A “Rule of Life” for Prophets: A Homily for the 4th Sunday of the Year

Archdiocese of Washington ^ | February 2, 2013 | Msgr. Charles Pope

[NYer]

Prophets are those who speak for God. They Love God, and they love his people, and speak the very true (and often painful) truth of God to his people. They do so not to win an argument, but because of their love and conviction that only the undiluted truth of God can save us in the end.

People-pleasing and other forms of human respect cannot supplant the reverence for God and His truth. Thus Prophets are willing to endure pain and suffering to proclaim God’s truth to an often unappreciative segment of God’s people. But out of love for God and his people, they press on to proclaim his truth, and they do so willingly, knowing that even death awaits their personal, persistent and prophetic proclamation.

Today’s readings set for us a kind of “rule for life for prophets.” And we, who are baptized into the order of prophet, do well to hear the teachings of these readings, Let us examine them in three stages.

I. The Call that is Declared – The text says: In the first reading God says to Jeremiah (and to us): The word of the LORD came to me, saying: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you. But do you gird your loins; stand up and tell them all that I command you.

We ought to note four things about our call as prophets.

1. The Prevenient nature of our Call- The word “prevenient” refers to something which comes before; which precedes, something that is expectant or anticipatory. And thus God has not chosen us in a whimsical way, as if to say, “you’ll do.” He has considered our call before He made us and equipped, empowered and enabled us for our work.

God tells Jeremiah and us, that he has known, loved and cherished us long before He ever made us. And thus he made us in a way that prepared and equipped us of the very work of being a prophet.

How? you say. That is as variable as the person you are. There is no one who can proclaim God or announce the kingdom like you can. Perhaps too he has especially equipped you to evangelize certain individuals no one else can reach. Just know this, God has thought a long time about you and prepared for you in very specific and thoughtful ways. What ever you have needed has “come before” is “prevenient.”

2. The Purview of our Call -The text tells Jeremiah (and us) that we are appointed unto the nations. Now, Jeremiah did not himself, in his own life, journey beyond Israel. But since his life, the Word of the Lord uttered through him, has reached every nation.

Never doubt the influence you can exert by the grace of God. Even in and through reaching one person you can change the destiny of many. Stay in your lane and do your work, but remember God can accomplish through you more than you ask or imagine. Your influence by his grace can reach the nations.

3. The Preparation of our Call -The Lord tells Jeremiah (and us) to “gird our loins.” This is an ancient way of saying “roll up your sleeves.” In other words, prepare to work by assembling what you need and being ready to exert effort.

Surely for us this means daily prayer, weekly Eucharist and frequent confession. It means prayerfully reading God’s reading and the teaching of the Church and it means keeping fellowship with the Church, and with fellow believers. All of this equips, empowers and enables us for the work of being a prophet which God has called us to do.

Beyond this there may be other specific gifts God calls us to develop, be it music, learning a second language, growing in the gift of healing, preaching, or administration. What it may be, God will show you and help you to grow the gifts and talents you have received.

In all this you “roll up your sleeves” for the work God has given and is preparing you for so that you will be an evermore effective prophet.

4. The Prescription of our Call -The text says, “tell them all that I command you.” In other words, leave nothing out, proclaim the whole counsel of God. Don’t just proclaim what appeals to you or jives with you politics and worldview, don’t just say what is popular or in sync with currently worldly thinking. Tell them the whole message, in season or out of season.

II. The Courage that is Demanded – The text says Be not crushed on their account, as though I would leave you crushed before them; for it is I this day who have made you a fortified city, a pillar of iron, a wall of brass, against the whole land: against Judah’s kings and princes, against its priests and people.

And here note three qualities of a prophet:

Strength - A prophet needs to be strong, for people are stubborn and unwilling to easily change. Indeed, we are collectively a stiff-necked people, we have a neck of iron and forehead of brass. We are thick-headed, willful and obdurate. A prophet has to be willing to endure a lot to move the ball even a few inches. If you don’t think we’re a hard case, look at the cross and see what it took to save us (you). Prophets need strength and persistence.

Support- The prophet (Jeremiah and us) is called “a pillar of iron.” That is, we are to lend support to a crumbling nation and culture. Whether our culture likes to admit it or not, it is crumbling and collapsing, If it stands any chance at all, it is only that we are willing to be a pillar of iron calling this culture back to modesty, decency, chastity, self control, maturity, obedience to God and generosity to the poor. Otherwise, everything is destined for ruin.

Sadly the Church has often had to pick up the shattered pieces of fallen cultures, nations and eras that refused to repent. But this is what prophets must do, they must be pillars of iron when cultures go weak and soft, or crumble under the weight of pride, sin and un-repentance.

And failing that, we must become, by God’s grace the new foundation and pillar of what rises from the ashes. All of this takes great courage.

Sanctifier - Jeremiah is told that the priests, kings and princes have all been co-opted, and corrupted, and he must speak the truth to them all and summon them to repentance.

Here is the hardest work of the prophet, to call those who most benefit from the status quo, to change and repentance. This is not only hard because they are “on top” of the current system, but it is also hard because to one degree or another, they are owed respect and obedience as lawful superiors.

Navigating the balance between respect for authority and the summons of them to repentance is not easy and only God can really pull it off. Nevertheless speaking the truth to power is the unenviable lot of the prophet.

Well, fellow prophets this means you and me. I would only urge prayer here. Bishop-bashing and the usual fare of ridiculing political leaders is not the solution. Neither is quiet acquiescence when we are clear that those in authority need to hear a call from the Lord. Lots of prayer and a general tone of respect will surely lead the way. Clarity with charity, and light with love.

III. The Conclusion that is Determined - The text says, They will fight against you but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.

In the end, the truth will out. The Light wins, He always wins. Every night gives way to day and the light scatters darkness. Darkness has its hour but truth has eternity. Good Friday only points to Easter Sunday, and death is cast off like a garment. In the end, every true prophet is on the winning team. While he may endure jail, laughter, ridicule. persecution, setbacks and trials, what every true prophet announces will come to pass. History bears this out and it will be definitively manifest at the Last Day. The darkness cannot prevail, it always gives place to the light.

The Conclusion for the prophet, for the Church, for the Gospel, for the Lord is total victory. It cannot be any other way, God has spoken it and He will do it.

Even if in a small way the Lord Jesus shows this in today’s Gospel. The text says,

They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But Jesus passed through the midst of them and went away.

Here is a preview of Easter, just when Satan is running his victory lap, the Lord casts off death and stands as light in the shadow of the Cross. Satan loses, Jesus wins. That is the conclusion.

So get on the winning team. Pay little heed to the current struggle, it cannot last or win. Jesus has already won.

[NYer]

Ping!

[NYer]

Ping!

[GreyFriar]

I tried to go the Msgr Pope’s blog site and got a red Microsoft warning page of “malicious software embedded” reported for page. without allowing me to go to the page.

Has anyone else gotten this?

[Shark24]

My Norton just gave me a note that it blocked a Blackhole attack. I was let on the site though.

[RnMomof7]

This was written To jeremiah not to us, all of us are not prophets...and so the promises are not for us..

[Salvation]

Are you baptized?

What It Means to be Baptized a Priest, Prophet, & King

For those unfamiliar with the rite of baptism, after a person is baptized in the Catholic Church, the baptizing priest tells the person, in the presence of the person's sponsor, that he/she is baptized a priest, prophet, and king.  The meaning of the title goes as follows:

Priest

To be "baptized a priest" means that you have the power to offer prayers & sacrifices for the conversion of sinners and to obtain results in the process.  This is your most important power, because Christ came "to save his people from their sins.,"  When you partake in Christ's highest mission, it makes you the most Christlike of all humanity. 

Prophet

To be baptized a prophet means that you know the mind of God and the eventual consequence of living contrary to God's mind.   Now, the Mind of God, the Way of God, the Will of God, and the Law of God are the exact same thing.  In being baptized, you instinctively know the way God is.   Prophets are social consciences.  In being baptized a prophet, you literally receive an instinctive conscience regarding the intimate details of God's personality.  This includes God's likes and dislikes.  God's dislikes are known as sins.


King

To be baptized a king means that you were christened as was King David and that the christening enables you to share in the Divinity of Christ.  This means that you have the power to unite your works with Christ and make them infinite.   This was indicated at Fatima, in a prayer that the Angel of Peace taught the Fatima children, in 1916.

As a qualifying note, in order to have the power to absolve penitents from sin, one needs the sacrament of Holy Orders. 

[Salvation]

NCRegister Excerpt

 

Prophet, Priest and King

Baptism, Part 4

by Mark Shea Friday, Sep 04, 2009 3:57 PM 

Most of us don’t wake up in the morning thinking of ourselves as The Fulfillment of Prophecy. Still and all, we are. Oh, not because we are any great shakes ourselves, of course. Left to our own devices apart from grace we’d only be the fulfillment of somebody’s worst nightmare. But, when we are joined to Christ in baptism, we become part of the fulfillment of prophecy because he is.

This is exactly the view Paul takes when he tells the Romans that suffering Christians are the fulfillment of Psalm 44:22 (Romans 8:36). And it is also the position the Church takes when it proclaims that every baptized Christian participates in Christ’s threefold office of prophet, priest and king.

God promises us through his word that “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him” (Deuteronomy 18:18). Christ, of course, fulfills this promise perfectly, not only by his own prophetic words, but also by being the fulfillment of all the words the prophets have spoken. In our baptism, we share in Christ’s own prophetic office in the world, speaking forth the word of God and sharing in the rewards (and brickbats) that a prophet receives.

A prophet is not primarily somebody who predicts the future (though that does rarely happen). A prophet is a mouth. False prophets are mouths for the Spirit of the Age or Madison Avenue or sometimes simply themselves. A true prophet is a mouth for God. He speaks the word of God to the world.

But a Christian doesn’t just speak to the world. He also speaks to God. And the way in which we speak is the way Jesus speaks. That is, it includes, but is not limited to, verbal prayer. That’s because Christ is the Word made flesh, not merely the Word made word. The main prayer Jesus makes to his Father is the offering of his flesh and blood. That’s total commitment. And it is precisely the offering we are called to make: “I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1).

[Tax-chick]

I got that security message for the first time this morning. I hope someone at the Archdiocese of Washington is working on it!

[Tax-chick]

I got that security message for the first time this morning. I hope someone at the Archdiocese of Washington is working on it!

[RnMomof7]

That is an extra biblical definition of prophet.. No such thing is taught anywhere in scripture..
A prophet is a special messenger of God sent with a specific message,they have a special message to deliver to a particular man or people for a specific purpose of God..

We say the Bible is infallible because it is written by man as inspired by the Holy Spirit..prophecy..if he error in one point he is a false prophet ;

Deuteronomy 18:21-22, “And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”

Jesus warned in Matthew 24:24-25, “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before.”
Seems like Rome is determined to make all the baptized false prophets ..
But let this warning stand.. this is a false gospel preached taking scripture out of context and generalizing a specific promise.. itching ears may like it, but that does not mean it is true.

The need for Prophets ended when the scriptures were complete..there is no further revelation needed ..the scriptures contain all we need to know God and His will and plan

Matthew 7:15-20, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing,

[Salvation]

A prophet is a teller of the truth. Doesn’t that happen today?

It isn’t always foretelling the future.

[CynicalBear]

And did you notice there was no supporting scripture? Interesting that.

[roamer_1]

That is an extra biblical definition of prophet.. No such thing is taught anywhere in scripture..

TRUE, that.

Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

1Co 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
1Co 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
1Co 12:29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
1Co 12:30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?

(e-Sword:KJV)

The need for Prophets ended when the scriptures were complete..there is no further revelation needed ..the scriptures contain all we need to know God and His will and plan

I don't know where you are getting that part from. Where does it SAY the prophets are no more?

[RnMomof7]

1 Corinthians 13:8 Paul says, "Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away." 9–-10 "For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect [literally: For we know in part and we prophesy in part]; but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away."

The reason that the LDS and the RC have so much false doctrine is they believe in new "revelation" that adds o the scriptures.

Any "prophecy "that can not be supported by the scriptures is by definition false.

If a new prophecy must align with the scriptures, why would we "need it" as as it has already been spoken inis word?

If prophecy continued today, then we are faced with the quite practical and troublesome fact that Scripture alone is not a sufficient verbal revelation from God.

[roamer_1]

1 Corinthians 13:8 Paul says, "Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away." 9–-10 "For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect [literally: For we know in part and we prophesy in part]; but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away."

I would note that Paul is speaking of some time after that time, so 'the perfect' cannot be going back to the cross... but rather, looking forward, I would assume, to the Kingdom.

The reason that the LDS and the RC have so much false doctrine is they believe in new "revelation" that adds o the scriptures.

That some abuse the office does not mean the office is faulty or gone.

Any "prophecy "that can not be supported by the scriptures is by definition false.

TRUE, but prophets are not only about revealing the new. Mostly they are about exhortation, and about bringing people back to the truth.

If a new prophecy must align with the scriptures, why would we "need it" as as it has already been spoken inis word?

There are two who will come in the end of days who will prophesy - The two witnesses... Shall we not listen to them either?

If prophecy continued today, then we are faced with the quite practical and troublesome fact that Scripture alone is not a sufficient verbal revelation from God.

One is also conveniently left without any mechanism of correction, which is mostly what prophets are about.

[Salvation]

You got excerpts from both. Check them out.

[Salvation]

RC — Reformed Calvinist?

Or were you talking about the Catholic Church with many rites, one of which is the Latin Rite — that you call Roman Catholic.

[Salvation]

RC — Reformed Calvinist?

Or were you talking about the Catholic Church with many rites, one of which is the Latin Rite — that you call Roman Catholic.

[roamer_1]

It is not I who used the ‘RC’ appellation ro refer to the Roman church. If you were to look closely, you might see that I was quoting someone else.