20240322 AUTHENTICITY OF A PROPHET
22 March 2024, Friday, 5th Week of Lent
First reading |
Jeremiah 20:10-13 © |
He has delivered the soul of the needy from the hands of evil men
Jeremiah said:
I hear so many disparaging me,
‘“Terror from every side!”
Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’
All those who used to be my friends
watched for my downfall,
‘Perhaps he will be seduced into error.
Then we will master him
and take our revenge!’
But the Lord is at my side, a mighty hero;
my opponents will stumble, mastered,
confounded by their failure;
everlasting, unforgettable disgrace will be theirs.
But you, O Lord of Hosts, you who probe with justice,
who scrutinise the loins and heart,
let me see the vengeance you will take on them,
for I have committed my cause to you.
Sing to the Lord,
praise the Lord,
for he has delivered the soul of the needy
from the hands of evil men.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 17(18):2-7 © |
In my anguish I called to the Lord, and he heard my voice.
I love you, Lord, my strength,
my rock, my fortress, my saviour.
My God is the rock where I take refuge;
my shield, my mighty help, my stronghold.
The Lord is worthy of all praise,
when I call I am saved from my foes.
In my anguish I called to the Lord, and he heard my voice.
The waves of death rose about me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
the snares of the grave entangled me;
the traps of death confronted me.
In my anguish I called to the Lord, and he heard my voice.
In my anguish I called to the Lord;
I cried to God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came to his ears.
In my anguish I called to the Lord, and he heard my voice.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt4:17 |
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Repent, says the Lord,
for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Or: |
cf.Jn6:63,68
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;
you have the message of eternal life.
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Gospel | John 10:31-42 © |
They wanted to stone Jesus, but he eluded them
The Jews fetched stones to stone him, so Jesus said to them, ‘I have done many good works for you to see, works from my Father; for which of these are you stoning me?’ The Jews answered him, ‘We are not stoning you for doing a good work but for blasphemy: you are only a man and you claim to be God.’ Jesus answered:
‘Is it not written in your Law:
I said, you are gods?
So the Law uses the word gods
of those to whom the word of God was addressed,
and scripture cannot be rejected.
Yet you say to someone the Father has consecrated and sent into the world,
“You are blaspheming,”
because he says, “I am the son of God.”
If I am not doing my Father’s work,
there is no need to believe me;
but if I am doing it,
then even if you refuse to believe in me,
at least believe in the work I do;
then you will know for sure
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.’
They wanted to arrest him then, but he eluded them.
He went back again to the far side of the Jordan to stay in the district where John had once been baptising. Many people who came to him there said, ‘John gave no signs, but all he said about this man was true’; and many of them believed in him.
AUTHENTICITY OF A PROPHET
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JER 20:10-13; PS 18:2-7; JN 10:31-42]
In the first reading, Jeremiah showed himself to be a true prophet. He was not putting up any act but was sincere in trying to respond to God’s call. But his task was unenviable. He had to speak the hard truths which the leaders and the people of Israel were not willing to listen. He ended up denouncing the leaders and the people, and in turn, he was persecuted, beaten up and locked in jail; and finally thrown into a well. Aware of the oppositions against him, he was disheartened. He began to question his birth and his coming into existence. He cursed the day he was born. He felt that God had also betrayed him. After all, it was God who was to be blamed for his problems. He only said what the Lord asked him to speak. Jeremiah had resisted the call to be a prophet to his people, because he knew very well that the message that he would deliver from God would not be a pleasant message. The people would be dismayed with him. “For whenever I speak, I must cry out, I must shout ,”Violence and destruction!’ For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long.” (Jer 20:8)
Yet, although he complained and lamented, he also proclaimed his faith in God. He did not stop professing his faith in the Lord. After complaining, he reaffirmed his trust in God. “But the Lord is at my side, a mighty hero; my opponents will stumble, mastered, confounded by their failure; everlasting, unforgettable disgrace will be theirs. But you, Lord of hosts, you who probe with justice, who scrutinise the loins and heart, let me see the vengeance you will take on them, for I have committed my cause to you.” He still had confidence that God would eventually vindicate him, and his enemies and detractors would be destroyed. His praise of God is but his acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty, His presence and His justice.
Was Jeremiah contradicting himself? His mood swings give the impression of emotional instability. But that is what happens when we go through the dark night of the soul. Although we might appear to lose faith in God and in His existence, and even though we might say “I don’t believe in God or His love anymore”, yet deep in our hearts, we still believe in Him against all odds. Most of the time, we are just ventilating our frustrations. We know that God is in control, but we are weak and confused when under opposition. In spite of his internal struggles, he was seeking authenticity. His struggles remind us of how Jesus as man also struggled in the Garden of Gethsemane and His cry on the cross, when He cried out in anguish, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46) Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” (Lk 23:46)
What lessons can we learn from Jeremiah in being authentic? We must be true to ourselves even when in prayer. Whilst we are struggling to be faithful to God’s will, it does not mean we cannot lament and express our human emotions. In fact, this is what the psalmists in the psalms do. This was what our Lord did as well. When we are going through difficult times, like Jeremiah, we must turn to God in prayer. We must allow ourselves to express our grief and humanity as it is part of authenticity. God grants us the permission to take our sufferings directly to Him. There is no need to hide our pain. For only after we have articulated our pains and frustrations, can we come to our senses and recognize that God is the One who holds power over life and death. We can surrender our lives to Him. In the final analysis, only God is faithful to us.
Secondly, being a true prophet means to be true to ourselves by listening to our heart. Even though he was ridiculed and mocked at for his message, Jeremiah could not but still say to the people what the Lord had commanded him. He said, “‘If I say, I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,'” then within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.” (Jer 20:9) Indeed, as he said earlier, “O Lord, you have enticed me, and I was enticed; you have overpowered me, and you have prevailed.” (Jer 20:7) God’s word was inside Jeremiah. He heard it clearly and he could not shut out the Word of God. When Jeremiah spoke about the fire in his bones, he was not speaking about his passion for the ministry and how he delighted in announcing the Word of God. On the contrary, he was not eager to proclaim the Word of God for he knew that he would be rejected and persecuted. But the Word of God in him would not allow him to remain silent. He would have no peace until he uttered out the Word of God.
Indeed, we must be true to what is in our heart. We must not silence our conscience. We must proclaim what we have heard from God in our heart without fear or compromise. We must resist against succumbing to the false prophets, as in Jeremiah’s time when they tried to silence him because his message would be unsettling for everyone. “They have treated the wound of my people carelessly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.” (Jer 6:14; 8:11). The mark of a true prophet is that he preaches nothing except God’s word. Authentic preaching of course will unsettle people but it is not all gloom and doom. A true prophet will also proclaim God’s grace, mercy and justice as well, not just judgment but also salvation. If the Word of God unsettles us, it is for the sake of our salvation. Of course, prophets will also be attacked when they challenge the lives of their people. In spite of the suffering ahead of us, we must, like Jeremiah, take our anguish to God and take courage in His promises as Jeremiah did. The Lord assured Jeremiah, “But you, gird up your loins; stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not break down before them, or I will break you before them. And I for my part have made you today a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall, against the whole land. They will fight against you; but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you.” (Jer 1:17-19)
In the gospel, we have Jesus who also led the way in being a true prophet of God. He was confronted by His opponents about His identity. He had implicitly asserted His divine authority when He claimed authority over the Sabbath by working on the Sabbath. At the festival of Tabernacles, He claimed to be the source of the living water. Soon, He would change the Passover to that of His sacrifice on the cross. In today’s gospel, at the feast of the Dedication, He claimed that He was the One truly consecrated by the Father not the Temple. ‘Yet you say to someone the Father has consecrated and sent into the world, “You are blaspheming,” because he says, “I am the Son of God.”‘ In all these controversies, the heart of the matter was His identity. The charge against Jesus was His claim to be the Son of God although in front of Pilate, it was framed as a political charge of treason. (Mk 14:62; Lk 22:70f)
Jesus was certain of His identity. He said. “My Father and I are one.” (Jn 10:30) “The Jews fetched stones to stone him, so Jesus said to them, ‘I have done many good works for you to see, works from my Father; for which of these are you stoning me?’ The Jews answered him, ‘We are not stoning you for doing a good work but for blasphemy: you are only a man and you claim to be God.’ Jesus answered, “If I am not doing my Father’s work, there is no need to believe me, at least believe in the work I do; then you will know for sure that the Father is in me and I am the Father.” The proofs that He spoke the Word of God and that He came from God were His miracles and works of mercy and compassion. But it was not so much the works that He did that they found fault with but His claim that He was the Son of God.
Today, as Christians, we too are put to the test. We will be condemned or opposed not because of our good works. In fact, we are well known for our acts of charity and compassion to all, regardless of race, language and religion. But it is our profession of faith in Christ as the Son of God and the implications of all that He has taught us in the gospel about truth, justice and morality that we will be discredited. It is the culture of life that we promote that is at odds against the world. It is our fidelity to truth and justice that irk the world. It is our promotion of marriage and gender according to the scriptures that the world rejects.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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