APPOINTED PROPHETS: OUR BAPTISMAL PROMISE.
January 30, 2022
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time- C.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were
born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.” (Jer 1:4)
A Romanian proverb says: “Beware of false prophets.” And a
Sicilian proverb adds: “If I were a prophet, I wouldn't be wretched.”
More than a promise, to be a prophet is a mission. Through
the words of the Deacon or the Priest who baptized us, we have been appointed
to share in Christ's threefold mission: Priest, Prophet, and King. What then is
our prophetic mission?
Today's readings come to remind us who we are, prophets
together with Christ and at his likeness. We live in a world in need of truth.
We live in a world filled with so much darkness. We live in a world in need of
faith, hope, and love. What then could be our mission?
Through the election of the Prophet Jeremiah, the Lord tells
us that he is the one who appoints. We are known by him, chosen by him,
fortified by him, and sent for a mission, to be "Prophet to the nations".
We are to brace ourselves for action, stand firm, and tell what the Lord
commands fearlessly. God who has appointed us will be by our side and will
never let us down.
One thing is sure, it won't be an easy mission. It has never
been, and it will never be easy to be a prophet. For, a true prophet dares to
announce, denounce, and renounce. He announces the truth. Denounces injustice
and falsehood. And renounces to be instrument or part of the system of
corruption and sin.
As baptized people living in this world, we have the
prophetic mission to be the light and salt of the world. Our mission is to
enlighten and give savor. This calls to break with the chains of injustice and
point an accusing finger at them. This means to stand for the rights of the
oppressed. To be courageous enough to tell our leaders that their actions are
evil and against the well-being of their people. We cannot be a prophet and be
quiet in front of chains of evil and institutionalized corruption. Where life
is at stake, we have the obligation, by our Baptism to say a word. And this, we
must be assured of one truth, will raise oppositions and rejection against us.
In the Gospel, we see Jesus not being welcomed or being
rejected by his people. For, “No prophet is ever accepted in his own country.”
You cannot be a prophet and dream of a red carpet unless you are a false
prophet, a part of the system.
Jesus did so many good works, healing people, expelling evil
spirits, preaching the Good News. But this did not prevent him to be rejected
by his owns. Simply, because he dared to tell them the truth. He knew what he
was appointed and sent for. He clearly said it in his proclamation at the
Synagogue when he said: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has
anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go
free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” For the poor, the needy,
the abandoned, and the outcast of the society, that was a piece of good news.
But not for the leaders, the rich, the people in a position of authority. What
he was saying was a call for revolution. Because a prophet is a revolutionary.
And so, he was rejected based on what they thought knowing about him:
"This is the Joseph's son surely?" The Lord Jesus, however, was a
prophet of God's love, a revolutionary of love.
Like Jesus, we too have a prophetic mission. We are to be
instruments of love. Only one thing must matter for us, not what people think
of us, but rather, what God thinks of us. The most important is how God knows
us. He alone, as he said about Jeremiah, knew us before our birth. People only
know our external and actions, God instead knows all about us, our inner as
well as our outer being. What he expects from us is that we should be
instruments of his love, to bring the Good News of his love to the needy. And
Paul, in the second reading tells us about that love. As prophets, we should
concentrate on loving God and others. For, love has supremacy over all things.
What the world expects of us is not so much that we speak in
human and angelic tongues, that we perceive all mysteries, that we climb and
move all mountains, that we give all that we have, and so on, but rather that
we should be inhabited by love. For without love, all our talents, abilities,
skills, and knowledge are vain and void. Love is what gives meaning to our
lives and leads us to serve and care for others in their needs. Our prophetic
mission is to give love and bring love into this world.
Why do the politicians kill others? Why is there corruption in our administrations and the world? Why are there famine and wars and pandemics? Simply by lack of love. For, one who has love will not dream to take his brother's life. One who loves will not be at peace in his heart while his brother, somewhere, in one part of the world, is dying of hunger, and him, battling in waste and throwing food into the garbage. One who loves will not steal, because corruption is stealing from the poor, which belongs to all for his egoistic self. Love is the answer. The lack of love is the reason. So, our prophetic mission, like it was with Jeremiah and Jesus, is to voice out love and announce, denounce, and renounce to all that is contrary to love. May it cost us rejection! God who knows us will protect and guide us.
Comments
Post a Comment