Bishop R. Walker Nickless
Cathedral of the Epiphany
Homily
5 July 2009
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.”  This statement of Jesus is found in all four of the Gospels in one way or another.  In our Gospel from St. Mark today, it is followed by one of the saddest statements about Jesus: “So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there… He was amazed at their lack of faith” How sad to think that Jesus could perform no miracles in his own hometown, among his own relatives and friends, among the people he knew and who knew him well.  He grew up with them, spent time with them, loved them and yet, they had no faith.  How sad for our Lord, how rejected he must have felt.  It probably prepared him well for his final and most painful rejection when he died alone, on the cross- rejected by all but one of his twelve chosen Apostles and friends.  It seems as if He was even rejected by God His Father when he cried out and heard nothing but silence.  Jesus the prophet, like Ezekiel, like Paul, like you and me when we speak the truth, the words of God and no one wants to hear.  We are rejected and without honor and can do no good deeds because of the lack of faith even among our family and friends and those we care  about and love so much. 

We are prophets by virtue of our baptism and confirmation.  As disciples and followers of Jesus, we are sent forth to share God’s message of good news, God’s message of love and peace, God’s message of conversion and repentance.  As we see when we look at our reading today, being a prophet is not an easy task.  Ezekiel is told to go to a rebellious people and tell them to change.  They fail to listen to him and he suffers for it.  St. Paul, who did so much good preaching the gospel and giving his life for others, he himself, suffers greatly by what he describes as “a thorn in the flesh, given by an angel of Satan.  “This hurt him much and he asked God three times to take it away and it wasn’t.  No one knows what this pain was for St. Paul, whether it was physical, spiritual, or moral.  It stayed with him and the Lord said “my grace is enough for you.  When you are weak, then you are strong.”

Jesus, the Prophet of God suffered much as He tried to bring God’s love to those around Him ultimately He suffered His own horrible death on the cross.

What is a prophet anyway?  It is not a person who predicts the future as the popular definition would make us think.  A prophet is one who speaks God’s word and teaches it to others.  A prophet many times has to challenge and confront others who are not living in a godly way.  A prophet doesn’t become one simply because he or she wants to.  A prophet is chosen by God, called even from before birth to speak the truth, comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable.  Most prophets suffer much as they try not only to speak God’s Words, but also to live by them in their personal lives.  If they don’t live what they speak, they are false prophets, hypocrites, and useless to further God’s plan.

Jesus was the first and greatest among prophets.  He is the very Word of God - He is truth itself.  He is the only way to the Father in heaven.  He is Life in all its fullness.  We know, and have heard about, many other prophets-Ezekiel, Jeremiah.  Isaiah, John the Baptist, the Apostles, the great St. Paul, modern day prophets like Mother Theresa, Pope John Paul II, Pope Paul the VI, the prophet who foretold all the evils we see today in our society as we have become a contraceptive society-using birth control and separating love and life in marriage.  Prophets speak the truth and we don’t want to hear what they say.  This is true because so often it means change, conversion, repentance, and most very important, growth in faith and obedience to God.  Bishops and priests are called to be prophets-to speak the truth of God’s teaching from the pulpit-even if it’s not popular or politically correct.  We, as preachers of the gospel, cannot avoid speaking about the horror of killing an innocent child in womb through abortion, the intrinsic evil  of homosexual activity, the sinfulness of contraception, the absurdity of so called same-sex marriages, use of  pornography especially on the internet, living together before marriage and the  horror of war and child abuse and abuse and violence of any kind. 

It is not easy to talk about these things.  Many people who hear us, ask “why do you talk about these things?” “Can’t you just about love and peace and fellowship?”  No, we can’t.  It is our mission as priests, bishop and deacons.

You too, my brothers and sisters, are called and must be, prophets to your families, your friends, your acquaintances and even to strangers who cross your path in life.  In baptism God called you and gave you a mission.  In Confirmation, you have received the same spirit as Ezekiel when we heard about in the first reading.  We too have heard the Lord speak and the Holy Spirit entered us and gave you all gifts of wisdom and knowledge, right judgment and courage.  Like all prophets, our success is not measured by the response of those who hear us and see us living holy lives.  Some will change; some will listen, but most will not.  There is no faith and because of that, nothing good can happen. 

Like Saint Paul, we might be all too aware of our weakness, but God’s grace will be sufficient.  All that matters is that we speak the truth with love, be open to accept ridicule and rejection, and let God do the rest.  He will bring it to completion and be successful in changing hearts. 

The hardest part of being a prophet is to live what we speak, to live holy lives that are chaste and obedient to God.  We must be loving.  We must be forgiving-even when it seems impossible and we must constantly grow in our faith and be living witnesses of God’s patience, love, and forgiveness.