WHO IS A PROPHET?

IV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME:Jr  1:4-5,17-19

May be we should ask: Who is a prophet? And what is a prophet?

Many people accept that prophets are special people who play an important role in the community. A generation without prophets is a generation content with itself, who lost the urge to look for better and higher. Prophets do not speak for themselves; they are the voice of someone else calling us to be true to ourselves and to God.

Are they seers of the future?

In the Bible, the time of the prophets was one of the greatest times in the history of salvation. Many people think of prophets as seers of the future, who announce in riddles what will come to be. However, the role of a prophet is not to announce the future, but to speak about the present. Called by God and guided by his Spirit, the prophet reads the present in order to discover in it God's presence and God's action. The prophet is a voice speaking God's words for today, guiding people to discover God's will and to obey it.

Called by God

This Sunday, we read about Jeremiah's vocation. God tells him: "I consecrated you, I appointed you as a prophet" (Jr 1:5). A true prophet is called by God, who consecrates him, entrusting him with a mission: "Now I have put my words in your mouth." (Jr 1:9)

If we look at the great prophets of Israel, they were called to denounce the evil behaviour of the people; they were reedy to provoke and to challenge, calling them to repent and to turn back to God. They were ready to denounce the social injustices and the prevalent exploitation of the poor by the rich and the powerful. They were able to analyze the political situation correctly, and most of the times they went against the status quo, calling for boldness to change.

Moved by a deep experience of God

All the prophets were moved by a deep experience of God, with their hearts full of jealousy for God's glory. Their words move always on two directions: looking at the present and the near past, they castigate the people's unwillingness to listen to God; looking at the future, they present God's promise of salvation, a promise coming out of a heart full of love and compassion. At the same time, they announce the terrible consequences of a continuous refusal to change and to obey God's commands.

The prophets were rejected

The prophets had not an easy life. They were rejected and even punished for their courage to tell the truth. Jeremiah was rejected. Christ was rejected in his own village and in his own country. Rejection is always painful, and may lead the prophet to question himself it is worthwhile going on with their mission. However, being faithful to God's call, they go on, because they cannot stop speaking God's word.

We are in need of prophets who speak out fearlessly, proclaiming God's word, witnessing God's love and announcing his promise of salvation.