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Sign & sacrament

07 Dec 2014 - Second Sunday of Advent, Cycle B

Ever bump into your parish priest in the supermarket? You may not have recognized him at first because he was “out of uniform” and out of the context of the church. That’s why the gospel takes pains to describe John the Baptist. It was important to know that John was a prophet, an “official” one who dressed and lived and even ate like the prophets of old. Somebody with credentials had to introduce Jesus. After all, the Lord was plain and ordinary, just like everybody else. “Isn’t he the carpenter?” people would ask later on in the story. It would be hard to imagine that a construction guy could put together a whole new world.

john the baptist prophets

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In other words

15 Dec 2013 - Third Sunday of Advent, Cycle A

Jesus started talking to the crowd about John. “What did you expect when you went out to see him in the wild? A weekend camper? Hardly. . . . What then? A prophet? That’s right, a prophet! Probably the best prophet you’ll ever hear. He is the prophet that Malachi announced when he wrote, ‘I’m sending my prophet ahead of you, to make the road smooth for you.’ “Let me tell you what’s going on here: No one in history surpasses John the Baptizer; but in the kingdom he prepared you for, the lowliest person is ahead of him. For a long time now people have tried to force themselves into God’s kingdom. But if you read the books of the Prophets and God’s Law closely, you will see them culminate in John, teaming up with him in preparing the way for the Messiah of the kingdom. Looked at in this way, John is the ‘Elijah’ you’ve all been expecting to arrive and introduce the Messiah.” From New Message 4 Next Week (actapublications.com/newmessage4nextweek) based on The Message: Catholic/Ecumenical Edition by Eugene Peterson (ACTA Publications, 2013).

john the baptist prophets

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Homily themes

17 Nov 2013 - Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

"Don’t get burned!” could be a theme of this weekend’s readings. Don’t get burned, first of all, in God’s judgment, like evildoers and the proud! Don’t also get burned by false prophets. The “lights” you should be looking for—the “business” you should be “minding,” in the words of 2 Thessalonians— are not “awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky” but the “sun of justice with its healing rays,” which shines on those who respect and have reverence for the name of God.

Authors Joel Schorn

judgment false prophets

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Exploring the word

30 Sep 2012 - Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

“I’m for truth, no matter who tells it.” Malcolm X said that, and you can’t deny the truthiness of it even if you’re not a fan of the man or his methods. He also said, “Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it.” No less true if troubling in these days of challenged orders of authority. “By their fruits you will know them”: Jesus said that in Matthew 7:16. No less troubling, coming from him. Labels can be helpful but only if they’re accurate. Which is why they will know we are Christians by our love and not by our bumper stickers. That’s from John 13:35 (except the part about the bumpers stickers). One might presume these things are obvious. If someone calls me a friend but does me deliberate harm, I have reason to doubt the claim. Words, as important as they are, must be made flesh if they are to be believed. So faith must become works, and God must be Immanuel—with us. We can’t be content to wear a cross around our necks if we’re not prepared to carry our cross when the time comes. The issue here is integrity. The inside has to match the outside or we’re talking mere Christian veneer, easily stripped off under stress. Eldad and Medad were on the list to become prophets. Preapproved, as it were. And they did, despite the fact that they missed the meeting. No problem; the Spirit found them. Yet Joshua had a problem. He who would one day lead the nation objected. He wanted this movement stopped. If someone could become a prophet outside of the official gathering, how would leadership of the community ever be controlled? Moses responds beautifully: It can’t! God’s prerogative is to bestow the Spirit wherever and whenever. Run and catch the wind if you can. There’s a sidelong acceptability to the story of Eldad and Medad, despite Joshua’s protest. At least they were on the list, so the fruit of their prophecy matched the original intent of their accession to the responsibility. But the unauthorized disciple in the gospel is a different case. He’s not on the list of the 12 apostles, and he doesn’t hang with the Jesus crowd. He’s nobody, as far as the disciples are concerned. Yet he’s doing the same things they’re doing—and in the name of Jesus, no less! Jesus shows a remarkable lack of distress. Like Moses with Joshua, Jesus points out that this could hardly be a bad thing. Who loses, besides the demons, in this venture? Who wins if more come to faith by this man’s efforts? Controlling the avenues of salvation is not the issue. Offering it is. Related scripture links More about presumption and faith: James 4:1-5:11 Jesus elsewhere on his other sheep: John 10:16 Known by their fruits: Matt. 7:16-20 I have other flocks: John 10:16 Other reflections on truth: John 1:17; 3:21; 4:24; 8:32; 14:6, 16-17; 16:13; 18:37; 19:35 Catechism links Catholics and other Christians: CCC 811-822; 830-838 Catholics and other religious traditions: CCC 839-848

Authors Alice Camille

Works prophets Prophecy

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The inner word

30 Sep 2012 - Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

According to Christian doctrine, one of the “offices” or roles that every baptized person shares with Jesus is his “prophetic office.” Part of Jesus’ mission was prophetic: He reveals the will of God. “No one knows the Son except the Father,” he says in the Gospel of Matthew, “and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him” (Matthew 11:27). While none of us are Christ, what you believe and just as important how you live reveal how God is working in your life. In Israelite tradition Moses was the great prophet, but he was willing—even enthusiastic—to share the spirit of prophecy with anyone else God chose, even if like Eldad and Medad “they had not gone out to the tent.” The same goes for Jesus’ attitude toward an outsider healing in his name. Be open to recognizing and encouraging God’s workings in yourself and others.

God's will prophets

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Exploring the word

08 Jul 2012 - Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

ONCE UPON A time there was an era for prophecy. That would be from about the 12th to the 5th centuries B.C.E., biblically speaking. First came the former prophets, which included the great judges of Israel like Samuel and Deborah and the wonder-workers Elijah and Elisha. Then came the writing prophets, roaring in like the tide from the 8th century on. The three major visionaries were Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. There were also 12 minor writers—“minor” in terms of output, not necessarily significance. The writing prophets stood in tandem with and often in opposition to their kings. They proclaimed God’s word leading up to, during, and just after the great exile to Babylon. Then, prophecy fell silent. As the rabbis put it, “The spirit of prophecy left Israel.” Seers gave way to wisdom teachers, and these sages eventually became institutionalized as the Sanhedrin. And we know where that story went. Still the rabbis offered hope that the word of God could still be heard. If God's voice no longer spoke through prophets, Bat Kol or “the daughter of the voice” might still whisper to those who listen closely. She’s an echo of what the ancient seers once heard distinctly in their oracles, but she speaks with divine authority all the same. We might envy those who, like Ezekiel or Paul, once received mystical revelations and acted accordingly. We forget that Ezekiel was martyred in Babylon for his subversive ideas and Paul was beheaded in Rome for his. In the meantime Ezekiel the priest suffered the longing for his homeland and lost temple, while Paul had his angel of Satan afflicting him—whatever that was. Talking to God can be a lot of trouble, and hearing from God maybe worse. But you know what’s worst of all? A world in which God’s voice is not heard at all. A world in which Jesus himself walks into a house of prayer and his own community doubts him. That didn’t just happen once in Nazareth, unhappily. It happens all the time. If you look around the average Catholic church, you might see several images honoring Jesus: a crucifix, the Stations of the Cross, statues or portraits of his Sacred Heart, his Divine Mercy, the Good Shepherd, the Pietà, and others. The tabernacle essentially houses the true presence of Christ in our midst. Honor and worship, though, are easy. Discipleship is hard. What scripture invites us to do today is not simply to bow but to listen. Listen for the daughter of the voice that still brings the word of God into the world. It will not shout out loud or break a bruised reed. It whispers, an indwelling Spirit that longs to speak directly to your heart and mine. Listen. Related scripture links Calls to prophesy: Exod. 3:4-14; 1 Sam. 3:1-10; Isa. 6:1-10; Jer. 1:4-10; Jon. 1:1-3 Women prophets: Exod. 15:20-21; Judg. 4:1-5:31; 2 Kings 22:8-20; Isa. 8:3; Luke 2:36-38; Acts 21:8-9 Who’s responsible for the message: Ezek. 3:17-21 Nothing but Christ crucified: 1 Cor. 2:1-5 Great turnarounds: Luke 19:1-10; 23:39-43; Acts 9:1-19 Catechism links Omnipotence: CCC 268-274; 1508 Sickness and faith: CCC 1500-1510

Authors Alice Camille

Prophecy prophets

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The inner word

18 Mar 2012 - Fourth Sunday of Lent, Cycle B

The readings this week point to the importance of recognition--and the consequences of not recognizing. Did the Israelites recognize the prophets God sent them? If they did, what did they do? Do you see any prophets today? Do you as a Christian recognize how your salvation is through grace--a gift of God? Do you have faith in that? What do you see in the "Son of Man . . . lifted up"? The love of God? Eternal life?

recognition prophets

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Homily stories

15 May 2011 - Fourth Sunday of Easter; Good Shepherd Sunday, Cycle A

Who are the robbers of Jesus' sheepfold? False prophets, corrupt leaders, and no-goodniks of all stripes, certainly. But the sheep's own worst enemies are often themselves. Ask yourself, on a daily basis what draws you away from God's voice: fears and insecurities? apathy or indifference jealousy or envy pride or ego? Try not to pay attention to any other voice but God's today.

false prophets god's voice paying attention

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Who's listening?

14 Nov 2010 - Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Perhaps Paul was directing his stern words in Thessalonians to those who, believing the end to be near, stopped working altogether. And Jesus has several responses to those who are looking for the last days. Be wary of false messiahs, and don't be terrified of or deceived by upheavals, because they are bound to happen. Earlier Jesus says, " 'The coming of the kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce "Look, here it is," or, "There it is." For behold, the kingdom of God is among you' " (Luke 17:20-21). The important thing has to do with you. You will be put to the test. How are you to respond? People are tempted to put their trust in false prophets and easy answers, to give up when things get hard. If we persevere in the daily work of faith, the coming of Lord, every day and at the end of days, will not be something we fear but a prospect we face with confidence.

thessalonian false prophets Trust

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