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Prophets

Prophets

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.


We may become frustrated with “the Church”–by which we mean bishops and priests–at times because of their failure to proclaim tough messages. And indeed, today’s first reading warns the prophet that if he does not give the tough message, that is, the message about the need for conversion and the consequences of failing to convert, the prophet himself will be held accountable for the wicked man’s wicked ways.

And, we may rightly think of bishops and priests as today’s prophets, those entrusted with preaching the message of conversion. We may lament that they may appear surrounded by praise and enjoy a relatively care-free life in terms of their own material well-being. They can begin to prioritize sustaining status quo, and the temptation to complacency and “not rocking the boat” can be very real. It can be even more real at times, perhaps, than their own relationship with Christ in contemplative prayer, and their duty before Him to be prophets and (like Him) signs of contradiction.

When such thoughts get us down, we must remember 1) that the prevalence of complacency among leaders has afflicted the Church for all time, and even the people of Israel before Christ; 2) that bishops and priests are human beings with the same strong tendency to sin and mediocrity from which we all suffer, with circumstances that paradoxically make mediocrity even more tempting, and we must pray for them with a merciful heart; and 3) perhaps most importantly, that the prophetic mission does not belong solely to them, but also to you and me.

Every single Christian participates by baptism in the threefold mission and duty of the priest to act as “priest, prophet, and king”–to intercede and offer sacrifice for the Church, proclaim the message of the Gospel (with all its prickliness), and to lead the people of God to Christ.

Do we hold back tough messages that may be precisely what someone needs to hear to convert their hearts to Christ? Do we thereby put our worldly sense of security ahead of the eternal welfare of our neighbor? Are we too concerned about bland peace to provide others with the stimulus that will wake people up from their blithe stupor regarding their eternal destiny?

It is too easy to point the finger at bishops and priests–men who, after all, with all their imperfections, have given their whole lives over to service of the Church at great personal sacrifice–and never once turn the lens on ourselves. Yet we too, as Christians accountable for the prophetic mission of the Church, will be accountable for the wicked deeds of the wicked man, if we have the opportunity to warn him about the path he is on and fail to do so.

In today’s gospel, however, Jesus makes it clear that railing against the wicked from the top of tall buildings just for the sake of doing so has no value. Our aim must not be to check the prophet box, but really to lead others to a full conversion to Christ. This involves appealing to them in private, in words they can understand. We may also say that it involves picking our moment, and tailoring our expression of the message for greatest possible impact and likelihood of receptivity.

Still, we must never allow a false prudence, masking our own attachment to our personal comfort, keep us from words and actions that can lead others to the incomparable joy of a relationship with Jesus Christ–even if those words and actions involve awkwardness or risk to ourselves.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus to send you His Holy Spirit to show you clearly when it is time to speak up for Christ. And trust Him to do so. He knows your weakness. He knows your reticence or, perhaps, your lack of tact–whatever it is that makes it difficult for you to be a prophet. And, just as a good father doesn’t give his son a scorpion when he asks for a fish, Jesus will not fail to send us the Holy Spirit to lead us reliably and avoid sins of prophetic omission, if we sincerely ask Him to do so. And, let’s be generous and merciful enough to humbly ask Him to do the same for our beloved bishops and priests.

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The Keys of the Kingdom

The Vatican

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.


“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!  How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways!”

In line with this beginning of today’s second reading, we do well to remember that we don’t have God and His ways all figured out. There is still plenty of mystery for us with God, and in particular with His approach to man, and that mystery is the space in which we trust Him and obey Him.

Perhaps few of God’s choices are more difficult to understand, at least at first consideration, than the choice reflected in today’s first reading and Gospel: Namely, the choice to put His own authority in the hands of a select group of chosen individuals. Perhaps this would make more sense to us if those people were infallibly guaranteed to be holy. But this is not the case.

Starting with St. Peter and the apostles, Jesus has conferred His teaching authority in the hands of the Pope and bishops teaching in communion with him; and yet, we see in the history of the Church worldly popes and bishops, men unworthy of their calling. This can be terribly discouraging, and we may wonder why God would inflict such a burden on His Church.

But if concrete examples of unworthy shepherds may discourage us, we are profoundly encouraged by the miracle that over the course of the millennia, Jesus’ teaching has been preserved faithfully by the Church, even in the presence of unworthy shepherds, and also applied faithfully to the evolving realities of each time period. Sometimes Church governmental decisions have been flawed, as well as informal utterances and teachings, but not the teachings of the Magisterium of the Church in the key areas affecting our eternal welfare: faith and morals.

As we contemplate this mystery, we may consider that God has “stubbornly” insisted on sharing with His followers all the glories of His Son, including kingship and authority, despite the evil that would flow from those who take up this authority unworthily. Also, He has “stubbornly” avoided overruling or suppressing the exalted gift man’s freedom, and thus has not provided any guarantee of the holiness of any shepherd’s choices.

But I think a clearer hint at God’s intent in establishing the authority of the Church is the revelations of Jesus’ heart for His flock that we see in the Gospel. Before feeding the multitude, He looks out over the crowd gathered and takes pity, for they are like “sheep without a shepherd.” (Mt. 9:36) And then we have His promise: “I will not leave you orphans.” (Jn. 14:18) Jesus loves us, His disciples, tenderly, and did not want us to have to navigate the dark path of the world without giving us guides to enlighten the paths of each age with an authentic application of His teachings.

Like Adam and Eve in Eden, there are those today in the Church who would wish to be “like gods,” answering to no one and becoming the sole interpreters of the truth for their worlds. But for those of us who know to appreciate it, the Magisterium of the Church is a great gift Our Lord has given us that we may have peace and certainty as we strive to follow Him in every age.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Consider the unworthiness of many shepherds in the Church, and ask Our Lord to penetrate proud hearts in the clergy and convert them back to His Heart. Then, consider the miracle of the sure path He has given us to follow in the teachings of the Magisterium, even in the midst of varying clerical holiness, and thank Him for the tenderness of His personal love for you as manifested in this gift. Ask Him for the wisdom and humility to follow that Magisterium faithfully without being deceived or discouraged by the less-than-stellar example of some.

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