12th Sunday-Year A
Jer. 20: 10-13
Psalm 69
Rom. 5: 12-15
Mt. 10:26-33
Living Your Calling as a
Prophet
Beloved in Christ, we
thank God for another opportunity to gather and worship him, listen to his
Word, and, above all, dine with him in the Holy Eucharist. Happy Father’s Day
to all of you fathers and all who play the role of a father in people’s lives!
On behalf of all mothers and children, I would like to thank you very much for
all the sacrifices you continue to make so that others will have life.
Two years ago, MSN
news.com reported a story about a nine-year-old boy, who was found dehydrated
but responsive near the body of his father in a desert in New Mexico. The story
made me very sad; but also gave me hope in what human beings can do if we want
to do it right! The reports from those who rescued the boy in Otero County said
that the boy and his parents were tourists from France who got lost in the
desert for days. They ran out of water and were left with only one bottle. The
parents decided to leave the last bottle for their child. The father stayed
with the child as the mother walked some miles to find water. Both parents were
later found dead and the possible cause of death was said to be dehydration.
These parents used the last drop of the water they had to keep their son alive
even though their own lives were in danger. They laid down their lives for
their child! The boy is reported to have said that when he grows up, he will
work to make sure that people everywhere in the world have water so that nobody
dies of thirst. Beloved, this story gave me hope that, if we choose to, we can
really live our vocations in a way that truly transforms the world. These
parents did not only give life to their son, they lived their vocations as
prophets who empowered their son to work for the transformation of the world. That
is what prophets do. They help to shape people’s minds and hearts to live like
Christ so that they can become God’s agents for the transformation of the
world.
Beloved, Vatican II
teaches us that all baptized Christians are called to be prophets. Our readings
today remind us that we are expected to live our vocations as prophets in the
world today so that we can help transform the world according to the mind and
heart of Jesus Christ! Whatever vocation God has given you, it’s only when you
live it as a prophet that you become God’s agent of change in
the world. In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah tells us a prophet should
be a person of HOPE. Even when he thinks all his friends and the people have
turned against him, and that even God had duped him, Jeremiah still says in our
reading today: “ The LORD is with me,….I will sing to the
Lord; I will praise the Lord; He will rescue the poor”. In
the gospel, we see Our Lord Jesus
Christ, after he has called and consecrated the 12 Apostles, telling them that
unless they are ready to live like prophets they cannot become agents of God’s
transformation. Jesus tells us that:
·
A prophet is not afraid
to speak the Word of God and live it out for people to see
·
A prophet is ready to
die for others to have life. Prophets live a Eucharistic spirituality: they are
ready to be poured out for others, ready to be broken for others
·
A prophet does not give
up hope; but always brings hope to people
Beloved,
we live in very challenging times. We live in a world that rejects God and
thinks it can make it without God. We are struggling with all the challenges
that the COVID-19 has brought to the world. We struggle with the loss of our loved
ones, loss of jobs, dreams that are shattered. We are struggling with the evils
of systemic racism. Above all, we struggle with sin
in our personal lives. We need prophets to lead us to find the joy and the
peace that only Christ can bring us. We are called to be the prophet the world
needs today. The parents who gave their last bottle of water to their son and
died for him did not only live as parents, they lived as prophets who
transformed the mind and heart of that little boy forever to live his life
in a way that will bring life to others.
Beloved,
the lives of Jeremiah and Our Lord Jesus Christ teach us that it is not easy to
live our vocation as prophets. The world will challenge, oppose, and even
persecute us for that. But Christ tells us in the gospel not to be afraid to
live as prophets because God will not abandon us and, even if we die physically,
God will make sure that our sacrifices do not end in vain. He will use the
little we do to transform the world in ways that we cannot imagine. So, when
you feel down, disappointed, betrayed, or even persecuted by the world or
those you sacrifice your life for, do not allow that to take away your hope in
what God can do through you. Do not allow suffering or anything you go through
in life to stop you from living your calling as a prophet. God needs you! The
world needs you; so come let’s us live in the light of Christ!
Add a comment