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[137] Numbers 11:25-29 / Psalm 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14 / James 5:1-6 / Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

While the first reading last week was prophetic about the coming of the Christ, this week the reading foretells something of the Church that will be established by our Lord. When critics are jealous that the “spirit” of God has led some outside the designated number to prophesy, Moses answers, “Would that all the people of the LORD were prophets! Would that the LORD might bestow his spirit on them all!” You might ask, how is the hope of Moses realized in the Church?

First, when baptized, a Christian becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit. In Confirmation, we are given a fuller share in that Spirit. We are commissioned to proclaim the Good News. The Spirit of God breathes life into us and implants the gift of faith. All the sacraments are given their efficacy by the Holy Spirit.

Second, by definition, every Catholic is charismatic. Every believer is a Spirit-filled prophet of the Lord. When a child is baptized, he or she is anointed and the priest or deacon prays, “As Christ was anointed Priest, PROPHET, and King, so may you live always as a member of his body, sharing everlasting life.” The Catholic community of faith is that nation of prophets for which Moses longed. We have nothing that is not given us by God. We belong to him and are to be about his business, giving him glory in all things.

Third, when we think of prophets the popular mindset is of people who can foretell the future. While this is certainly part of it, the better definition of a prophet is that he is one who tells the truth. Christ was the one acclaimed as the Way and the TRUTH and the Life. Remade into God’s image and in the likeness of Christ, we are to communicate God’s Word to a waiting and sometimes resistant world.

Fourth, a prophet must be imbued with courage because he stands as a sign of contradiction to a world that does not know God and sometimes does not want to know. When we look at the long line of biblical prophets, we see men and women who often suffered much, even from their own, because of the truths they espoused. It is easier to compromise and to “go with the flow.” It is always harder to swim against the tide of indifference and sin. Following Jesus, we can expect a share in his Cross. Speaking to how we reject the prophets in our midst, James writes in the second reading, “You have condemned; you have murdered the righteous one; he offers you no resistance.” Nevertheless, this pattern can be turned around in Christ. There is hope.

Fifth, are we genuine prophets or false prophets? James also speaks about this, challenging his listeners regarding that which they most treasure and how they treat the worker in regard to his just wages. Like Christ’s threats of Gehenna, he is critical of those who oppress others, writing, “Gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire.” We need to ask important questions of ourselves. Are we the nation of prophets we were called to be? Do we belong to God or does someone or something else own us? Do we believe “in my country, right or wrong,” or would we try to make it right? Do we put a higher premium upon peace and toleration than truth and virtue? Do we belong MORE to the Republican or Democrat Party than to God and his Church? Does work and play take precedence over the Lord? Are we the same Christians at work and home that we claim to be in the pew at Mass? How committed are we to justice, civil rights, religious liberty, and the sanctity of life? Do we pray and worship as if God is really listening? Do we sense God moving us to prayer and witness? Have we opened the windows of our souls to his energetic presence?

Notice in the reading that the Spirit of God was mediated. We read, “The LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. Taking some of the spirit that was on Moses, the LORD bestowed it on the seventy elders; and as the spirit came to rest on them, they prophesied.” This reminds me of the story where Peter encounters a crippled man at the gate of the temple, “Peter said, ‘I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.’ Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong. He leaped up, stood, and walked around, and went into the temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God” (Acts 3:6-8). He in turn would witness by his actions to the power of God in his life. Christ has extended something of himself, his spirit, upon those who believe in him. Through the sacraments of initiation, he literally gives a share in his life. We become adopted sons and daughters to the Father. Through the ordination of his apostles as the first bishop-priests, he gave us the Eucharist and the ministry of reconciliation. Never before had God given such authority to men. Through apostolic succession, this wondrous SPIRIT is passed on from generation to generation and around the world. We are given different gifts, but all share of the same source, the same Spirit.

As with our Lord’s disciples, a few of the elders were jealous that two outside their number were touched by God’s power. But the Spirit of God cannot be contained and God works where he wills. I suppose this is a good reminder never to blaspheme or curse against the Holy Spirit when we find him active outside our ranks or in unexpected persons, places or things. Certainly it is a prime motivation for ecumenism after Vatican II.

The responsorial psalm alerts us that the message of a prophet always has substance. We do not follow vague platitudes. God has shown us his love by giving us his law or commandments. The prophet exhorts others, through word and witness, to fidelity. We must be obedient stewards of God. Of course, if our role as prophets is to be genuine then we must do all we can to root out hypocrisy. The psalm states, “Though your servant is careful of them (the ordinances of God), very diligent in keeping them, yet who can detect failings? Cleanse me from my unknown faults! From wanton sin especially, restrain your servant; let it not rule over me. Then shall I be blameless and innocent of serious sin.” The attached response was, “The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.” When we sang the verse, were we telling the truth? Does God’s law give us joy or do we fight against it? By the way, this means in every place, from the bedroom to the voter’s booth at election time. It includes the things we do in public and in secret.

The Gospel has Jesus employing Hebraic hyperbole to emphasize the severity of sin. Nothing should be done to harm faith. Jesus says, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” As with the elders and Moses, the disciples complained to Jesus about one outside their number who was used by God. He exorcised demons in Jesus’ name. Our Lord rebukes them for this and says, “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.” Love of God and charity toward neighbor are the most essential traits of a Christian prophet.

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[134] 1 Wisdom 2:12, 17-20 / Psalm 54:3-4, 5, 6 and 8 / 2 James 3:16-4:3 / Mk 9:30-37

The first reading is prophetic in regards to the coming Messiah, but the posture of testing God is not something new. The wicked would always seek to put up roadblocks to the Lord and his saving works. Traitors within the ranks of the covenant people fought and even killed the prophets. This is in marked contrast to the humility of a disciple who embraces divine providence and seeks to make a straight path for the Lord. The reading unveils the deceit of evil. There is no discernment of spirits; rather, they have already made up their minds.

They hate the just or righteous one because he is everything they are not. Notice today, there are critics who malign the late Mother Teresa and the Popes. If you Google priests, you will find hundreds of links about scandal and crime, but little about the thousands who have been obedient to God and loving of their people. Believers are ridiculed as hypocrites and yet little is said about the works of justice and charity that millions of the faithful make possible. Those who criticize us would not lift a finger to help others unless there is something in it for themselves. Each of us is to be a new Christ in bringing truth, healing and forgiveness to others. We see Jesus in the oppressed, the poor, the wounded, the alone and the unborn. We are not social workers. Rather, in us is realized Christ ministering to Christ.

The enemies of heaven will not allow God or his messengers to tell them what to do or to honestly expose their sins. Here too believers are castigated as hate-mongers or out-of-touch because we stress purity before marriage and regard marriage as a natural institution between a man and woman. They deny the wrong of their ways and then seek to compel believers to accept their deviancy and/or transgressions as lawful. While sin might be tolerated, the beliefs and discipleship of Christians is given little quarter. Indeed, even the government now attacks religious liberty. The Church can preach what it wants inside the church doors, at least for now, but outside those doors we will be compelled to compromise our values, as with the HHS forced-funding of contraceptives, abortifacients and sterilization. Instead of admitting that the unborn man or woman has a God-given right to life, the powers-that-be would make the Church accessories to their murder.

The wicked in Scripture argue, “With revilement and torture let us put the just one to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience. Let us condemn him to a shameful death; for according to his own words, God will take care of him.” This is certainly the plight of Jesus Christ. While such a sentence might not befall us, there are places in the world today where Catholics still face the prospect of torture and death for their beliefs. Here we may endure public recrimination from the media and political figures, hefty fines, imprisonment and the closure of Catholic operations: schools, charities and hospitals.

Despite the mockery and faithlessness of the wicked, we have every confidence that God will never abandon his stewards. Whatever comes, we will take up our crosses and walk with the Lord. Man is not the measure of all things; instead, it is the God who made us and sets up the parameters of our existence and obedience.

The responsorial psalm gives voice to our confidence: “The Lord upholds my life. Behold, God is my helper; the Lord sustains my life. Freely will I offer you sacrifice; I will praise your name, O LORD, for its goodness.” I am reminded of a priest-friend who prayed this psalm with courage when he was arrested, not for violence or theft, but for saying his rosary outside an abortion clinic. They said he was blocking free access. He went to jail. The archbishop at that time said that we had permission to get arrested, but that we had to be bailed out for Sunday Mass. Most of us were afraid to take matters this far. We backed away. But he was filled with the Spirit of God and was dragged away and placed behind bars. The guards took away his breviary prayer book and rosary beads. He found out later that a woman coming to the clinic saw his arrest and turned around. She would credit his sacrifice with saving the life of her daughter.

If only we could truly live in right relationship with God and neighbor. The second reading is almost a lament of the human condition. We are self-seeking and rationalize our faults while we should be generous and repentant of wrongs. We attack those who would open our eyes to the truth. Our society is one where passions run amuck, nature is assaulted and foul practices abound. I grieve that our children should be exposed to such corruption. Do I over-make my case? Notice the vulgarity in music, film, television, books and the internet. More couples cohabitate than are married. Half of all marriages fail and adultery is the frequent cause. There is also a basic dishonesty where many people steal if they think they can get away with it. Fertility is treated as a disease and the unborn child is disposed of as a cancer. What can come of a society that treats a blessing as a curse? What becomes of a civilization where a curse or depravity is elevated to a civil right?

The Gospel reading has Jesus telling his friends precisely what is going to happen: “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” Nevertheless, we are told his listeners did not understand and were fearful about asking questions. Instead, they ended up arguing about who among them was the greatest. While we cannot know for sure what emotions this precipitated in Jesus, I would suspect that he was tremendously disappointed. They still did not understand— either the cost of his mission or their personal cost in following him. In response, Jesus singles out a child, places his arms around him or her, and says, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.” Our Lord took the least among them and singled out a child as the greatest of all. The apostles and disciples are not the masters of the kingdom, but its servants. They and those who would come after them were called to sacrifice personal ambitions for the sake of the kingdom— particularly the voiceless and marginalized. We still remember the child, both in our schools and in the womb. It is for this reason that true believers are a sign of contradiction in the world. We speak up for the rights and dignity of those who cannot speak for themselves. We proclaim the truth and hand down the values given us to each subsequent generation, both in and out of season.

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