets? Certainly more inclusive. Since the Lord excludes no one from love, all would be welcomed and their contributions and insights valued.

Jesus himself made that point. One day, John came to him to report that someone else was driving out demons in his name. John wanted Jesus to put a stop to that encroachment on his power. But Jesus was not upset. “Do not prevent him.” Why? Because “whoever is not against us is for us.” Anyone who is working for justice, acting lovingly, sharing something as simple as a glass of water because the recipient belongs to Christ, will be rewarded.

Jesus went on to speak about how we are to support the little ones who trust and believe in him. He spoke in terms that have been misunderstood through the ages. He was speaking hyperbolically – using exaggerated terms and examples to make a point. The words he spoke were not literal instructions for how to treat other people or even oneself. For example, he spoke of cutting off a hand or a foot if it causes someone to turn away from God. He also spoke of a terrible punishment that came to be used literally to punish those whose behavior, especially in the sexual realm, was not socially acceptable. These words were not meant to be used the way they were interpreted in later years. (Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48)

The point Jesus was making when he spoke these words to John was that we must not act in ways that keep others from coming to know the Lord. We must not put up barriers that exclude any of God’s children. We must not demand that others be just like ourselves or part of some inner circle of the wise or the saved. Anything that keeps us from being loving and accepting of God’s little ones is a detriment. We need to turn away from our spiritual blindness and see truly the Lord of love. We must welcome and support the little ones, who are not always going to be part of our communities.

Prophesy Continues in the Community

St. James wrote to Christians in general, throughout the known world. He spoke prophetically, teaching those who received his words how to live as followers of Jesus. He spoke with authority as leader of the community in Jerusalem and played important roles in the early leadership of the Church.

Christians in the early years, for the most part, were not from among the wealthy. Those who had wealth, gave it to the community. But most folks were the everyday, ordinary people who worked for a living and cared for their families and those in need.

James cried out in his letter a warning against those in society who were holding onto wealth at the expense of others. “Weep and wail over your impending miseries. Your wealth has rotted away … your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you…” He spoke of those who withheld wages from workers, reminding them that “the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.” In their lives, they have lived in luxury and eventually even killed “the righteous one,” who offered no resistance to them as he accepted death. (Jas 5:1-6)

The words of James ring true through the centuries and into our times today. The poor still work hard but most cannot escape the limits under which they toil. Few receive the help and the opportunities that allow them to move into more comfortable situations and status in our world. All too often, they are told, and they come to believe it, that there really is no way to change their fate.

But prophetic words and actions continue to be heard even today. Some are from people who are famous. Martin Luther King, Jr. who became a leader in the Civil Rights struggle. The Carters, Roslyn and Jimmy, who have spent so many years working with Habitat for Humanity. Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker movement.

Others are less known. The men and women who work to provide meals for the elderly or families through programs such as Second Harvest. Children in organizations such as Scouting, Campfire, or 4-H, who include community service as part of their activities. Members of church communities who offer safe parking and host the un-housed in their facilities when the weather is too cold for sleeping outside at night. Those who work for affordable housing.

Prophets are among us yet. They speak out and remind us that our God cares for everyone. No one is excluded. Our social class, our citizenship, our race or ethnicity, our gender orientation, our political beliefs, our preferred social and recreational activities – none of these matters when it comes to God’s love for us. God made us all, just as we are, in all our rich diversity.

And we who have been blessed with the riches of modern life – enough food, shelter, education, healthcare, and so many other things – are called to share what we have with those who have not.

No one is too young to observe injustice or to remind us to act justly. May we keep our ears open to hear and encourage their passion for justice, never discounting their words because they are young. Sometimes the young see more clearly than those with eyes which have become used to seeing things as they are, rather than envisioning what they can become.

The company of prophets is open to all. As we go through this week, let us keep our eyes and ears open. Let us open our hearts to hear the Lord’s voice. Let us speak words of comfort to the afflicted. Let us speak words of challenge to oppression in its many forms. Let us live in the joy of the love of the Lord for all, sharing freely the gifts we have received.

Readings for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B

 

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Posted by on Oct 1, 2023

Not too late to change

Not too late to change

I attended a play recently in which the world and all within it was beautiful and peaceful until spirits of anger, fear, doubt, distrust, and other negative emotions began to surround and disable the healthy functioning of the people. Eventually a wise old man went into the forest alone to seek wisdom and a solution for this terrible problem. He was advised to seek the solution through the air, the water, the earth, and fire. The wise ones of the mountain told him the people would need to pass through trials involving these forces and elements in order for life to return to the peaceful state that had existed before the coming of those evil forces. The people passed through these challenges and emerged into a community, singing of the wonders of life.

This play took the place of the more traditional ones for the festival in which it was performed. In those traditional plays, there is a dragon (from one or another of the world’s traditions) that somehow is threatening the people. With the help and guidance of angelic or spiritual forces, specifically Michael the archangel in some stories, brave people are able to tame the dragon. The dragon then provides power and help to the community to support life for all.

I have been reflecting on the difference in these stories. The first left me and many others with a sense of incompleteness. The forces that had upset the lives of the people had not really been addressed. They had not been transformed in any meaningful way. There was no reason to assume they would not return at a future date to cause even more harm. Anger was not transformed into forgiveness. Fear did not give way to courage. Doubt did not grow into a readiness to explore deeply and find inner, hidden truths. Distrust didn’t grow into a willingness to take a chance on reconciliation and healing. There was no redemption or transformation of the deep, and often fearful powers that can cause such pain and suffering in human life and damage to our ecosystem. The dragon-powers within each of us that can cause such hurt and suffering in human life did not receive the gift of transforming grace. In the traditional stories, the dragon-forces are brought under control and improve life for all. A much more satisfying result.

These thoughts fit into my reflection on the readings this week. The prophet Ezekiel spoke to the Jewish people in exile in Babylon. Prior to his time, the assumption had been that God’s judgement and any punishments for wrongdoing were communal. If others in a family or a community had broken the law, everyone would have to suffer the punishment. God was seen as a judge whose decisions affected all, whether guilty or not. So the sins of the parents were punished in the lives of their children too. If a child was born blind, for example, the question might be asked, as it was yet in Jesus’ time, “Whose sin was it that caused this”– the child’s or the parents’?

Through Ezekiel the Lord asks, “Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?” The Lord reminds them that if a good person turns from doing good things and chooses evil, that person will bear the guilt. But if a person who has been doing evil things turns away from evil and begins to do the right thing, that person will live rather than die. It’s never too late to turn away from evil. It’s a question of individual decisions and actions. God will always give life to the one who chooses to do the right thing. (Ez 18:25-28)

And what is the right thing? St. Paul reminds the Philippians that humble, loving service to each other in the community and beyond is the calling of Christians. We are to be humble as Christ was humble. To make his point even more clear, he quoted an early hymn in which we are reminded that “though he was in the form of God … he emptied himself … coming in human likeness…” Jesus even accepted death on a cross – a shameful, humiliating death. (Phil 2:1-11)

In his teaching, Jesus made the same point about our choices as individuals, by telling a story. “A man had two sons…” He asked each of them to do some work in the family vineyard. One son refused, but later changed his mind and went to work in the vineyard. The other son said, “Sure, Dad.” But he never quite got around to going into the vineyard and doing what his father had asked him to do. Jesus posed the question to the religious leaders who were questioning him, “Which of the two did his father’s will?” Of course, the answer was clear. The one who initially refused, but then changed his mind and did what had been requested.

Jesus made it clear that the ones whose actions, professions, or status in society made them the least likely to be counted among those pleasing to God, would be welcomed into the kingdom because they heard and believed his message. Those whose positions seemed to make them more likely to be pleasing would find themselves excluded because of their failure to believe it and change their lives. (Mt 21:28-32)

We each must decide, again and again it seems. How do we live out our calling to service? Where are our talents needed? Where is a kind word, or a smile, or a simple act of forgiveness going to be the key that helps another person to hope and continue onward on their journey? How do we help to bring reconciliation and transformation of the dragons within ourselves and in our society to build a better world?

As we enter into a new month and a new season, may we be ready to listen and to allow ourselves to be transformed into sources of healing and reconciliation in our families, our workplaces, our communities, our nation, and our world. It’s a beautiful world, just waiting for us to wake up and grow together in love.

Readings for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle A

 

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