And whether they heed or resist -- for they are a rebellious house -- they shall know that a prophet has been among them.
The prophet's mission in every age is to speak the truth. The true prophet is impelled by the Holy Spirit; the false prophet, by another spirit, human or diabolical.
Unless they are very deliberate criminals, prophets are persuaded of what they say. And their volume goes up as they invest more of self into their beliefs. This is why Isaiah the Prophet said the Messiah would neither quench the flickering candle nor break the bruised reed. The true prophet, conveying God's word, can speak quietly. We believe in Jesus because he does not overpower us! But, in every case, it falls to the the congregation and its leaders to determine who is the true prophet and which message is reliable.
False prophets, unfortunately, have the advantage; they tell people what they want to hear in ways that make sense and appeal to them.
The true prophet, speaking the Word of God, must say things which are strange, alien, and alienating to their listeners. That should be obvious because human beings and their cultures have only a vague idea of truth and little love for it. In a cacophony of many voices, the true prophet is often ignored while false prophets, offering a more palatable message, are welcomed and rewarded.
The true prophet is heard by those who belong to the truth, the people of God. Their ears are opened and their minds attuned by the Spirit of God which makes them eager to hear God's word.
Christians often speak of Jesus as Messiah, Christ, Savior, Redeemer, Son of God, and Lord. We use those expressions so readily we might fail to notice his title of prophet. In today's gospel Jesus encounters the indifference and frank hostility of his own Nazarene neighbors; and he remembers that "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.”
The Catholic Church, amid a secular society, has accepted his mantle as we condemn abortion, euthanasia, and the culture of death. We pay a price for welcoming aliens and the despised.
Many of our own Catholics, enamored by their image of Jesus as one who dispenses comfort, unconditional love, and non-judgmental compassion -- and perhaps enchanted by the beauty of Catholicism with its Gothic churches and colorful saints -- suppose that the pope and his cardinals must finally get with the program and agree with them. If they think of Jesus as a prophet, they think their own self-serving causes are both far-seeing and inevitable. They see the future and it is good!
But they follow the impulses of a secular society and suppose the Lord of History is also the Mechanic of Determinism. Like Communist of the past, they believe they know where the future must take us.
But prophecy is not about the future. Prophecy calls us to fidelity without revealing how we will be saved from a self-destroying society. Where some fanatics predict a rapture, and others pack their bags for Armageddon, we wait and watch and hope and pray that the Lord will give us the courage, the wisdom, the words, and the impulse to follow his guidance day by day and moment by moment, as the future unfolds.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.