20180621
THE LORD’S PRAYER SUMS UP THE SPIRITUALITY OF
A TRUE PROPHET
21 JUNE, 2018, Thursday, 11th Week,
Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Ecclesiasticus 48:1-15 ©
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The spirit of Elijah fills Elisha
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The prophet Elijah arose like a fire,
his word flaring like a torch.
It was he who brought famine on the people,
and who decimated them in his zeal.
By the word of the Lord, he shut up the heavens,
he also, three times, brought down fire.
How glorious you were in your miracles, Elijah!
Has anyone reason to boast as you have? –
rousing a corpse from death,
from Sheol by the word of the Most High;
dragging kings down to destruction,
and high dignitaries from their beds;
hearing reproof on Sinai,
and decrees of punishment on Horeb;
anointing kings as avengers,
and prophets to succeed you;
taken up in the whirlwind of fire,
in a chariot with fiery horses;
designated in the prophecies of doom
to allay God’s wrath before the fury breaks,
to turn the hearts of fathers towards their
children,
and to restore the tribes of Jacob,
Happy shall they be who see you,
and those who have fallen asleep in love;
for we too will have life.
Elijah was shrouded in the whirlwind,
and Elisha was filled with his spirit;
throughout his life no ruler could shake him,
and no one could subdue him.
No task was too hard for him,
and even in death his body prophesied.
In his lifetime he performed wonders,
and in death his works were marvellous.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 96(97):1-7 ©
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Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
The Lord is king, let earth rejoice,
let all the coastlands be glad.
Cloud and darkness are his raiment;
his throne, justice and right.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
A fire prepares his path;
it burns up his foes on every side.
His lightnings light up the world,
the earth trembles at the sight.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
The mountains melt like wax
before the Lord of all the earth.
The skies proclaim his justice;
all peoples see his glory.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
Let those who serve idols be ashamed,
those who boast of their worthless gods.
All you spirits, worship him.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
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Gospel Acclamation
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1S3:9,Jn6:68
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Speak, Lord, your servant is listening:
you have the message of eternal life.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Rm8:15
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The spirit you received is the spirit of sons,
and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 6:7-15 ©
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How to pray
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Jesus said to his disciples: ‘In your prayers do not babble as the
pagans do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves
heard. Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
So you should pray like this:
‘Our Father in heaven,
may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in
debt to us.
And do not put us to the test,
but save us from the evil one.
‘Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father
will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not
forgive your failings either.’
THE LORD’S PRAYER SUMS UP THE SPIRITUALITY OF A TRUE PROPHET
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ECCL 48:1-14; MT 6:7-15 ]
Among all the
prophets of the Old Testament, Elijah is considered the most outstanding
prophet.
In the transfiguration of our Lord, we read that “there appeared before them
Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.” (Mt 17:3)
Moses symbolizes the Law and Elijah the Prophet. Again, we remember what
Jesus said at the beginning of His ministry when He declared, “Do not think
that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish
them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth
disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any
means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” (Mt 5:17f)
So much so,
it was thought that before the Messiah came, Elijah would return again. “See, I will send
the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.
He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the
children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total
destruction.” (Mal 4:5f) Jesus said this of John the Baptist, “For all
the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to
accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.” (Mt 11:13)
Some even thought that Jesus could be Elijah. When Jesus asked His
disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say
John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the
prophets.” (Mt 16:13f)
If Elijah
were considered the icon of a true prophet, it was because, as the first
reading described, a man who was zealous for the House of the Lord. He sought “to turn
the hearts of father towards their children, and to restore the tribes of
Jacob.” He was all ardent in seeking to wipe out idolatry from the land
of Israel. “No task was too hard for him, and even in death his body
prophesied.” He spoke without fear or favour and without mincing his
words. “The prophet Elijah arose like a fire, his word flaring like a
torch.” He had no qualms in “dragging kings down to destruction, and high
dignitaries from their beds; hearing reproof on Sinai, and decrees of
punishment on Horeb.” Such was the fury and uncompromising stand of
Elijah. He feared no one except God alone.
Most of all,
it was his faith in the power of prayer that obtained God’s favours, showing
the people that God was with him. In the book of James, we read, “The prayer of a righteous
person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we
are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the
land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain,
and the earth produced its crops.” (Jms 5:16-18)
As a prophet,
he did not work alone. He cultivated other prophets to succeed him. He took
to “anointing kings as avengers, and prophets to succeed” him. He called
Elisha to be his disciple and there were communities of prophets that he
formed. (cf 1 Kg 20:15-21) He planned his succession. A good leader
is not only one who leads and does great things but he mentors others to take
over his position. “So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of
Shaphat. He was ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was
driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around
him.” (1 Kg 19:19) Most of all, he bestowed upon Elisha a double
portion of his spirit when he “was shrouded in the whirlwind, and Elisha was
filled with his spirit.”
In truth, the
charismatic prophet was also manifested in the lives of John the Baptist and in
our Lord.
For this reason, they were mistaken as the Elijah who came again. John
the Baptist, like Elijah, was also zealous for the House of Israel. He
preached the Word of God without fear and even reprimanded King Herod. He
spoke the truth forcefully without wavering. He was ready to die for his
convictions. Jesus too was zealous for the House of the Lord. At
the temple of Jerusalem, “To those who sold doves he said, ‘Get these out of
here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market! ‘His disciples
remembered that it is written: ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’”
He spoke against injustices and hypocrisy of the leaders on one
hand, and the mercy and compassion of God on the other.
The Lord’s
Prayer taught by our Lord captures succinctly the spirit of a true prophet. In
the first place, a true prophet must have a deep relationship with God the
Father. “Our Father in heaven.” This is how we should pray by remembering that God is our
Father. Unless we recognize His Fatherhood, we will not pray with
confidence. Intimacy with God as our Father is the foundation of
prayer. By recognizing God as our Father, we too become conscious that
all others are His children and therefore our brothers and sisters. If we
love the Father, we will also love His children, for which parent does not want
to see all His children happy and united in love. This was how Elijah
regarded God. This explains why he had total faith in His faithfulness to
Israel.
The second
petition invites us to pray that His name may be kept holy. To ask that His name be kept
holy simply means that we want to honour His name. We would not allow
anyone to cause His name to lack credibility, especially by our behaviour and
conduct. If we claim that God is our Father, then we must not behave in
such a way that brings discredit to His name. Every child is to live in
such a way that honours his parents and bring glory to them. Jesus said,
“let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and
glorify your Father in heaven.” (Mt 5:16)
This was what Elijah sought to do to purify the people, so that God’s name
would not be tarnished by their infidelity. He was insistent on working
towards reclaiming the pristine faith of Israel.
The third
petition instructs us to put God’s kingdom and His will before ours. Again, this is what a true
prophet should do. “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in
heaven.” Jesus said, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and
all these things will be given to you as well.” (Mt 6:33)
Then again, He said, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees
and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of
heaven.” (Mt 5:20) Seeking His kingdom is doing His will, as
expressed in the teaching of Christ and in the Covenant. A true
prophet is only concerned about doing God’s will and establishing His kingdom
of justice and love on earth. For this reason, all true prophets,
whether it was Elijah, John the Baptist or our Lord, were devoted to the
proclamation and the establishment of the Kingdom of God by exhorting all to do
the will of God. “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and
puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the
rock.” (Mt 7:24)
The fourth
quality of a prophet is that of dependence on divine providence. Jesus
commanded us to say, “Give us today our daily bread.” This was how
Elijah lived his life, in total dependence on God. When there was a
drought, God fed him with meat brought by Ravens, gave him water, and a widow
brought him bread and a drink. God fed Elijah and gave him only what he
needed. In this way, we will never forget that what we have comes from
Him. This was the way John the Baptist lived as well, and so too our
Lord. Trust in His divine providence is what the Lord teaches us. “So do
not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What
shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly
Father knows that you need them.” (Mt 6:31f)
To the disciples, He said to them, “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to
take with you in your belts – no bag for the journey or extra shirt or
sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep.” (Mt 10:9f)
The fifth
characteristic of a true prophet is that he not only preaches repentance but
more importantly, the mercy of God and not just His wrath or punishment. This is
expressed in the petition, “And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those
who are in debt to us.” It is not enough to warn people of the
consequences of their sins, but we must proclaim the mercy of God to win them
over through forgiveness of their sins. This is how the Lord saved us from
our sins, by showing us His unconditional love and mercy. In the final
analysis, only mercy heals and wins over the sinner, no matter how incorrigible
he might be.
Finally, a
true prophet fights against evil. When we pray, “do not put us to the test, but save us from
the evil one”, we recognize that this battle is ongoing. But without the
help of God, we cannot win the battle over the Evil One. So, as St Paul
urges us, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the
full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
(Eph 6:10)
Indeed, the
Lord’s Prayer sums up the teaching on the Sermon on the Mount in a concise
manner. It is the prayer of a true disciple. However, it is more
than just a prayer; it provides the perspective, the attitude and the
spirituality of a true disciple. All true prophets, including Elijah,
exhibited these qualities and hence, they truly lived out the Word of God in
their lives. Because of these, they are great prophets and true sons of
God.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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