“He unrolled the Isaiah scroll and found the passage….” Lk 4:17
Being a Prophet and Welcoming a Prophet
January 24 and 31 – the third & fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Jeremiah 1:4-7 Corinthians 12:12-30 Luke 4:14-30
First reading from Jeremiah[1]
The word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Alleluia, alleluia.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke[2]
Glory to you, Lord.
Gospel for the third Sunday -- Lk 4:14-21
Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord[3]. Rolling up the scroll, He handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on Him. He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” All spoke well of Him and were amazed at the beautiful words that fell from His lips.
Gospel for the fourth Sunday -- Lk 4:22-30
But then the hometown folks started to wonder among themselves and ask, “How can this be? Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” But Jesus, knowing their wonderment said to them, “I expect you will quote this proverb to me, `Physician, heal yourself’ –meaning, `Why don’t you do miracles in your hometown, just like those we hear you did in Capernaum.’” He replied, “Amen, I say to you, a prophet is not accepted in his own hometown. Indeed, I tell you, there were many Jewish widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a Gentile widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many Jewish lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman, a Syrian Gentile.”
When the synagogue-congregants heard this, they were infuriated. They rose up, drove him out of the town, led him to the edge of the hill on which their town had been built, and were going to hurl him over it. But Jesus passed through their midst and went away.
When the synagogue-congregants heard this, they were infuriated. They rose up, drove him out of the town, led him to the edge of the hill on which their town had been built, and were going to hurl him over it. But Jesus passed through their midst and went away.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Introduction
St. Luke: the evangelist for Cycle C
Introduction
St. Luke: the evangelist for Cycle C
Today is the third Sunday of Ordinary Time in Cycle C. For the most part the evangelist for Cycle C is Luke. Among the four evangelists, Luke is a very favorite for many. In him only are found the greatest of Jesus’ parables. In Luke only is found the parable of Lazarus starving at the gate of a rich man who is eating sumptuously.[4] (Lk: 16:19-31) In Luke only is found the parable of a Prodigal Son returning home to a father who is prodigal with forgiveness.[5] (Lk 15:11-32) In Luke only is found that mother of all parables -- the Good Samaritan who stopped to pour the oil of compassion into the wounds of a poor man waylaid by robber on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho. [6] (Lk 10:25-37)
A prophet’s reception in his own hometown
One Sabbath in his hometown of Nazareth Jesus went to the synagogue where the hometown folks who knew Him were gathered. He rose to do one of the readings.[7] He unrolled the Isaiah scroll and read from the passage where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor .Etc. Finished reading, He rolled up the scroll and He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” Then He sat down, and all in the synagogue were deeply impressed.
But not for long. After all, this hometown boy was simply one of them. Puzzled they asked each other, “Isn't this Joseph's son?” (Lk 4:22) Evangelist Mark expands upon their puzzlement: “The local folks said among themselves, `He’s no better than we are. He’s just a carpenter, Mary’s boy, and a brother of James and Joseph, Judas and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.’ And so they would not accept Him.” (Mk 6:2-3)
But not for long. After all, this hometown boy was simply one of them. Puzzled they asked each other, “Isn't this Joseph's son?” (Lk 4:22) Evangelist Mark expands upon their puzzlement: “The local folks said among themselves, `He’s no better than we are. He’s just a carpenter, Mary’s boy, and a brother of James and Joseph, Judas and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.’ And so they would not accept Him.” (Mk 6:2-3)
At this point, Jesus reminds the local folks that a prophet never gets a good reception in his own hometown. In fact, they fare much better far away from home, as did the prophets Elijah and Elisha. Jesus’ allusion to Himself as a prophet receiving bad treatment from the local folks infuriated the whole congregation. They sprang to their feet, grabbed Him by the nape of his neck, dragged Him to the edge of a cliff, and were going to throw Him over it. But He slipped through the crowd and walked away. (Lk 4: 29-30)
The scriptural prophet
The scriptural prophet is not one who foretells the future; rather, he is one who “lifts up his voice like a trumpet and tells the people their sins.”(Is 58:1) The scriptural prophet is one who tells people something they’re not hearing but need to hear. Or he tells them something that disturbs their comfort. Or he tells them something that makes them think, when they’re not accustomed to thinking. Or, finally, the prophet tells people something that disturbs their old patterns of thought. At the end of the day, a prophet is one who speaks `tough love.’[8]
What’s more, the scriptural prophet does not relish being a prophet. In the first reading Jeremiah was frightened when the Lord God called him to be a prophet. He stuttered and stammered: “Ah, ah, ah, Lord God. I don’t know how to speak; I am too young to be a prophet.” And the Lord God replied, “Do not say that you’re too young, but go to the people I send you to, and tell them everything I command you to say. And be not afraid of them, for I will protect you.” (Jer 1:7)
What’s more, the scriptural prophet does not relish being a prophet. In the first reading Jeremiah was frightened when the Lord God called him to be a prophet. He stuttered and stammered: “Ah, ah, ah, Lord God. I don’t know how to speak; I am too young to be a prophet.” And the Lord God replied, “Do not say that you’re too young, but go to the people I send you to, and tell them everything I command you to say. And be not afraid of them, for I will protect you.” (Jer 1:7)
Prophet Fr. Bourgeois
The prophet is one who disturbs old patterns of thought. A few years ago, the Vatican sent a letter to the Maryknoll community stating that Fr. Roy Bourgeois, a Maryknoll priest of 36 years, had 30 days to recant his statement of public support of women's ordination (which indeed disturbs an old pattern of thought in the Church), or he would be automatically excommunicated. (Excommunication is by no means as drastic as being thrown over a cliff!) Fr. Bourgeois’ response to his threatened excommunication reads in part,
To the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith:
I was very saddened by your letter dated October 21, 2008, giving me 30 days to recant my belief and public statements that support the ordination of women in our Church, or I will be excommunicated. I have been a Catholic priest for 36 years and have a deep love for my Church and ministry. When I was a young man in the military, I felt God was calling me to the priesthood. I entered Maryknoll and was ordained in 1972. Over the years I have met a number of women in our Church who, like me, feel called by God to the priesthood. You, our Church leaders at the Vatican, tell us that women cannot be ordained. With all due respect, I believe our Catholic Church’s teaching on this issue is wrong and does not stand up to scrutiny. A 1976 report by the Pontifical Biblical Commission supports the research of Scripture scholars[9], canon lawyers and many faithful Catholics who have studied and pondered the Scriptures and have concluded that there is no justification in the Bible for excluding women from the priesthood. Conscience is very sacred. Conscience gives us a sense of right and wrong and urges us to do the right thing. Conscience is what compelled [prophet] Franz Jaegerstatter, a humble Austrian farmer, husband and father of four young children, to refuse to join Hitler’s army, which led to his execution. Conscience is what compelled [prophetess] Rosa Parks to say she could no longer sit in the back of the bus. Conscience is what compels women in our Church to
say they cannot be silent and deny their call from God to the priesthood. Conscience is what compelled my dear mother and father, now 95, to always strive to do the right things as faithful Catholics, raising four children. And after much prayer, reflection and discernment, it is my conscience that compels me to do the right thing. I cannot recant my belief and public statements that support the ordination of women in our Church.
“Do not be afraid of them, for I will be with you to protect you,” said the Lord God to Jeremiah. If Fr. Bourgeois was “afraid of them,” he soon got over his fear when he drove to his hometown in Louisiana. There he told his 95-year-old father, his 3 siblings and 13 nieces and nephews about the threatened excommunication. His father cried a little, Fr. Bourgeois recalled, then said, “God brought Fr. Roy back from the war in Vietnam, from his mission work in Bolivia and El Salvador, and God’s going to take care of him now. I stand by my son.”
Prophet Fr. Küng
The prophet is one who disturbs the old patterns of thought. Fr. Hans Küng, a Swiss German Catholic theologian, is a prophet who lifts up his voice like a trumpet and tells his Church something it doesn’t want to hear. At one time Küng was a close friend of Fr. Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI). The two taught together in the University of Tübingen in Germany during the 1960s. There they had a standing weekly dinner appointment on Thursday evenings to discuss a journal they edited together. The two served as theological experts for the German bishops at the Second Vatican Council.
However, in 1979, Küng’s right to teach Catholic theology was revoked by Pope John Paul II, because he had called into question Catholic teaching about papal infallibility. (That revocation was by no means as drastic as being thrown over a cliff.) The then Cardinal Ratizinger, as a member of the German Bishops’ conference, played an important role in that revocation. In a little volume (remarkably small for a man known for voluminous and scholarly works filled with German thoroughness) prophet Fr. Küng writes that he cannot believe:
However, in 1979, Küng’s right to teach Catholic theology was revoked by Pope John Paul II, because he had called into question Catholic teaching about papal infallibility. (That revocation was by no means as drastic as being thrown over a cliff.) The then Cardinal Ratizinger, as a member of the German Bishops’ conference, played an important role in that revocation. In a little volume (remarkably small for a man known for voluminous and scholarly works filled with German thoroughness) prophet Fr. Küng writes that he cannot believe:
- that He, who warned the Pharisees against laying intolerable burdens on people’s shoulders would today declare all `artificial’ contraception to be mortal sin;
- that He, who particularly invited failures to his table, would forbid all remarried divorced people ever to approach that table;
-that He, who was constantly accompanied by women (who provided for his keep), and whose apostles, except for Paul, were all married and remained so, would today have forbidden marriage to all ordained men, and ordination to all women;
- that He, who said “I have compassion on the crowd,” would have increasingly deprived congregations of their pastors and allowed a system of pastoral care built up over a period of a thousand years to collapse[10].
-that He, who defended the adulteress and sinners, would pass such harsh verdicts in delicate questions requiring discriminating and critical judgment, like pre-marital sex, homosexuality and abortion.” (Why I am still a Christian by Hans Küng) [11]
Conclusion
To be a prophet & to welcome a prophet
At the end of the day, a prophet is one who speaks `tough love.’ Sometimes we are called to be a prophet who speaks tough love especially to someone we love. That takes courage. But the Lord God says to us what He said to Jeremiah, “Do not be afraid of them, for I will protect you.” (Jer 1:7) Sometimes we are called to welcome a prophet who speaks `tough love’ to us. That, too, takes courage. But Jesus promised that, “Whoever welcomes a prophet in my name shall receive the reward of a prophet." (Mt 10:41)
[2] I have combined the gospel readings of the third and fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, because they belong together as one story. The gospel for the third Sunday, if read alone, is simply truncated.
[8] `Tough love’’ is an expression coined by Dorothy Day, an American journalist, social activist, anarchist and devout Roman Catholic convert.
[9] Scripture scholar Auxiliary Bishop Sklba of Milwaukee almost had his consecration as bishop cancelled at the last moment, by the Vatican for stating that Scripture in fact did not preclude women priests, and also for stating that an all-male only clergy couldn’t be defended simply on the fact that all the Apostles were men.
[11] On September 24, 2005 Pope Benedict received his one-time friend at his summer home in Castel Gandolfo, and in a four-hour session that stretched over dinner they essentially agreed to disagree.
