“He unrolled the scroll of Isaiah and read.”
Luke 4:17
Welcoming Your Prophet
July 5, 2009, Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ezekiel 2:2-5 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 Luke 4:14-30
First reading
As the LORD spoke to me, the spirit entered into me and set me on my feet,and I heard the one who was speaking say to me: Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, rebels who have rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have revolted against me to this very day. Hard of face and obstinate of heart are they to whom I am sending you. But you shall say to them: Thus says the LORD GOD! And whether they heed or resist—for they are a rebellious house—they shall know that a prophet has been among them.
The word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Alleluia, alleluia.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark
Glory to you, Lord.
Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was His custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.
And He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." All were impressed with Him and marveled at the beautiful words that fell from His lips.
But some exclaimed, “How can this be! Isn’t this Joseph’s son?" Jesus responded to their wonderment, saying, “I’m sure you’d like to quote to me the proverb, `Doctor, heal yourself.’ I’m sure you’d also like to say to me, `Do here in your own hometown the same things we’re told you’ve done in Capernaum.’ I tell you, a prophet is never welcomed in his own hometown. For example, remember how Elijah the prophet performed a miracle to help the widow of Zarephath, a Gentile from the land of Sidon. There were many Jewish widows needing help in those day of famine, for there had been no rain for three and one-half years, and hunger stalked the land; yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. Or remember also how Elisha healed Naaman, a Gentile leper from Syria, instead of healing Jewish lepers, of which there were many in those days.”
When the congregants of the synagogue heard this, they were infuriated. They got up, drove Jesus out of the town, led him to the edge of the cliff on which their town was built, and were going to hurl him off it. But He slipped away on them.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Introduction
The prophet Jesus’ hometown debut
Introduction
The prophet Jesus’ hometown debut
When Jesus made His debut in his hometown synagogue, it didn’t go well. It began with the crowds “marveling at the beautiful words that fell from Jesus’ mouth” but ended moments later with the crowds infuriated and wanting to hurl Him over a cliff. He had just told the congregation that prophets are never well received in their own hometowns, and they proved that to be true on the occasion of His hometown debut.
A long list of prophets.
Jesus is right: prophets never do well in their hometown. Some years ago Seattle's Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen (b.1921-), who moved out of the episcopal mansion into an ordinary house in town and who was a great advocate for the poor and ignored, spoke out about some controversial issues in the church like artificial contraception and homosexuality. In a letter he publicly defended the rights of gays and lesbians. That infuriated Rome. Rome didn’t hurl him over a cliff (we don’t do that nowadays) but it did strip him of some of his episcopal authority, because “his lack of clarity about homosexuality had confused the faithful.”
The year 1993 was the twenty-fifth anniversary of Pope Paul VI's encyclical letter Humanae vitae (1968), which reaffirmed the Church's stand against artificial birth control. For twenty-five years Humanae vitae had been a litmus test of Catholic loyalty. Bishop Kenneth Untener of Saginaw (1937- 2004) invited the church to use the occasion to start a new, honest and open discussion on birth control. The invitation infuriated Rome. Rome didn’t hurl Untener over a cliff (we don’t do that nowadays) but it did foreclose any possibility of Untener climbing higher on the ecclesiastical ladder.
Some years ago, the Archbishop of Milwaukee, Rembert Weakland (b. 1927-) sat down with pro-choice people to hear what they had to say. In his report after the sessions, he unequivocally upheld Catholic teaching that abortion is immoral. He warned, however, that the anti-abortion movement is counterproductive when its focus is narrow, its tactics aggressive, and its rhetoric ugly and demeaning. The Archbishop also observed that some very conscientious women do not resonate with the church's teaching prohibiting birth control.
That infuriated some people in the Milwaukee Archdiocese and in Rome. Rome did not hurl Weakland over a cliff (we don’t do that nowadays) but it did cancel an honorary degree which the University of Fribourg wanted to confer upon Weakland in recognition of the good work he had done on the US Bishops' pastoral letter concerning economics. What was the reason offered for the denial of the honorary degree? “He has confused the faithful on the issue of abortion.” On another occasion Weakland had “confused the faithful” when he told his Archdiocese that he was ready to ask the Pope for permission to ordain married men to the priesthood, if the problem of priestly vocations became unbearably acute. With a bit of humor he later remarked to another prelate how interesting it was that he should get his name in the New York Times twice in one year, both times for doing nothing: first for not talking but just simply listening to pro-choice women, and then for not receiving an honorary degree.
Retired auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit, Thomas John Gumbleton (b. 1930), has a long history of social justice and is the founding president of Pax Christi USA ( the US branch of the international Catholic peace movement). He is also former president of Bread for the World (an interfaith organization that fights world hunger). In a letter to America magazine (Nov. 20, 1963,) he wrote, "I can vouch for the fact that very many bishops share the same conviction (that not every contraceptive act is intrinsically evil). However, sadly enough, fewer and fewer are willing to say this publicly.” And though Pope John Paul II spoke definitively against the ordination of women, Gumbleton said, “Priestesses will inevitably come. Already, female parochial administrators are proving their competency and laying the groundwork for the ordination of women.” Those positions infuriated Rome. Rome did not hurl Bishop Gumbleton over a cliff (we don’t do that nowadays), but when he (still in good health) petitioned Rome for permission to stay on as bishop beyond his 75th year, the canonical age for retirement (but which is often waived for a good reason) his petition was refused with e-mail speed.
It’s fear
It’s fear that makes us want to hurl people over a cliff. In his hometown synagogue Jesus spoke critically of his fellow Jews and highly of Gentiles like the widow from Zarephath and the leper Naaman from Syria. His words presaged a new order of things which struck fear in the congregants of the synagogue who considered themselves as God’s only chosen people. So they wanted to hurl Jesus over a cliff.
When Archbishop Hunthausen publicly defended the rights of gays and lesbians, that struck fear in the hearts of homophobics, and they want to hurl him over a cliff. When Bishop Untener asked the church to reconsider Humanae vitae (which restated the church’s traditional stand on artificial birth control), that struck fear in those who believe that an “infallible” church never has to revisit its teachings. So they wanted to hurl him over a cliff.
And when the Archbishop Rembert Weakland sat down to hear pro-choice women out, that struck fear in those who believe that the church only teaches and has no need to be taught. So they wanted to hurl him over a cliff. And when auxiliary Bishop Thomas Gumbleton predicted that there will be priestesses, the struck fear in macho members of the church. So they wanted to hurl him over a cliff.
When Archbishop Hunthausen publicly defended the rights of gays and lesbians, that struck fear in the hearts of homophobics, and they want to hurl him over a cliff. When Bishop Untener asked the church to reconsider Humanae vitae (which restated the church’s traditional stand on artificial birth control), that struck fear in those who believe that an “infallible” church never has to revisit its teachings. So they wanted to hurl him over a cliff.
And when the Archbishop Rembert Weakland sat down to hear pro-choice women out, that struck fear in those who believe that the church only teaches and has no need to be taught. So they wanted to hurl him over a cliff. And when auxiliary Bishop Thomas Gumbleton predicted that there will be priestesses, the struck fear in macho members of the church. So they wanted to hurl him over a cliff.
Conclusion
Welcoming your prophet
Whenever you become infuriated at someone and want to hurl him over a cliff, give pause. The fury might be fear. He might be a prophet who has something to tell you which you don’t want to hear. Give more heed to what you don’t want to hear than to what you do want to hear. Don’t throw the prophet sent you over a cliff. Don’t stone him. (Lk 13:34) Give your prophet welcome. Listen to him. It’s a priceless service when someone tells you what you need to hear, especially when he does it out of love and not out of rant and rage. And while it takes great courage to be a prophet, it also takes great courage to receive the prophet God has sent you. What a different picture it would have been had the congregants given the prophet Jesus welcome the day He made his debut in his hometown synagogue.
