Would That All God's People Were Prophets

Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist

Cycle B

Jesus said to his disciples when questioned about John the Baptist, “I tell you, among those born of woman, no one is greater than John; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” John the Baptist is considered the greatest of all the prophets, the one who prepared the way for Jesus. Today we celebrate the solemnity of his birth. And therefore, I think it is a good time to talk about prophets, who they are and what they do.

When we think of prophets today, we usually talk not about the prophet himself or herself, but about their prophesy. Because it’s not supposed to be about the prophet but about what he says. We think a prophet foresees the future, that their prophesy is about predicting what will happen. But that’s not what a prophet is at all. Prophets tell universal truths in the name of God, because God is truth. Their prophesy seems to predict the future because God’s truth is true yesterday, today and tomorrow. What is true today will be true tomorrow. 

In the Old Testament, there were actually professional prophets. They were part of the royal court and their official job was to remind the king of God’s commandments and keep him on the right path. But most of the time the king did not want to hear the truth because he would have to radically change what he was doing, so being a prophet became a dangerous profession. All of the great prophets in the Old Testament ended up being killed. And eventually the court prophets became simply yes men to the king. They were afraid to speak the truth because they knew what would happen to them if they did.

But a prophet is one who is called to speak truth to power. A prophet is someone who stands up to injustice in the world, and speaks out about it. Most prophets do so reluctantly, and they suffer for it. The world and especially the political class do not want to hear and live by the truth. They want to run things to their own advantage, and they resist following the ways of God. It takes a lot of courage to be a prophet. It is tough being a prophet.

We also tend to think of prophets as only living in the past or as just those guys in the Bible. But we have had some great prophets during our lifetime, and prophets are not just Christians or Jews. Think of Martin Luther King or Mahatama Ghandi or Mother Teresa or Caesar Chavez. All of these came from modest backgrounds and felt compelled to speak the truth against oppression, violence and fear. All of them suffered greatly, and all of them changed the world. A prophet is proof that one person can change the world.

Now here is a scary thought – we are all called to be prophets. When you were baptized, you were anointed with sacred chrism and the priest or deacon said to you, “As Christ was anointed priest, prophet, and king, so may you live always as a member of his body, sharing everlasting life.” By virtue of your baptism you have been anointed a prophet. You will not be foretelling the future, you will be living the truth. It does not matter how old you are or how young. The prophet Jeremiah was only a teenager. God does not care if you are a good speaker. Moses stuttered. God does not care if you have power or influence. Amos was a shepherd. Chavez was a migrant worker. God calls each of us exactly where we are, and he makes us worthy through our baptism.

How are we called to be prophets today? There is no shortage of injustice in the world today. Every time you stand up for what is right and true you are a prophet. Every time you defend someone who is being discriminated against you are a prophet. Every time you vote your conscience you are a prophet. Every time you gently tell a friend he needs to change his life you are a prophet. Every time you stand up to a bully at school you are a prophet. Every time you do not laugh at a dirty joke you are a prophet. Every time you treat someone with compassion you are a prophet. Because the greatest prophet of all was Jesus, and Jesus treated people that way.

Last Thursday we entered into the Fortnight for Freedom, fourteen days from June 21^st to the Fourth of July during which our bishops have asked us to pray, study, and work to preserve religious freedom in this country and around the world. There is a systematic effort on the part of some to deny people of faith the right to live according to our religious principles in the public square. There are laws and mandates being passed that would force people to violate their consciences if they were to follow them. This is the time for prophets. These laws and mandates may seem to be no big deal, but all together they add up to one of the greatest threats we have ever seen in this country to our most basic freedom. 

Prophets are people who act on their convictions. They are people of courage. The Fortnight for Freedom began on the vigil of St. John Fisher and ends just before the feast of St. Thomas More. These were two men of conscience who were martyred during the reign of King Henry VIII of England. Many of you have heard about or seen the movie, For Greater Glory, which tells the story of the Cristeros war in Mexico during the 1920s. Those prophets actually went to war with their government when it tried to take away all religious freedom in Mexico. They were killed for standing up for religious freedom in their countries. They spoke truth to power and gave their lives for it. We are not called to give our lives, necessarily, but we are called to stand up for what is true and right. 

I urge you to go to the website of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops to read the entire position of your church on this issue. If you rely only on sensational headlines you are not living as a mature Christian. You must fully inform your conscience in this matter if you are to live your discipleship. And then you must act on it. Being a prophet is not an option for you and for me. We were called to it by our baptism, and it is our baptism that gives us the right and the authority to speak truth to the world. Remember, even the least in the kingdom of God is the greatest prophet of all.