Sept. 6, 2020: 23rd Sunday A
Sept. 6, 2020: 23rd Sunday A
As you drive around town, you may have seen some of the short, clever messages displayed on church signs. One church sign read, “God answers knee-mail.” Another read, “Give God what’s right, not what’s left.” One sign summarized our prophetic role as a Christian,“Christians, live your lives so non-believers will question their disbelief in God.” Mahatma Ghandi was known to have said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ... If all Christians acted like Christ the whole world would be Christians."
All baptized Christians share in the three-fold office of Christ--priest, prophet, king. Of the three, today’s First Reading and the Gospel touch on the role of a prophet. To be a prophet is not easy. No, I’m not talking about the folks who are claiming that Jesus or Mary appeared to reveal to them the specific date when the bleak, apocalyptic future will happen. The definition of a prophet is someone who speaks for another. Hence, a true prophet is a person who speaks for God by delivering a message God has ordained him to give. Prophets like Moses, Ezekiel, and John the Baptist come to mind as examples. The greatest prophet is Christ who speaks for God the Father. He reveals the will of God because he and his Father are one.
Being a prophet means speaking the truth. As the Church teaches, “The laity act prophetically when they speak the truth, and live the Gospel by example before their families, neighbors, and co-workers. Their mission is ‘accomplished in the ordinary circumstances of the world’” (CCC, 905). We have a moral obligation to correct grave wrongdoing. This is done through kind advice in the family or at the workplace. Speaking the truth involves St. Paul’s principle from the Second reading, “Owe no one anything, except to love one another.”
The one person who truly exemplified speaking the truth with love was Mother Teresa. Her humble and quiet work among the poorest of the poor was even noticed by the elite of the world. She was often asked to address them at various prestigious events. She was invited by the graduating class of 1982 at Harvard University to give them the commencement speech. In its inception, Harvard University was established in 1636 as a seminary to train clergy for Puritans. The contemporary Harvard is secularized and far removed from its seminary roots.
Mother Teresa began by praying that the new graduates would "go into the world with Jesus, to work for Jesus, and to serve Him in the distressing disguise of the poor." She went on to say, "It is something unbelievable that today a mother, herself, murders her own child, afraid of having to feed one more child, afraid to educate one more child. This is one of the greatest poverty. A nation, people, family that allows that, that accepts that, they are the poorest of the poor." Then she advised young men and women that virginity is "the most beautiful thing a young man and a young woman can give each other. Make a resolution, that on your wedding day you can give each other something beautiful." But she said, "if a mistake has been made, have the courage to accept the child. Do not destroy it. That sin is a murder." I imagine that some people there were shocked by what Mother said. Some may even have been offended by what she said and even considered her outdated. Yet, what she said struck many listeners that day. What she spoke was a timeless truth, and she spoke it with genuine concern and love for the graduates. After her speech, thegraduates gave her a long standing ovation.
Mother Teresa knew that she was addressing people who did not agree with heror the Church teachings, yet she was willing to speak the truth because she believed that the truth of God would help the persons repair the damage in their relationship with God, with others, and with the persons themselves. In a sense, she was making fraternal corrections without disrespecting the dignity of the person. She was always kind and compassionate, praying always that the person would reconcile with God and find their own inner peace. She corrected people not to put them down, but to build them up, because she would have said, “I want you to be holy.”
Mother Teresa was kind and gentle in the way she faced controversy, disagreements and when she needed to correct a wrong. Through her prayers and immersing herself in the Word of God, she was in touch with the merciful heart of Christ. She was true to the Gospel values in following the footsteps of Christ, who endured baseless accusations and betrayals without retaliation.
When an occasion arises when we need to stand up for truth or to make fraternal correction, we need to ask ourselves if we have the right intentions. Do we pause and pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit? Do I respect this person as my brother or sister in Christ? Do I sincerely desire for this person to repair their relationship with God and their neighbors? If we are faithful to our prayer, study of the scripture, and the reception of the Sacraments, then when we have to face disagreements, hopefully we have prepared ourselves to respond in a manner true to the Gospel values.
