Answering the Prophetic Call
Among the prophets of the Old Testament, Jeremiah may stand out as the longest suffering of them all. Called at a young age (likely before he was able to fully grow a beard), Jeremiah was called by God to call the Kingdom of Judah back to righteous living before the Lord. Jeremiah found success with King Josiah early on but, following Josiah’s death, Judah fell back into idolatry and other practices contrary to the Lord.
In the nineteenth chapter of the Book of Jeremiah, God instructs Jeremiah to take a clay vessel and smash it before the leaders of Judah as a warning of what will happen if the people do not change their ways and return to the Lord. This causes one of many episodes of great suffering for Jeremiah at the hands of his own people. Judah does not heed the Lord’s warnings given through Jeremiah and Judah is crushed by Babylon, Jerusalem is sacked, and the Temple is destroyed. Jeremiah will find himself taken away as an old man to die in exile in Egypt. Did God punish Judah directly? An honest interpretation of the Scriptures would answer “no,” but Judah did have to suffer the consequences of their choices; poor political alliances, immoral living, and failure to heed the Lord’s warnings all led to Judah’s destruction and the Exile.
By virtue of our baptism, we are called to share in the three-fold ministry of Jesus as priest, prophet, and king; the prophetic ministry, the call to witness to God and to call people back to the Lord when they are on the wrong path is arguable the hardest of the three ministries to fulfill. In fulfilling this role of witnessing to God’s ways over the world’s ways, we will be rejected at times by the world, acquaintances, friends, and even family members. The Gospel this Sunday reminds us, however, that God sees everything, including the suffering witness of those who remain faithful to Him and to His Word. May the Lord grant us the grace to choose Him at all times, even at the cost of rejection from those we love.
Second Collections
Beginning July 1, while we will still be taking up second collections, we will begin only using one basket for offerings on the weekends. Please continue to use the particular envelope for second collections and your offering will go to the place of your intention. In the event of unplanned collections, such as in the event of natural disasters, a second basket will be used.
Blessings to you and yours for the week ahead!
Father Chris House