20140802
THE TEMPTATION TO BE FALSE
PROPHETS
Reading 1, Jeremiah 26:11-16, 24
11 The priests and prophets then said to the chief men and
all the people, 'This man deserves to
die, since he has prophesied
against this city, as you have heard with your own ears.'
12 Jeremiah, however, replied to all the chief men and all
the people as follows, 'Yahweh himself sent me to prophesy against this Temple and this
city all the things you have heard.
13 So now amend your behaviour and actions, listen to the
voice of Yahweh your God,
and Yahweh will relent
about the disaster that he has decreed for you.
15 But be sure of this, that if you put me to death, you will be bringing
innocent blood on yourselves, on this city and on its inhabitants, since Yahweh has truly
sent me to you to say all this for you to hear.'
16 The chief men and all the people then said to the
priests and prophets, 'This man does not
deserve to die: he has spoken to us in the name of Yahweh our God.'
24 But Jeremiah had a protector in Ahikam son of
Shaphan, so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 69:15-16, 30-31, 33-34
15 Let not the waves wash over me, nor the deep swallow me
up, nor the pit close its mouth on me.
16 Answer me, Yahweh, for your faithful love is generous;
in your tenderness turn towards me;
Gospel, Matthew 14:1-12
2 and said to his court, 'This is John the Baptist himself; he has risen from
the dead, and that is why miraculous
powers are at work in him.'
3 Now it was Herod who had
arrested John, chained him up and put him in prison because of Herodias, his
brother Philip's wife.
6 Then, during the celebrations for Herod's birthday, the
daughter of Herodias danced
before the company and so delighted Herod
7 that he promised on oath to give her anything she asked.
9 The king was distressed but, thinking of the oaths he had
sworn and of his guests, he ordered it to be given her,
11 The head was brought in on a dish and given to the
girl, who took it to her mother.
12
John's disciples came and took the body and buried it; then they went off to
tell Jesus.
THE
TEMPTATION TO BE FALSE PROPHETS
As Christians, we are
called to protect the truth and to proclaim the message of God. The
irony of the situation is that quite often we fail in our duties. The
liturgy today invites us to reflect on why we are not true prophets in our
lives. What are the reasons for not being faithful to our prophetic
role in proclaiming the Word of God? Why is it that instead of
following Jeremiah and John the Baptist who were fearless and candid in
proclaiming the Word of God, we prefer to speak human words and offer human
wisdom to the world?
Firstly, it is because of our
pride. We are just like the priests and prophets during the time of
Jeremiah, unable to accept advice from someone else, especially if we do not perceive
them as having the qualifications or ‘authority’ to teach us. We always
think that we know best. We do not and cannot listen.
So instead of listening
to what the Spirit is speaking through others, like the religious leaders
of Israel, we try to silence them. Sometimes such pride can also
make us use our authority to do what is even wrong. In the case of Herod,
he agreed to the request of Herodias’ daughter to behead John the Baptist
because he had made an oath to give her anything she asked for. We all
know very well that such an oath cannot be valid when it is a request to do
something evil. Yet, King Herod who was so fearful that his authority and
standing might be undermined, carried out the order to behead John the Baptist,
not because he was being a man of his word but because of his ego.
Secondly, many of us
feel threatened when our selfish interests are being challenged. We
want to preserve our status quo. We feel threatened whenever we have to
change. Prophets are seldom welcome because listening to them means that
we have to change. The religious leaders of Judah were quite satisfied
with the status quo, even though they, with the people, had turned their hearts
to false gods. So were King Herod and Herodias. They were engaging
in an inappropriate relationship and had no desire to live a righteous
life. Under threat, we respond by silencing our critics. Indeed,
who wants to change in life?
Thirdly, many of us,
especially if we are in a position of authority, feel insecure because there is
this need to be loved and be popular. All leaders want their subjects
and subordinates to love them. So we do everything to please them.
This was what happened to the religious leaders of Judah. King Herod did
not kill John the Baptist only because he “was afraid of the people who
regarded John as a prophet.” He had no principles and operated out of
fear and insecurity. This is also so true for us. Quite often we
succumb under pressure to give in to the popular demands of our people.
We are fearful to do what is right and good.
In contrast, today, we have
the people of God being faithful to the Word of God. We are told in the
first reading that the political leaders of Israel supported Jeremiah against
the religious institution of the day only because the people backed them.
Similarly, King Herod did not kill John the Baptist earlier because he was
afraid of the people. Indeed, even whilst there were some misguided and
selfish people among the people of God, there were others who wanted to hear
the truth. Upon hearing the prophecy of Jeremiah they wanted to change and
reform. They refused to condemn Jeremiah because they knew that what he
said was true, even if it did not please them. They were willing to face
the painful truth, unlike the religious leaders of the day.
Today, we are invited to
be true leaders and prophets of God, always speaking the Word of God
courageously without mincing His Word or shortchanging our people.
Jeremiah and John the Baptist are exemplars of what it means to be true to our
calling. How, then, can we find the strength to remain true to our
calling? We must learn from Jeremiah. He was a man who
heard the Word of God speaking to his heart. He could proclaim the Word
only because he has heard the Word. We cannot proclaim the Word unless we
have heard the Word clearly ourselves. If Jeremiah could not do otherwise
after hearing the Word, it was because the Word of God impressed upon his heart
that he could not resist. He said, “his word in my heart is like a fire
imprisoned in my bones. I force myself to hold it in, but that is
impossible.” (Jer 20:9)
Truly, unless we have a
deep love for the Word of God, we will not find that same motivation,
conviction and courage to proclaim the truth in our lives. Not only will we
come to know the truth by having an intimacy with the Word, but we will also
experience consolation and strength as well. That is what the
responsorial psalm says, “in your great love, answer me, O God.” Yes,
unless we hear the Word of God and meditate upon it, we cannot hear God
assuring us of His love and His help. So if we want to find courage and
support especially when we have to speak and live the truth, we must find the
strength from the very same Word of God which we proclaim. For the Word
of God is not only to guide us in the Truth but it will also uplift us and give
us the direction and inspiration we need in order to be faithful to Him.
By failing to proclaim
the Word, we would have been unfaithful to ourselves. Such was the case of King
Herod. It was for this reason that he was distressed. He knew that
he was doing something seriously wrong and against his conscience. In
contrast, Jeremiah, although confronted with the prospect of death, was truly
liberated because his conscience was clear. He could warn his accusers in
no uncertain terms, “Do whatever you please or think right with me. But be
sure of this, that if you put me to death, you will be bringing innocent blood
on yourselves, on this city and on its citizens, since the Lord has truly sent
me to you to say all these words in your hearing.”
We must be watchful that we
proclaim the Word of God in all its power and fullness in and out of season,
and not our own ideas. We must be clear that whatever we say is not for
our selfish interest but truly for the good of others, even if what we say is
unpleasant to their ears. We must love them enough to do what is truly
good for them and not shortchange them with easy solutions and false hopes. In
this way, we save ourselves and we save them from self-destruction.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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