Reflection - Prophets

By Steve Hall

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121121.cfm
Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11
Matthew 17:9a, 10-13

Our first reading tells about the prophet, Eli’jah. Eli’jah is a prophet we seldom hear about. I think that is because he never wrote a book like Isaiah, Jeremiah and others. History may get told but a offered no sound-bites. Still, he is considered to be the greatest of the prophets until John the Baptist comes along several hundred years later.

Eli’jah initially comes upon the scene rather abruptly. On the other hand, the prophet, Isaiah, was introduced as one having a vision. Jeremiah, we are told, entered the scene because he was the one “to whom the word of the LORD came. . . .” We are even given specifics as to when that happened; it was “. . .in the days of Josi'ah the son of A'mon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.” (Jeremiah 1:2) Ezekiel gets an even more dramatic introduction. 

Not only does the observer record that the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel, that event was itself complimented with a vision received by the author. Although I didn’t check on all the Old Testament prophets, there seemed to be a consistent pattern. Each of the prophets was called because the word of the Lord, or a vision, or both word and vision came to them. Eli’jah, however, has no such introduction. What we learn from these various texts that introduced so many of the Old Testament prophets is that the choice to be a prophet was not made by the one who became a prophet. Rather, the choice was made by God and the men acquiesced. On the other hand, several of the prophets were eventually troubled by their calling. We hear from Eli’jah:

“But he himself (Eli’jah) went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree; and he asked that he might die, saying, ‘It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am no better than my fathers.’"
(1 Kings 19:4)

Similarly we hear the complaint of Jeremiah.

“O LORD, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; every one mocks me. For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, "Violence and destruction! "For the word of the LORD has become for me a reproach and derision all day long.”
(Jeremiah 20:7-8)

This was the story of the prophets from the beginning. At the end of the first book of Kings the King of Judah, Jehosh’aphat, goes to meet with A’hab, the king in Israel. The visit was to establish whether or not they should attack a certain people and, if so, would they do it together. Towards the end of the conversation they decide to consult the ‘prophets.’ King A’hab has a group of four hundred ‘yes men’ whom he calls prophets. Jehosh’aphat isn’t satisfied and inquires about others. One would suspect he was suspicious of the ‘yes men.’ King A’hab replies:

"There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, Micai'ah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil."
(1 Kings 22:8)

So there you have it — the eternal problem of the prophets. They tell the truth and suffer for doing so; and not just your truth or my truth, but the truth of the Spirit which has been given to them. People prefer agreement with their position rather than dissent. They prefer comfortable lies to contrary truth. Many of the Old Testament prophets found this out rather easily. Thus it is not hard to find examples of the prophets being persecuted. Two examples which immediately come to mind are (1) Eli’jah’s journeys to escape the wrath of the king and his homicidal wife and (2) Jeremiah being cast into the empty cistern.

As is inevitable, we arrive at the question: Who wants to be a prophet? Actually, our response is found in a song frequently sung at Mass. “I the Lord of sea and sky. I have heard my people’s cry. Who will bear my light to them? Whom shall I send? Here I am Lord. Is it I Lord? I have heard you calling in the night.” The song is based on the text relating the story of the young prophet-to-be, Samuel. It was Samuel who was called by the Lord in the night. It was Samuel who then said ‘I will go.’

Speaking the truth of the Lord is seldom an easy thing because it first requires that one be attentive to the Spirit speaking to us. But it is also not easy because our adversary, the father of lies, seeks to deceive us in whatever ways are possible — and many ways are possible. Moreover, the world at large, and it would seem, our world in particular, still lives in a world where lies reign supreme. Where else in history can you find someone announcing, with a straight face no less, ‘abortion saves lives.’ ? What sense or meaning can we find in the disputes over ‘your truth’ and ‘my truth.’?

Truth is a scarce commodity in our time. Lies are prevalent. I can readily imagine the Lord saying today: “Whom shall I send?” At such times in the past he sent a prophet, someone who would tell it like it is, someone who would actively listen to the voice of the Spirit, someone who would refrain from whitewashing the marginal, distorted, selective truths by which men are deceived. The US bishops recently debated whether or not to deny our President communion. 

But I have to wonder how they got to the point where they would consider such a drastic measure. Where were their clear, vocal objections years ago when he was proclaimed by the press to be a good Catholic while he was simultaneously actively supporting abortion. If it was ok to certify him as a ‘good’ Catholic then, why is it not still ok now?

By our Baptism we are called to be prophets. We are called to listen to the truth, to hear the truth, to speak the truth and to live in the truth. Our prophetic calling is rooted in our Lord, Jesus Christ. He was and is the way, the truth and the light. We cannot answer the call unless we are willing to struggle and fight to first uproot the lies in our lives.