In today’s Gospel Jesus speaks about John the Baptist. He asks the people, “What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?.....A prophet?......And more than a prophet.....”
The Old testament presents many prophets. Each of them were dynamic. They challenged people to listen, to change and to follow. Some stood up to kings to support justice, like Nathan did when he told King David that he had sinned against God and Uriah when he stole Uriah’s wife and then had the poor man killed in battle. Elijah did something similar when he stood up to King Ahab accusing him of having the just man Nabaoth killed because he wanted his vineyard. The prophet Samuel anointed Saul to be a king and then, after Saul did not carry out God's, he anointed David.
Some prophets spoke in symbolic ways, like Hosea. He took Gomer, a prostitute, as a wife. She was unfaithful to him as a sign of how the people had responded to God’s gifts. Some prophets were members of the King’s court, like Jeremiah; others were everyday people, like Amos, a trimmer of Sycamore trees. Each of the prophets were unique, but their message was always the same, “Repent and Reform.”
This message was continued by John the Baptist as he called people to the Lord. He didn’t hedge on the truth. He didn’t tell people what he thought they wanted to hear. He didn’t go along with the morality or immorality of the day. He was not a reed shaken by the wind of popular opinion. He proclaimed the truth. And the truth attracted people even as it plucked their conscience. His baptism was a baptism of repentance, and people willingly plunged into the Jordan River determined to change their lives.
But not all people came to John for repentance. Some went to see him as a form of entertainment; others out of sheer curiosity because everyone was talking about him. No doubt some of the religious leaders of his day were turned off by his harsh words and strange behavior. “Who did this man think he was?” “Where did his authority come from?” His zeal and fearlessness clashed directly with the pride-filled egos of the civil and religious leaders in his time.
Jesus’ challenge to those who were listening to him, —- people who had also considered the message of John the Baptist but had been outraged or offended by his directness, is also a challenge to us. The Lord asks us to consider: What do we go out to the desert to see? A reed shaken by the wind? Do we come to Church to receive a lovely emotional experience with a wink towards morality, an implied permission to join the immorality of the day? Do we want our priest and deacons to proclaim a new morality, one which is not authentic? Hopefully not! We go to Church for the grace and the encouragement to stand up to the pressures of society and for the gentle, but real, nudge to leave sin behind and live a better life.
Sometimes after we priests give a homily on a difficult or controversial subject, like abortion, contraception, voting, or the sanctity of marriage, people thank us for speaking the truth about such things. While the encouragement is nice, it always makes me sad that speaking the truth and standing up for God’s law and the Church’s teaching has become the exception and people feel they need to thank us. To me, such homilies and examples should be the norm and should come as no surprise.
What do people see when they come to you? You have members of your families, friends, co-workers, classmates and neighbors who come to you with their questions. Are they coming to see a reed shaken by the wind? Or are they seeking someone who is willing to tell the truth of the Lord? We are all called to be prophets by the baptism we have received, not just priests. A prophet is someone who is committed to the truth of God and won’t be silent about it. People come to us all as Catholics to hear the truth. People have a right to hear the truth. Catholics have a responsibility to proclaim it.
The truth is attractive even when it makes us uncomfortable. It leads us to a better understanding of whom we are. It directs us to where we can find lasting happiness. Truth is attractive because it sets us free to be whom God created us to be.
This Sunday is Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday. It is the Sunday we focus on the joy we have because the Lord came into the world and continues to be present in our lives. We love Him. We want to follow Him. That might mean denying ourselves what everyone else says is the new way of life. But we refuse to deny ourselves that which really matters, the Presence of God.
The world needs fearless prophets of the Gospel. The world needs people who will live the Truth of God as well as well as defending it. We need prophets. And we need to be prophets for others. Our courage to live our faith will bring others life, freedom, and joy.
We pray today for the courage to live our faith, the courage to be defenders of the Truth, the courage to be prophets of the Lord.
