This week’s readings bring to mind the role of “prophet” in both scripture and our lives. The word is used in everyday conversation. It refers to one who can predict what will take place in the future. That is, one seems to know what is going to occur at some future date. This meaning, however, is not how the word is used as a theological term. Within that realm, it refers to one who, in some way, tells the community what God wants people to do NOW! In scripture, the content of prophetic voices often upsets people and the people want to kill the prophet. What’s being said is the truth, but many do not want to hear the truth for some reason. Maybe this experience is how a saying came about: “The truth hurts.”
In today’s first reading from Ezekiel, we hear him indict the people for being “stiff-necked” and hard-hearted. He scolds them for not attending to their ethical responsibilities generation after generation. They had been given laws to live by and leaders to show them how to live, but they ignored this heavenly help—and went their own way. I couldn’t help but think that Ezekiel could speak to us just as well (which, in fact, he is doing today in scripture). I was reminded of a 19th-century Jesuit priest who regularly traveled among Indian tribes between St. Louis and the Oregon coast.
Pierre De Smet, S.J. would go on horseback and travel alone among the tribes—visiting with them, teaching them Christianity, baptizing hundreds, and winning the respect and admiration of diverse Native groups. He reported in his diary that the people traveling west had no concern for the landscape. He said they left trash everywhere along the way. Sounding like a 21st-century ecologist, De Smet expressed chagrin that so many had so little respect for Mother Earth’s beauty.
If ever there were a “prophet” in Christian history, it was Paul. Along with the gospels, his letters (“epistles”) make up most of the New Testament. They report his experiences in Mediterranean cities, and Corinth was one of those cities that posed a strong challenge. There he encountered “false apostles.” These were men whose gift for speaking to crowds could “transform Satan himself into an angel of light.” These men passed themselves off as insightful and trustworthy, but Paul knew them for what they were—deceivers of the people. Unfortunately, they were tough opponents, and Paul felt weak when admitting he had a “thorn in the flesh” that made his efforts all the more difficult.
However, Paul said that even his weakness could serve God, and countless generations have followed his example. In admitting our weakness, we can call upon God all the more for the grace to discover our strength—and apply it to the circumstances that might bring about the changes we want to see take place. Paul never stated what, exactly, his “thorn” was. It can be a metaphor that each of us can identify within ourselves. Namely, each of us struggles with lifting our varied crosses. But those crosses are not the last word! Like Paul, we are called to be prophets—even though we have these challenges. Like Paul, our being a prophet can still take place even though we have one or another metaphorical “thorn.” Each of us, in some way, can help people identify God’s voice in their lives.
Homilies are supposed to associate scripture’s meaning with contemporary issues, and the presidential debate connects with the topic of “prophet” since candidates were supposed to present their sense of what is “good for America.” God is the author of “good,” so we should have witnessed a debate that provided us with a vision of the “good” that these men would bring to the country. Presumably, they would have “prophetic” voices calling us to affirm their vision. Instead, we hear commentators talk endlessly about whether or not candidates for political offices should not be allowed to run if they are over a certain age.
I think of my good Jesuit friend who died this past December at age 95. We spoke every 3 or 4 weeks since my coming here. Jim was a man whose memory was far better than mine and his analytical skill was a gift I wish I had. At age 95, he had a mind I wish I had—years ago, and not just now. In short, it has been my experience to see elders who may be sharp-witted and elders who are not—just as there are younger people who are in both categories. One’s age does not guarantee anything.
This reminded me of yet another topic bandied about in the news—a candidate’s religious practice. Biden has been a lifelong practicing Catholic and friend of Pope Francis. Just as when Kennedy was running for office and hoped to win the “Catholic vote,” so do some hope Biden will win that same voting block. However, Trump has never had a religious practice and so hopes to win the secular block of voters. One candidate’s “voice” might appeal to one group and their opponent’s voice to another group—so maybe this angle is a “wash” when it comes to enlisting voters.
My sense of the presidential debate was that neither candidate brought people to their feet with applause. And no, I’m not promoting Robert Kennedy, Jr. as some kind of preferred alternative. I had a great conversation several years ago with his sister, and she’s the sort of person who’d fit quite well in our parish. She and the rest of her family are making every effort to see that no one votes for her brother (not because of their history with assassinations but because of his positions on important issues). The family is not in his political camp and is concerned about his state of mind.
“Debate” has special meaning for me. As a junior in high school, I was teamed up with a fellow student, and we debated 2 senior girls the topic: “Is teenage conformity good or bad?” This event was a big one for us high school kids. The student body assembled in the gymnasium, and the 4 of us addressed the topic for an hour on Detroit radio. My brother tape-recorded the debate, and I have that recording on a cassette. When I look at that cassette, I am reminded of my performance that day. It taught me that I have little, if any, ability to think on my feet and debate a topic—even a topic that I fully understand and support.
Several years ago, I was asked to speak at DePaul University in Chicago. I was happy to do so and made travel plans. However, when I learned that there would be two others in attendance who might represent perspectives in conflict with my own, I knew this would not be a good experience. I did not think a debate forum would be appropriate and bowed out of the event. I had zero confidence in arguing points with any person face-to-face. When I bowed out of the occasion, my exit did not endear me to the DePaul organizers.
Prophetic voices take place on much smaller stages in life. Candidates for political office live in their world, university folk in theirs, and we ”ordinary folk” appear onstage and live—in our homes and gardens and churches. Where is there a need for prophetic voices in these unimposing venues? Here’s one.
Each year on July 4th, there is a “hot dog eating contest” sponsored by Nathan’s Hot Dogs of New York. The event attracted 35,000 people and is an international commercial designed to sell Nathan’s hot dogs. People in attendance have a good time and bring business to Coney Island (where it is held). This year’s winning male ate 58 hot dogs and the winning female ate 51. Elsewhere, 100 million people are starving in different countries around the world.
We in the U.S. can normalize the massive waste of food at this event because we have “normalized” destructive behaviors. Centuries ago, our ancestors in the Roman Coliseum had a good time watching a different kind of dining. They watched lions tear apart Christian men, women, and children—all in the name of enjoying a nice afternoon of entertainment. These behaviors are joined by many others that have become commonplace—such as being entertained by having wild bears, lions, tigers, and other sensate beings put in close proximity to one another so that they fight to the death—all for the entertainment of wealthy individuals with no conscience to reign in their blood-lust.
Were you to speak with any of these people who are involved with hot dog gluttony, the Coliseum massacres, or animal torture—what would your “prophetic voice” be for them? Do you ever see other behaviors in America that have become “normalized” and that have dulled the sense of people toward one another or the creation we share with all life forms? “Civility” (aka “Christian charity”) has taken a back seat to name-calling and posters on cars and front lawns broadcasting the slang “F” word referring to political leaders. These are affronts to Christian behavior that even Christians employ.
I’m reminded of contemporary Poland having laws against such things as people intentionally destroying a bird’s nest that has young within it. We can learn from Poland to respect life’s diversity. A prophetic voice needs to be heard in all realms of life.
The Supreme Court shocked 99% of the legal profession and most Americans when it recently ruled that an American president cannot be charged with crimes when doing “official” business. From grade school on, Americans have been taught that no one is above the law—but this Court upended history and made this tragic ruling. I’m reminded of hearing years ago the following argument. A man who was running for public office was said to be “blind” to the challenges of the common person in America. A representative of the candidate replied: “Who better to lead the blind than another blind person?”
In this instance, scripture was twisted upside down to endorse the candidate. The answer to the question—in case you didn’t know—was that “Whoever leads the blind sure better NOT be blind!” But the spin-meister for the candidate was passing off a deficiency as a virtue—trying to confuse listeners into associating the candidate with compassion and knowledge (which the candidate did not have). Even the devil can quote scripture.
Also in this week’s news is the story of someone who was SUPPOSED to speak with a prophetic voice doing the exact opposite. Archbishop Vigano was EXCOMMUNICATED from the Church. He had been the Vatican representative to the U.S.—a plum job for clergy wanting positions of high status. The Archbishop was found guilty of creating schism in the Church by trying to lead a revolt against the implementation of Vatican II and the leadership of Pope Francis. He thought the Vatican Council was a major mistake perpetrated by Pope Saint John XXIII.
This Archbishop has tried to influence other clergy and laypeople to think as he did. He argued that Vatican II was fraudulent—just as some have thought that our 2020 election was fraudulent. In both cases, their claims were without merit, but both cases still have their supporters. Sadly, the Archbishop’s issues have not persuaded him to be more conciliatory. He continues to call the Pope by his birth name (Bergoglio) and is defiant in his effort to exercise authority. He likely thinks he is speaking a prophetic voice, but his issues are not easy to associate with what Jesus would presumably say.
And this is the challenge of our being a prophetic voice. We are challenged to discern if what we say is what God would want us to say—or are we simply expressing our opinion on one or another matter? Clergy from all denominations and religious communities struggle with (or avoid) the call to be prophetic—for fear of alienating their congregations, or seeing their collection baskets gather dust. Laypeople likewise struggle when realizing their family members or friends will carry a grudge or ignore them for offering Gospel-based thinking.
Paul seems to have become adept at dealing with people who gave him a rough time (almost killing him on occasion). He somehow managed to speak prophetic words to people who eventually had a “conversion experience” and who began to see life issues through the lens of the Gospel. Through the graces acquired in his practice of the faith, he was able to cope with the “thorns” that challenged his efforts. May our practice of the faith help us do the same.