Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – June 30, 2024
Prophets gifted with wisdom or age know that true change is a marathon, a long-term, generational commitment to a goal they may never see fulfilled but work toward nonetheless. When the goal is God’s reign, prophetic perseverance also needs a bit of holy detachment as a reminder that transformation is the Spirit’s job.
This helps prophets remain joyful when rejected, steadfast when provoked, and hopeful when the effort seems futile. As Saint Teresa of Calcutta said, God didn’t call her to be successful; God called her to be faithful.
No one chooses to be a prophet; they are baptized into it—into Christ, who is priest, prophet, and king.
The Black community in the United States exemplifies this prophetic perseverance. For almost 500 years, they have suffered inhumane systemic injustice, even within the Catholic Church. Only recently have they begun to see glimpses of changed hearts, minds, behaviors, and laws. Their experience of unrelenting injustice has forged in them a level of faith by God’s mercy that only those who have suffered greatly know. Their faith is also what feeds the fire of their prophetic work and enflames the urgency of their call to each one of us to take up the task.
No one chooses to be a prophet; they are baptized into it—into Christ, who is priest, prophet, and king. Let us follow the lead of those who embody such faithful persistence and know that in them, prophets continue to be among us.
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