20240724 PROPHETS MUST BE ROOTED IN THE WORD OF GOD
24 July 2024, Wednesday, 16th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Jeremiah 1:1,4-10 |
Go and say whatever I command you and do not fear
The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, of a priestly family living at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin.
The word of the Lord was addressed to me, saying,
‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
before you came to birth I consecrated you;
I have appointed you as prophet to the nations.’
I said, ‘Ah, Lord; look, I do not know how to speak: I am a child!’
But the Lord replied,
‘Do not say, “I am a child.”
Go now to those to whom I send you
and say whatever I command you.
Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to protect you –
it is the Lord who speaks!’
Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me:
‘There! I am putting my words into your mouth.
Look, today I am setting you
over nations and over kingdoms,
to tear up and to knock down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 70(71):1-6,15,17 |
My lips will tell of your help.
In you, O Lord, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, free me:
pay heed to me and save me.
My lips will tell of your help.
Be a rock where I can take refuge,
a mighty stronghold to save me;
for you are my rock, my stronghold.
Free me from the hand of the wicked.
My lips will tell of your help.
It is you, O Lord, who are my hope,
my trust, O Lord, since my youth.
On you I have leaned from my birth,
from my mother’s womb you have been my help.
My lips will tell of your help.
My lips will tell of your justice
and day by day of your help.
O God, you have taught me from my youth
and I proclaim your wonders still.
My lips will tell of your help.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:36,29 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Bend my heart to your will, O Lord,
and teach me your law.
Alleluia!
Or: |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The seed is the word of God, Christ the sower;
whoever finds this seed will remain for ever.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 13:1-9 |
A sower went out to sow
Jesus left the house and sat by the lakeside, but such large crowds gathered round him that he got into a boat and sat there. The people all stood on the beach, and he told them many things in parables.
He said, ‘Imagine a sower going out to sow. As he sowed, some seeds fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on patches of rock where they found little soil and sprang up straight away, because there was no depth of earth; but as soon as the sun came up they were scorched and, not having any roots, they withered away. Others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Others fell on rich soil and produced their crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Listen, anyone who has ears!’
PROPHETS MUST BE ROOTED IN THE WORD OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JER 1:1, 4-10; MT 13:1-9 ]
By virtue of our baptism, all of us are called to exercise the prophetic role of Christ. Among the threefold office of Christ bestowed upon us, this is the most daunting of all. We do not mind exercising the priestly role of Christ by offering Him worship and interceding for the world. We are comfortable with helping and guiding people as we exercise the role of the kingly office or that of the shepherd. But we do mind being a prophet. The work of the prophet, as God said to Jeremiah, consists of the work of destroying and rebuilding; “Look, today I am setting you over nations and over kingdoms, to tear up and to knock down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
Why do we fight shy of being prophets? The reasons are obvious. It is a very difficult task, daunting, unappreciative, intimidating and painful. No one likes a prophet because we are not so ready to admit our shortcomings, much less to make changes in our life. As a result, a prophet often ends up in martyrdom. Jeremiah was fully aware of the demands of such a calling. And so, like many others before him, including Gideon and Moses, he was a reluctant prophet. The initial response of those called to be prophets was always one of rejection and denial.
We, too, are also reluctant prophets. In fact, if we are not, it might indicate that our motives are not quite altruistic. Whether in the Christian community, at the office or at home, whenever we exercise our prophetic role of speaking out and warning others of the eventual consequences if they persist in their stubborn ways, it behoves us to ask ourselves, what is the real reason for our critique of their actions? If our motivation is grounded in vested interests, then we are not prophets in the real sense. True prophets speak only for the good of the people and in the name of God, never for himself or for his interests. To be a prophet, we must be selfless and self-emptying.
That is why to be a prophet in a particular situation at a particular time must be a calling. We must be careful that we are not opinionated people who must have a view on everything. So, being prophetic does not mean that we are called to comment on everything. This would be too presumptuous and also indicate our subconscious need to dominate and control others. Rather, it is a calling that comes from the Lord speaking in our hearts, as in the case of Jeremiah when he wrote, “The word of the Lord was addressed to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you came to birth I consecrated you; I have appointed you as prophet to the nations.'” Most prophets, given the choice, would gladly give up their office for an easier life or a more private life than wanting to make himself a nuisance to everyone.
But more than just acting with the right motives, being a prophet requires certain qualities. Even if we are truly concerned for those around us, we often feel inadequate to minister to them. We feel that we do not have the content in the first place. We do not know what to say to those people concerned, whether it is correction or encouragement. Even if we know what to say, we feel we do not know how to say it. Haven’t we all experienced this in our relationship with people? We know that something is not right; that the person is causing conflicts or hindering the growth of the organization, but we are afraid to speak out because we do not know how to put it across in such a way that the other party would not perceive us as a threat, but receive it in good spirit. Indeed, this was how Moses and Jeremiah felt when they were called by the Lord. Both felt greatly inadequate in delivering the Word of God to their people. In similar terms, Jeremiah said, “Ah, Lord; look, I do not know how to speak: I am a child! But the Lord replied, “Do not say, ‘I am a child.'” Perhaps, more than just lacking confidence to say what we need to say, the real reason for our reluctance is our fear of rejection and persecution.
However, God wants to allay our fears. He does not simply ask us to do a job without empowering us. So He assured Jeremiah thus, “Go now to those to whom I send you and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to protect you – it is the Lord who speaks!” God, who has always showed His fidelity to His prophets, will also be faithful to us when He commissions us to undertake the work of proclamation. Because he does not act from himself or in accordance with his opinions, a true prophet must receive divine assistance which normally comes through the Word from the Lord.
The parable of the sower provides us the key to find direction and strength in being the prophets of God. If the prophet were to be a spokesman of God, then necessarily, he is not the Word but only the voice. The Word must come from God Himself. Prophets, before they proclaim, must therefore be firmly rooted in the Word of God. Isn’t this what God did to Jeremiah? “Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me: ‘There! I am putting my words into your mouth.'” Jesus as the Word of God in person proclaims to us the Word. In His preaching and deeds, He demonstrates to us the efficacy of the Word which He proclaimed in the power of the Spirit.
This is what the parable is also challenging us. So the question we have to ask ourselves is, how much are we rooted in the Word of God? Without a deep contact with the Word of God, there can be no calling in the first place. What is even more dangerous is that without familiarity with the Word of God, we will easily be manipulated by the Evil One. Jesus warns us about the attempts of the Evil One who is like the birds who come to eat up the seeds sowed in us. As we try to be faithful to the Word, we will find many obstacles along the way, preventing us from growing in the Word. The Devil will seek every means to hinder us from receiving and hearing the Word. Even if not for the obstacles put up by the Evil One, we are tempted by the world. Yes, these are the seeds that “fell on patches of rock where they found little soil and sprang up straight away, because there was no depth of earth; but as soon as the sun came up they were scorched and, not having any roots, they withered away.” Alas, being well versed with the Word of God is not sufficient unless we deepen our love and understanding of the Word so that it finds a home in us. Without depth in the appreciation of the Word, we will live a mediocre and devotional spirituality only.
Finally, we can also be weakened by our attachment to our sins. We would then be like the seeds that “fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.” Listening to the Word would do us no good unless we are ready to give up our sins. Without applying the Word to our lives, our sins will choke the Word and we will not be able to proclaim the Word effectively. If our lives are not changed by the Word we receive, then it is difficult to expect people to change either. However, for those of us who are rooted in the Word of God, both in knowledge and in depth, we will bear much fruit, like the prophets. Yes, Jesus assures us that if the seeds fall on rich soil, they will produce crops “some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Listen, anyone who has ears!”
So today, we are invited to pray with the psalmist and put our trust in God. A prophet must rely only on God for His strength. He must have a firm faith in the Lord whom he must see as his rock of refuge, his stronghold that gives him safety and protection. Only with a deep trust in the Lord through constant docility to His Word, can a prophet remain focused and courageous in his prophetic office. Conscious that the Lord is with him, he will be able to withstand all forms of persecution and discouragement, for God is his strength.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment