20260811 THE TASKS OF A TRUE PROPHET
11 August 2026, Tuesday, 19th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Ezekiel 2:8-3:4 |
He gave me the scroll to eat and it was as sweet as honey
I, Ezekiel, heard a voice speaking. It said, ‘You, son of man, listen to the words I say; do not be a rebel like that rebellious set. Open your mouth and eat what I am about to give you.’ I looked. A hand was there, stretching out to me and holding a scroll. He unrolled it in front of me; it was written on back and front; on it was written ‘lamentations, wailings, moanings.’ He said, ‘Son of man, eat what is given to you; eat this scroll, then go and speak to the House of Israel.’ I opened my mouth; he gave me the scroll to eat and said, ‘Son of man, feed and be satisfied by the scroll I am giving you.’ I ate it, and it tasted sweet as honey.
Then he said, ‘Son of man, go to the House of Israel and tell them what I have said.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 118(119):14,24,72,103,111,131 |
Your promise is sweet to my taste, O Lord.
I rejoiced to do your will
as though all riches were mine.
Your will is my delight;
your statutes are my counsellors.
Your promise is sweet to my taste, O Lord.
The law from your mouth means more to me
than silver and gold.
Your promise is sweeter to my taste
than honey in the mouth.
Your promise is sweet to my taste, O Lord.
Your will is my heritage for ever,
the joy of my heart.
I open my mouth and I sigh
as I yearn for your commands.
Your promise is sweet to my taste, O Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt11:25 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 18:1-5,10,12-14 |
Anyone who welcomes a little child in my name welcomes me
The disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ So he called a little child to him and set the child in front of them. Then he said, ‘I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
‘Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.
‘See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.
‘Tell me. Suppose a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays; will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go in search of the stray? I tell you solemnly, if he finds it, it gives him more joy than do the ninety-nine that did not stray at all. Similarly, it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.’
THE TASKS OF A TRUE PROPHET
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EZEKIEL 2:8-3:4; MATTHEW 18:1-5,10,12-14]
In the Gospel, we see the heart of God revealed through the teaching of Christ. Firstly, He speaks of welcoming children into our lives. He told the disciples, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.”
Who are these children that Jesus speaks about? In the first place, He refers to a child young in age. To welcome a child is to give them the care, love, and attention that we usually give to someone of importance in society. Very often, even within the church–especially at liturgical services–some parishioners tend to consider children a nuisance rather than good news. We pay attention to those with status, but the truth is that a young child, although having not yet earned his place in the world, is, in the eyes of God, as important as anyone else. This is why we cannot measure people in terms of what we can get out of them, but rather by how we can share our lives with one another. This is the true meaning of friendship. When self-interest becomes the bottom line of our relationships, they become transactional, and we will never experience the true meaning of love.
In the second place, “children” refers to anyone who has not yet reached emotional and spiritual maturity, regardless of their age. In this instance, to welcome a child is to embrace people who are childish, rather than child-like. They may be proud, arrogant, disobedient, and restless. Yet, we are called to welcome them too, because they are still the children of God–albeit unruly ones. God loves them all the same and seeks their conversion and well-being. This is why Jesus told the parable of the lost sheep: the good shepherd leaves the ninety-nine safe sheep behind to search for the lost one until he finds it. This is the height of unselfish love–not being focused on oneself and one’s interests, but being solely directed toward the greater good of others, especially those who most need help.
This is also a warning to the disciples. The apostles were tempted to serve Jesus for self-interest, glory, power, and recognition–temptations that remain present among us today, including among religious leaders. We are often more concerned about our success, achievements, popularity, and acceptance than about truly serving people. Even in serving Christ and the Gospel, we can be subtly motivated by self-interest. This explains why, in many churches, we place efficiency and order before the sensitivities and needs of our people, especially those who are weak or have special needs. We tend to be harsh and judgemental, even excluding them from worship and community simply because they do not comply with our “rules.”
Therefore, we need a change of values. Jesus teaches us the exact values we should adopt: “He called a little child to him and set the child in front of them. Then he said, ‘I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'” We are called to cultivate a child-like attitude of innocence, a sense of wonder, trust, and humility before God–acknowledging that He knows everything and that we can depend on Him completely. We must recognise our own deficiencies and our total dependence on Him, as well as our mutual dependence on one another. This calls for humility and a willingness to learn and receive. It requires the sensitivity and generosity to “become little”–that is, to enter into the situation of those who are still immature, struggling in their faith, or falling into sin, temptation, relational strife, or poor self-discipline. Rather than condemning them, we must seek to identify with them and feel with them in their struggles so that we can encourage them and give them hope.
This is our mission as God’s prophets, as the First Reading instructs us: we are called to speak God’s word to them. Prophets are sent to speak God’s words, not their own. Whether it was Moses or the prophets who followed, they were commissioned to speak the word of God. For us to do this faithfully, without substituting our own ideas and ideology, we must be deeply grounded in the Word of God. We read how Jeremiah welcomed God’s message: “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called by your name” (Jer 15:16). Like Ezekiel, we are called to listen to the Word of God and assimilate what He has to say to us.
Listening to the Word of God means being attentive to all that He tells us. We cannot pick and choose what we like to hear and reject what makes us uncomfortable. God told Ezekiel, “You, son of man, listen to the words I say; do not be a rebel like that rebellious set. Open your mouth and eat what I am about to give you.” Ezekiel saw that “a hand was there, stretching out to me and holding a scroll. He unrolled it in front of me; it was written on back and front; on it was written ‘lamentations, wailings, moanings.’ He said, ‘Son of man, eat what is given to you; eat this scroll.'” This aligns with what St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians: “We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers” (1 Thess 2:13).
Having received the Word, we must now proclaim it in its entirety–not selectively. God instructed Ezekiel: “‘Go and speak to the House of Israel.’ I opened my mouth; he gave me the scroll to eat and said, ‘Son of man, feed and be satisfied by the scroll I am giving you.’ I ate it, and it tasted sweet as honey. Then he said, ‘Son of man, go to the House of Israel and tell them what I have said.'” St. Paul similarly advised Timothy: “I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favourable or unfavourable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully” (2 Tim 4:1-5).
Consequently, as disciples of Christ, we must be ready to suffer for the Word of God. Having received it with joy, we are obliged to share it with others–even those who reject us, just as Ezekiel and Jeremiah experienced. We receive the Word of God, which tastes like honey, but when we proclaim it, it can feel sour because we are rejected by those whose self-interests are compromised or challenged. Indeed, this is inevitable for ambassadors of the Gospel because we are often given a challenging message for a culture that is indifferent or hostile. In these moments, we may be tempted to alter the message to suit our audience. But if we do, we cease to be faithful to the Word we received. We have no authority to change the message; God instructed Ezekiel that he must speak the exact word given to him, even when it contained “lamentations, wailings, and moanings.”
Ultimately, prophets must listen carefully to all of God’s words and take them to heart. Otherwise, we speak without conviction and fail to proclaim what God truly desires. We become untrue to ourselves and to the God who calls us. Before we speak, we must let the Word of God dwell richly within us so that we can instruct each other in wisdom, as St. Paul exhorts: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col 3:16-17). Truly, the best way to be faithful to God and to those to whom we are sent is to consume the Word of God, taste it as Ezekiel did, and be deeply convinced of the sweetness and truth of God’s Word.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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