Msgr. Joseph Prior
(See the readings for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time)
“We have to speak out, our nation is on a path of destruction,” the father said to his family. His wife and children would have none of it. “He’s delusional,” his son said. “Doesn’t he see that this is a great gift to our country? We’ve been beaten down for over a decade by the victors in the last war; it’s time we rise from the ashes,” the son said.
“No,” the father said, “can’t you see this is all wrong? It will only lead to devastation and death.” His family would not listen.
As the next few years went by the animosities grew and the family became divided. Meanwhile the country seemed to prosper. Employment was on the rise. Prosperity was coming back. The father continued his warnings but they fell on deaf ears.
By this point he was not only speaking to his family but to his neighbors and friends. All shunned him. He was ostracized and alone when the knock came on the door. It was the gestapo. He was arrested, tortured and permanently silenced.
Years later, after the war, the family and neighbors realized the man was right. “How could we have been so blind? What should we do now?” they said to one another. The mother, still living, now spoke: “We should remember his words and learn from them. We can never let this happen again.”
Though names, places and particular circumstances may change, situations like this happen when one speaks out against the popularly unrecognized evils of the day. The father in the above story had a prophetic voice. He could read the devastating “signs of the times,” and called the alarm. One of Jesus’ key roles in life was that of a prophet. In this role, he followed and fulfilled the path of the prophets of Israel.
Jeremiah was one of the great prophets of ancient Israel. He spoke out about the injustices of his day. He confronted kings and leaders in society with the voice of a lion. He called people to faithfulness and confidence in the Lord God. His calls for reform, change and faithfulness were met with rejection.
In the passage from this Sunday’s first reading, we hear the princes of Israel petition King Zedekiah to silence Jeremiah. The king agrees and allows them to throw Jeremiah into a deep cistern. Fortunately, the king was persuaded by another official to save him from sure death in that pit.
All along Jeremiah remained steadfast and faithful. His voice would not be silenced for his words were words of truth. He was the voice of the Lord and this voice would not be silenced, no matter what the price.
Jesus shares in the challenging life of the prophet. Though he does not use that term in Sunday’s Gospel, the clear effect of his prophetic message will have an impact and effect similar to the earlier prophets.
We have seen, many times, in the Gospels how the leaders of the people were plotting against Jesus to silence him. Whether it was trying to trip him up in a biblical interpretation, trap him as an enemy of Caesar or leveling false accusations against him, the goal was to silence Jesus, to remove his credibility and to eliminate his influence on the community. Perhaps this is a good context from which to hear Sunday’s Gospel passage.
We can hear the passion evident in his voice as he says: “There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!” He speaks the truth of human dignity, the necessity of mercy and the call for justice. Many who hear his voice find comfort and consolation. Many find courage to change their ways and enter the kingdom. But others are obstinate, remaining stubbornly complacent. Because of this, divisions will occur in cities, towns, villages – even within families.
Jesus, in his prophetic role, encourages us not to lose heart in the face of difficulties, challenges, even rejection and isolation. Perhaps we might consider three characteristics of Jesus through which he deals with the anguish of his baptism: faithfulness, trust and obedience.
Jesus is faithful. He has a mission given to him by his Father. He remains true to the Father and his mission, no matter the cost. He is willing to embrace suffering as to witness to the power of the Father. He knows the Father’s love is greater than any suffering unjust men can inflict upon him.
Earlier in the Gospel, when in the desert, Jesus is tempted by Satan. He is weak in body having fasted for 40 days and nights. Yet his confidence in the Father is in no way diminished. He sees through the lure of Satan’s promises and in the end dismisses him.
Jesus trusts in the Father. Though repeatedly tested during the ministry, Jesus’ trust grows ever deeper. As he begins his ministry, he leaves his home. He goes out into the countryside and moves all around Galilee and eventually down to Jerusalem. He begins alone, but he is not really alone; the Father is with him all the time. The time Jesus spends in prayer attests to the Father’s presence.
Jesus is obedient, “even to death on the cross.” Jesus’ obedience is complete. He listens to the Father and walks in his way. What Jesus has to offer the world, even those who persecute him, is life itself. This is his mission. His suffering attests to his love as does his obedience. He cannot be silent in the face of rejection because what he has to offer is more powerful that the pain man can inflict on him. The culmination of his obedience is seen on the cross but is voiced in the garden: “Father, let this cup pass by me; but not as I will, but as you will.”
No age, nation or society is perfect. In each epoch, the prophetic voice that calls for love, truth, mercy, compassion, charity, justice and peace will shake the complacency that can easily creep in with time. Through baptism, we share in Jesus’ prophetic role. His words, which are “spirit and life,” propel us to embrace this call, even when it means rejection, even when it means suffering. Jesus’ faithfulness, trust and obedience leads him, and us, forward because his suffering ends not in death but resurrection and life.
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Msgr. Joseph Prior is pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish, Penndel, and a former professor of Sacred Scripture and rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. Read more reflections by Msgr. Joseph Prior here.
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