You Were Chosen By Your Baptism to Be a Prophet of the Lord

St. Mark’s Gospel for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, which we heard the weekend of July 10-11, spoke of Jesus sending out his chosen Twelve Apostles on a mission of preaching repentance or “metanoia,” a Greek word meaning not only to have sorrow for sin but also to see our lives as a gift from God and a calling to serve others.  This theme came alive for me through the coincidence of hearing Deacon Tim Messenger recommend a new You Tube video, “The Chosen,” about the life of Jesus to the women prisoners at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women and then later watching another presentation on the same theme by Bishop Robert Barron on his internet program “Word on Fire.”
“The Chosen” is really worth watching.  The cure of Mary Magdalen from some kind of severe psychological suffering by Jesus simply holding her face gently between his hands and  silently praying peace into her tortured mind and body could not have been more powerfully done.  So far, I have watched only the first three episodes, but I will watch them all until the end.  You can get them free by simply googling The Chosen.
Jesus was the culmination of all the prophets sent by God, his father, in the Judeo-Christian Scriptures. Jesus’ message and ministry are continued through us Christians, his body until the end of time, when he will come again to gather God’s people for eternal life with the father, son and Holy Spirit. Bishop Barron, preaching on the theme of prophet, claims that by our baptism we are all called to continue Jesus’ prophetic ministry.  A prophet is simply someone who speaks God’s word to others, he says.  And he uses the readings for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time to illustrate his point.  
On that Sunday we heard first from the prophet Amos.  Living in the southern kingdom of Judah around Jerusalem, Amos was not a trained prophet.  He was a shepherd from a southern town named Tekoa.  But he was sent by God to warn the king and people of Israel, then the northern kingdom around Samaria and north toward Damascus, that God was not pleased with their sins of idolatry and injustice.  Amos was rebuked and banished by Amaziah, the high priest at the great cult center of Bethel.  Amaziah was the leader of a whole society of men trained to be prophets.  
Amos’ answer to him was, “I was no prophet, nor have I belonged to a company of prophets; I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores.  The Lord took me from following the flock, and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel’ ” (Am 7:14-15). What did he prophesy?  Simply what he saw in the Jewish world of his day.  “Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land” (Am 8:4). “We will buy the lowly man for silver, and the poor man for a pair of sandals ...” (8:6).  Amos warns the Jewish leaders of the northern kingdom that God will not forget what they have done.  
So many of us today are in the same position as Amos.  We are just ordinary people living in a society where some act as if there were no God.  Life is a matter of dog eat dog, and they will make sure they get the most for themselves.  By our baptism we are called to reject the false gods of materialism who tempted Jesus in the desert and follow him who gave his life for others.  We are called to be prophets who speak his words to others.  
There are many opportunities to do so.  Bishop Barron says, “Let the language of the faith come naturally to your lips.”  I remember a restaurant owner in Baton Rouge named Charlie Giamanco, now passed along with his restaurant.  He never failed to greet every customer with a “God bless you.”  It was simple but you knew that for him it was a prayer that he truly meant, not just a welcome to his restaurant.  Charlie had made a Cursillo retreat and wanted to pass on the spiritual gift of that retreat to others.  How often do we pass on to others the spiritual gifts we have received – from a sermon we heard, a spiritual book we have read, or favorite Bible quotes?  St. Peter, in his first epistle or letter to the early Christians, tells them that they must always be ready “to give a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet 3:15).
We must trust our spiritual instincts, for in baptism and confirmation we received the Spirit of the father and the son, the Spirit of love and understanding.  A famous Jewish rabbi named Heschel wrote that “a prophet feels the feelings of God.”  When we share our faith with others, we are allowing the prophetic voice of God to use us.
Father Carville is a retired priest in the Diocese of Baton Rouge and writes on current topics for The Catholic Commentator. He can be reached at johnnycarville@gmail.com.