Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time 'C'

Sunday January 31, 2010

The power of prophecy

It is the discipline of successful living to challenge and to be challenged.

The tension created by contrasting ideas is the tension that can stretch the mind toward a new truth and in the words of Kahil Gibran, “expand the heart to its greatness intended by God.” Eventide of the Feast from Secrets of the Heart by Kahil Gibran]

Jeremiah was a reluctant prophet who was ‘challenged’ by God to ‘challenge’ his contemporaries, individually and collectively, to call them back to core values. Core values are the underpinnings of good behavior. Unfortunately, religious leaders had contaminated society with politicking placing their selfish interests ahead of everyone else’s; they used the law to excuse them from the higher law of love, justice and integrity.

Jeremiah’s initial response was to reject God’s ‘challenge.’ He feigned unworthiness, which is a thinly disguised excuse for getting out of a difficult task. “I’m not up to it; get someone else more qualified than I.” God said, “No, I want YOU, so gird up and get ready. I’ll give you the right words. You may be rejected but if you hold fast, I will hold you up and be with you through thick and thin!”

This is the perfect introduction to Luke’s description of Jesus’ call and more than hints at the rejection that Jesus would suffer even from those who knew him best! Mark tells us in his account that some members of Jesus’ own family thought he was out of his mind! Jeremiah and Jesus became victims of the axiom that “shooting the messenger is easier than allowing the message to penetrate the soul and purify the heart.”

Both of these readings are calling us back to the core values of the Gospel. However, living these values conscientiously, that is, with a well-formed – not fanatical—conscience may get us into trouble with our family, our neighbors, even our church but it will never get us into trouble with the God who challenges us but never hassles us.

By the way, the core values of the Gospel are all tied to and connected with indiscriminate love without regard to territory, color of skin, political persuasion and sexual orientation. Saint Paul’s lyrical verses on love serve a refined prophetic reminder of what ‘agape’ looks like when put into practice. It makes a perfect needlepoint hanging for any room or any church.

We too are called to challenge one another without hassling. We are called to live our faith ‘out loud’ using words only when necessary!

One preacher put it this way: “Everyone knows that the world has both beautiful and ugly angles; that people are a mixture of good and bad; that the world is an imperfect habitat; that progress is measured in inches, one day at a time. The ordinary citizen expects justice to be delayed, honesty to be expensive, the rich to prosper and the poor to be always with us.” [James Smith, in Celebration: An Ecumenical Worship Resource, 2001] But in the words of Jesus: “It cannot be that way with you.”

Indeed, the man and woman of conscience is called to challenge the status quo at times even when in doing so they may suffer rejection.

To cheat in business may seem like an economic misdemeanor in human terms but to the true disciple it is a moral breech of integrity.

To disparage another because of race, color, creed, sexual orientation, may be considered by many only a breech of etiquette but to the disciple of Christ, it is an offense against justice.

Paul was a prophet in his own right and told the people of the Church at Corinth that all must be done with love. He infers that the folks at Corinth were not always loving, but rude, arrogant, and selfish. Love truly makes all the difference in the life of the believer. To live with genuine love for God, self and neighbor can only empower us to faithfulness and lead to right choices that work for others and ultimately for ourselves. But it is not enough to challenge others. We must do it with love.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul reminded his followers and us that true love is expressed not only in what we say and do but also in how we express ourselves and in the manner in which we act. We may suffer rejection but doing the right thing will ultimately bring us the inner peace that money can’t buy.

We all need to have at least one prophet in our life to keep us honest and forthright in our commitment as disciples of Christ.

Is there a prophet in your life?

To whom are you a prophet?

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