God Supports His Prophets

In life you can either dwell on the ‘size’ of your problems, challenges, failures/mistakes or you dwell on the ‘size’ of God.

The prophets of God (which we are called to be) must choose to dwell on the latter because God supports his prophet.
 
Too many times we wonder whether we can survive, we ask whether we can continue, can we still have success amid discouragement and failures/mistakes. How often we conclude that we are ill fitted for the prophetic role (as Christians). We must know that God hold up/supports his prophets, so be one without hesitation or fear.
 
Who is a prophet? A prophet is one who speaks a word that is not his own. He/she carries a message of God/ the truth and proclaims it to others. It is often, a message of conversion, change, undoing something, hope, admonishment etc. The figures of Moses, Isaiah, Amos, Job, John the Baptist are all prophets who bring God’s message to people in need of direction or on behalf of God. Many times the message of prophets is not welcome because it is not what people want to hear (bad news) . Hence prophets suffer resentment and rejection.
 
The prophet Jeremiah brings a message of admonition and change to his own people. A message that chastises them and they do not want anything of it. All they say is that he brings ‘bad news’. They want to hear ‘good news’ – meaning what they want. Jeremiah suffers physically and emotionally bust he must know the God hand picked him and God will not allow opposition to get the upper hand. God will deliver him.
 
The enormity of opposition often scares us. When we see and say the truth., we will not be popular and that can force us to back down or dilute our message or compromise. (Do you compromise your values as a Christian to fit in?)
 
Jesus too in the Gospel is rejected by the people pf his own town (no prophet is welcome in his native place) . He brings a message for both Jews and Gentiles that did not fit well with the class norms of his time. They despise him. He too suffers psychologically and physically, but God the Father will not abandon his son. He will not allow opposition to destroy Jesus.
 
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built,
to hurl him down headlong.
But Jesus passed through the midst of them and went away.
Luke 4: 4, 29-30
 
The Prophet is one who is consumed by the love of God and his ‘word’. The prophet has an unconditional love for his mission which is God’s mission to transform the world. It is the Love that is spoken of in the second reading. The way of love (excellent way) does not disappoint.
 
We as Christians then are urged and challenged this weekend to take up again with boldness the mission of being ‘prophets’ – men and women to speak and act in the ways of God and bring these values to the world we live in. it will not be easy.
 
Christian parents must not be discouraged when they maintain Christian way of life in their families.
 
When Christians stand up and say might is not right, they should know that they will be hated. But this does not make one ‘back down’.
 
When we care for the causes of the underprivileged, we will encounter ridicule and scorn but do not weaken at this. God supports his prophets.
 
Jesus in the Eucharist reminds us that the victory of the Cross comes through suffering and death, but there is light and life at the end. Christians do not fight a losing battle. So stand up and be ‘the prophets of our time’.

-Fr. Anthony