10th Week of Ordinary Time 2026 - Wednesday - Prophetic Role of the Baptized

 

In the first reading, we heard of one of the great spiritual showdowns of the Old Testament—the prophet of the God of Israel, Elijah versus the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal.

In dramatic fashion, Elijah proves that God is the One True God and exposes the futility of belief in the false god, Baal. When you hear the word “prophet” you might think of one who foretells the future. But in Scripture and in our Tradition, the role of the prophet is to do exactly what Elijah did in our first reading. The Prophet has the job of making the true God known to the world, which might include the occasional showdown with the false prophets.

So, who are the prophets these days? The Pope? The highly trained theologian? Well, not just them, of course. God has raised up, called, and anointed each of the baptized as prophets. Each of us has a role, a share, in the Church’s prophetic mission.

To highlight your prophetic role, when you were baptized, the priest or deacon who baptized you put oil on your head, and explained to you, that as God “has given you new birth by water and the Holy Spirit”…”he now anoints you, so that you may remain members of Christ, priest, prophet, and king”

The Pope has a unique role as teacher and leader, but every baptized person is called to be a messenger of God's truth and to proclaim the Gospel. This mission involves living a holy life, serving others, and speaking truth even when unpopular, following the example of the biblical prophets, and of course, Jesus, Our Blessed Lord Himself.

In the Gospel today, Our Lord himself connects good example and our role to proclaim the truth: “whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven."

And so we should strive day by day to become the most effective prophets we can; by ensuring we are giving good example and by learning how to effectively teach the faith to people in the various circumstances of their lives. This includes the members of our families, being a good example for them, and also giving good Christian example when we are in public. That’s probably the most effective prophetic witness we can give—is to show people how God, how being Catholic can transform someone like me, into someone like Jesus—how Christianity helps people become more like Christ. That’s the task, just like Elijah, to point people to the one true God—through word, example, acts of charity, obedience, bearing spiritual fruit for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For the holy Church of God, and that every Christian make take seriously their share in the Church’s prophetic mission.

For the peoples of the world: that they may come to acknowledge and worship the one True God.

For the priests of the diocese who begin a new parish assignment this week, especially for the newly ordained, that they may be faithful Christ in every dimension of their ministry.

For our young people on summer vacation, for their protection from the evils of our culture, from all physical harm, and that the faith may be practiced and flourish in their families.

For all who are oppressed by any kind of need, that the Lord may graciously grant them relief, especially for the sick and victims of war and terror and natural disaster.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the deceased priests and religious of the diocese of Cleveland, for the poor souls in purgatory, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

O God, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church, for you yourself are the source of all devotion, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith we may truly obtain. Through Christ our Lord.

 

June 24 2024 - Nativity of St. John the Baptist - The prophetic role of Christians

When the Church celebrates the feast day of a saint, we are usually celebrating the anniversary of the saint’s death.  

But the Church also celebrates the days of nativity—the birthday— of three persons: Jesus, of course, on the feast we call Christmas; the Blessed Virgin Mary, on September 8th, nine months after the feast of her Immaculate Conception; and Saint John the Baptist.  

St. John the Baptist is fittingly honored and contemplated by the Church, certainly for the great role he played in salvation history. 

In the second reading from the book of Acts, we heard how St. Paul elaborated on the role of John. Paul explained that “John heralded” the coming of the Savior. His was the lone voice in the wilderness pointing others to Christ. 

In this way, John fulfilled the role of prophet. Like the prophets of old, John called Israel to repentance in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah called Israel to “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good.” Jeremiah urged Israel, “return, faithless Israel” to the Lord, for God is merciful.  Ezekiel preached “repent and turn from your transgressions” for God desires “not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live”

And this was John’s message, repent, wash yourselves, the Messiah is coming. In this way John was prophetic, in the biblical sense. And since John was active just before and during the early part of Jesus' ministry, this makes him chronologically the last prophet. With Jesus' arrival, the need for prophets to foretell his coming was no longer necessary.

But the Church rightly teaches that every baptized member of the Church has a prophetic role in the world. Each of us in our own way are to point others to Christ. John, in a sense, is a special patron of all Christians. We are all to learn from him, and imitate him, in witnessing in word and conduct of life, that Jesus is the Messiah, and that all people are to turn away from sin and follow him.

The Baptist practiced self-denial—living in the wilderness, wearing camel's hair, eating locusts and wild honey—for himself to spiritually prepare for the prophetic ministry God planned for him. So, too, each of us does well to intentionally take on some form of Christian asceticism, as a way of being mindful and ready to do the Lord’s work. Our Friday penitential abstinence from meat or other penance is one form of that ongoing ascetism of the Christian life that fuels us and keeps us focused. 

John fearlessly confronted King Herod Antipas about his unlawful marriage. He was fearless. He was holy. He was humble. His life was centered on Christ. May ours be the same…for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

For the Church, that like John the Baptist, we may boldly proclaim Christ in word and deed, and that all of the baptized may live out their prophetic calling with zeal and dedication.

For world leaders, that following John's example of standing up to corruption, they may be aligned with the will of God in their duties. 

That prophetic voices in our time may be heard and heeded as they call us to repentance and renewal in our personal and communal lives. 

For our parish community, that we may embrace our prophetic role, witnessing to Christ's love and mercy in our families, workplaces, and neighborhoods.

For those who face persecution for their faith, that they may be strengthened by the example of John the Baptist's unwavering commitment to God's truth. 

For all who have died, especially those who, like John, have given their lives in witness to the truth. May they rejoice forever in the presence of the Lamb of God

God our Father, you sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for your Son. Hear our prayers and help us to follow John's example of humility and courage as we strive to make Christ known in our world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

1st Week of Lent 2022 - Wednesday - Stop fighting God

 

In his Lenten reflection this morning, Bishop Malesic called the story of Jonah, “the story of a man who did all he could to go in the opposite direction that God had determined for him.” And then the Bishop asks, “Isn’t that the case for many of us?  We know where God wants us to be. We know what God wants us to do?  But we run away in the opposite direction. [But] the story of Jonah reminds us that God will not give up on us.”

Sometimes, it takes a storm to wake us from our spiritual sleep. Perhaps we might even need to be swallowed by a whale in order to be brought to the place where God wants us to be.

Sometimes, what we might describe as terrible forces or sets of circumstances, is God, trying to alert us to the state of our souls, that we’ve been fighting against God, and what God wants for us. We might even have a brush with death in order to reawaken us to the fact that we will stand judgment for our lives and the need to repent. God uses every event of our lives to draw us deeper into relationship with Him, if we are paying attention.

In the first reading, having finally awakened to his prophetic calling through all of these strange and unfortunate events and repented, Jonah is led by God to Nineveh to help them repent. The one who has been awakened by God and repented and granted vision and the words to speak is always sent to help others do the same. 

And, what happens when Jonah, finally surrenders and accepts his prophetic mission? The entire city of 120,000 pagans—nobles and peasants alike—repent, and open their hearts to the God of Israel. God works in mysterious ways to wake us up, that we may become an instrument of purification and enlightenment in the world.

During this Lenten season, we like Jonah are called to repent and surrender to God, recognizing that God has not given up on us, nor has he given up on any of the people of the world, to whom he wants to send us.

May our repentance be sincere. May we stop fighting God, who desires what’s best for us. May our we turn to God with all our hearts and become instruments in the world of faith, hope, and love for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For “an immediate end to the hostilities in Ukraine, for a restoration of peace and for the safety of all Ukrainian citizens. And for the Ukrainian community in Northeast Ohio, that their friends and family members in their beloved homeland be kept out of harm’s way.”

During these 40 days for Life, we pray for the unborn and for a change in laws, policies, and attitudes which devalue the sanctity of life.

For those preparing to enter the Church at Easter: that they will be profoundly blessed in their preparation for full initiation into the Body of Christ.  .

For the needs of the poor, the hungry, the homeless, those who are sick, unemployed, or suffering from addiction, mental, or physical illness, imprisoned, and those most in need: that the Lord in his goodness will be close to them in their trials.  

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all the poor souls in purgatory, and N. for whom this Mass is offered.

Grant, we pray, O Lord, that your people may turn to you with all their heart, so that whatever they dare to ask in fitting prayer they may receive by your mercy. Through Christ Our Lord.

17th Week in OT 2019 - Friday - Jesus rejected in his native place

When Our Lord’s public ministry brought him back to his hometown of Nazareth, he was met with rejection. Why? News of his miracles, parables, and teachings had proceeded him, you’d think the townsfolk would embrace him wholeheartedly.

But, the prophet is often rejected in scripture. This is why so many prophets are reluctant to take up the prophet’s mantle. Prophets are put to death for speaking a message many don’t want to hear: the word of God, the call to conversion. The prophet points out the infidelities and idolatries, and he doesn’t change his message just because he’s speaking to relatives because his message is true no matter who he is speaking to.

The prophetic role of the Church, the prophetic role of bishops, and indeed of every baptized Christian provokes the same kind of reaction.  Many Bishops and priests shy away from the prophetic role because it brings such consternation.  Many have chosen to remain silent because of the resistance they would face.

Many of you may have at some point run into a similar attitudes in your families or at work when the topic of religion is brought up.  We often face cynicism, mockery, or simply hardheartedness from fallen away Catholics. Personally, I’ve met Protestants more open to discussing topics of faith than fallen away Catholics, or Catholics who dissent from Church teaching. I know I’ve ended up saying the words of Jesus to myself with a sigh, “a prophet is not without honor except in his own house”.

In such situations I’ve found that it’s best to put the situation or the person in God’s hands. God is the One who brings about the conversion and the understanding. Our job is simply to preach the truth, to explain the teaching. And we might be rejected, but that’s the job we signed up for at baptism. The Lord leaves the preaching to us, and the conversion of heart we leave to him.
“Woe to me,” as St. Paul says, “if I do not preach the Gospel.”

May the Lord sustain us when we do experience rejection. May He assist us in preaching and teaching clearly and with conviction. May he increase our willingness to suffer for those who are in darkness, that the light of His Truth may shine in every human heart for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
That the Ordained may be faithful and courageous in preaching the Gospel in its entirety, and that all the baptized may be faithful in their prophetic role in the Church.
For the conversion of those who do not believe in God, for Catholics who have left the Church, those guilty of heresy or schism, and for a return to the sacraments of those who have fallen into serious sin.
That our young people may turn away from the empty promises of the world and from all self-centeredness, for blessings upon all Christian families, for the protection of the unborn.
For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for those recovering from surgery, for victims of natural disaster, war, violence, and terrorism, for the mentally ill, those with addictions, and the imprisoned, for the comfort of the dying and the consolation of their families. We pray to the Lord.
For all the souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our families, friends, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray.
Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.