The Spirit of God descends upon Moses, and then as if contagious, upon the elders gathered in the tent, and even upon two who were not assembled with them (see Numbers 11:25-29). When some want to stop the two from prophesying, Moses cries that he would have them be a nation of prophets. This is precisely what Jesus seeks to make a reality. We are anointed in baptism as prophets of the Good News. The essential mission of the Church, in all her members, is to be a prophetic voice of Christ’s kingdom.
This prophetic role is utterly dependent upon the action of God. It is his word, and not our own, that moves the Christian disciple. Prophesy or the proclamation of the Gospel in our words and actions, is an expression of divine favor or grace. God gives his servants that which is necessary for the acquisition of our ultimate end, union with him. Toward this end, he infuses habits and/or virtues that assist us in our earthly pilgrimage. The Holy Spirit lives in us as in a temple, illumining our steps. We understand the significance of the Spirit’s presence as a participation in the divine nature. God extends something of himself. The one who is ALL HOLY sanctifies us. The one who is UTTERLY IMMACULATE washes us clean and grants us purity. The one who is ALMIGHTY makes the weakest of us into a soldier for Christ, a champion of faith. The genuine prophet surrenders himself into the loving hands of God. It is for this reason that Jesus seems to glorify poverty and the central role of charity. The widow’s mite is the secret to sanctity and to true prophecy. Everything we have is a gift. All must be surrendered, either to others in their need or by the strong hand of death and judgment. Jesus would have us opt for the former.
Nothing is ours. Like a burner on the stove, while the electricity courses through it, the ring radiates a red glow of heat. However, turn off the electricity, it quickly grows cold and dark again. Without the divine energy of the Spirit, we also grow cold and dark. Grace is like the electricity or a burning fire. It changes us and sets us aflame, but we are not consumed. We may put on Christ, but mortal men and women we remain. Sometimes we can be surprised by whom God chooses to move by his dynamic Spirit.
In terms of our relationship to the Holy Spirit, we all play the feminine role. Not taking the analogy too far, as a daughter to God’s Spirit and as a bride to Christ, we are refashioned as members of Christ’s Church. The prophet rejoices in the wedding gown given by the Spirit as Isaiah did in days of old: “I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul; For he has clothed me with a robe of salvation, and wrapped me in a mantle of justice. Like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, like a bride bedecked with her jewels” (Isaiah 61:10). The gifts of the Holy Spirit adorn the soul. We are made pleasing to God and given fortification. We do not need Samson’s hair for strength, but the virtues that accompany the Spirit. God is our armor. Further, the actions– even mundane ones– of just men and women, bring merit, so long as sin is avoided. Christ’s whole life was a saving work. If Christ thoroughly lives in us then everything we do, not just extraordinary virtuous acts, become saving moments. Eating, drinking, sleeping, even taking care of the necessities of nature are viewed in the context of our Lord and know favor. They are part of the wondrous panorama of our lives. All is grace.
Christian prophets are adoptive children of God. Their names appear in the book of life and they are offered a share in eternal life. They proclaim the truth, not merely that others might be saved, but that they themselves might merit salvation.
The grace of God can bestow understanding just as the Spirit acted upon the elders and Moses. As Catholics such an illumination takes into consideration the public manner of revelation and lawful authority. The Holy Spirit inspires Scripture, making it truly the Word of God. As a guarantee of the authentic and accurate interpretation of revelation, this same Spirit guides our chief teachers of faith, the bishops in union with the Pope. It is in this context that the Spirit of God instructs us and makes us missionaries of the Gospel.
Except for Confirmations and the feast of Pentecost, we often neglect to speak about the Holy Spirit. It is an image hard for our minds to grasp. Certainly we are well accustomed to the theme of God as Father from the witness of our families. The figure of Christ on the Cross gives meat to our appreciation of the Son of God. But we struggle in appreciating the role of the Holy Spirit. People can relate easily to a notion of God as their heavenly Father and to Jesus as our elder Brother in faith who surrenders his life for us. But, look at the images of the Spirit. We use fire for light and warmth, but it is regarded as a thing. The dove, while beautiful and free in flight, is still just an animal. Wind might be felt against one’s face, but few of us would talk to it. The Holy Spirit is signified by non-personal elements, and yet, he is the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity and a fundamental catalyst and source of our life, faith, and sanctification. It is true that since the Trinity is a single God, devotion and worship rendered to any one applies to all three. But this does not resolve the struggle in our psychology to embrace the Spirit. It is no wonder that the charismatic movement in the Church exhibits so many elements that speak of mystery: the tongues, prophecy, interpretation, faith healing, etc. However, ecstatic external expressions of being moved by the Spirit need not be present.
The men of ancient Israel felt a need to surrender themselves to the divine movement. Their chanting, dancing, and prophesying uncovered that need. Such actions were in harmony with the times and culture, paralleling the manifestations among the pagans. The one difference was not the external actions but the substance behind them: the true God had shown his face and will to Israel. The truth has prevailed in Israel and the Church while the so-called prophetic messages to others around them have disappeared. If it were not from God, it could not last. Within the family of God, the distinction between a good and a false prophet is noted in Psalm 19:7, “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul; The decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple.” Such delineation is still valid today. Any voice that claims a divine mandate and yet violates the commandments is that of a false prophet.
We must be discerning so that we will not seek to silence the voice of God’s prophets and that we will not be led astray by false messengers. What are the false prophets saying today? We know all too well. “We love each other, how could something so wonderful be sinful? If we don’t live with each other, how can we know if we are sexually compatible or not? The Church is living in the dark ages; we have to use the pill! We can’t have this baby now; we have school and our careers to consider. Is it not better to get rid of it then to adopt it out to strangers? I am sure that if grandma were in her right mind she would tell us to pull the plug. Jim and Jack are sweet guys, why should they be punished for how God made them– especially since they use condoms? Everyone steals office supplies from work, it is expected. That was a great movie, even though they did take God’s name in vain a dozen times. These sexy dresses (what there is of them) will sure get Tom’s motor running. It doesn’t matter if you go to a Protestant or Catholic church– it’s the same thing– what matters is going. I’m not a bad person for sometimes missing Mass; it isn’t like I murdered someone. I only read Playboy for the articles. I wish the city would stop those beggars from annoying hardworking people like me. It would probably be best if their kind were sterilized. This is good stuff; take it, everyone’s doing it.”
Do you recognize any of these voiced statements? It is in the sea of lies that the true prophet raises his voice as a living sign of contradiction. He tells us to follow the commandments and the moral laws of the Church. He tells us to defend the dignity of all human life and the values that most respect human personhood and the family. He also tells us not to compromise the honor that is due to God alone. The true prophet encounters resistance, mockery, and sometimes even martyrdom. The New Testament acknowledges this eventuality: “The shouts of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You live in wanton luxury on the earth; you fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. You condemned, even killed, the just man; he does not resist you” (James 5:4-6).
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Jeremiah 20:10-13, taken alone, might make us think that the prophet Jeremiah has something of a persecution complex; however, the oppression he feels is real. No sooner had he warned the people of a coming judgment from the Lord, because of their disobedience and neglect of God, the priest Pashhur had him arrested and scourged.
Jesus revealed himself publicly in the synagogue as the promised messiah. Although initially pleased with his learned exhortations, they quickly begin to question his authority (Luke 4:21-30). Those who knew him as a child or knew his family begin to gossip about him. Hidden in these words is their disbelief that the promised one could possibly be one from their own midst, and a poor man at that! Their acceptance of him swiftly soured into rejection. They no longer wanted to hear what he had to say.
Ez. 2:2-5 has many interesting elements for us to consider. The Spirit of God moves Ezekiel; he says it “set me on my feet.” In other words, the Spirit compels or moves him to action. He stands before God and must be on his way to the Israelites. God, himself, admits that they are an obstinate and hard-hearted people, but this makes no difference. Come what may, Ezekiel will be the mouthpiece of God and “they shall know that a prophet has been among them.”
At this point in my narrative, I would like to tell a story– a story about two boys. They started out like most young children. They loved playing ball. They liked cartoons, especially those filled with lots of super-heroes and villains. Ice-cream was their favorite food, for both main course and dessert. They both had that most peculiar attraction all boys seem to have toward dirt and bruises. And, both wanted a dog. The first boy, Arnold, came from a house which the second boy, Zachary, could only experience in his wildest dreams. Arnold was given everything. He got away with all kinds of poor behavior. His room looked like a bomb hit it. Arnold ate only what he wanted and when he wanted. He had toys piled up in the garage and outside– toys with which he easily tired. He wanted a dog and his parents bought him several purebreds, but he mistreated one of them and it had to be put to sleep. He was a brat. He would cry and yell if he did not get what he wanted, and he would get it. As he got older, he would stay out late, hit all the parties, and even got messed up with a pretty tough crowd. His parents thought, well he’s just a boy having fun. To say he was spoiled would have been an understatement. It is a little sad really. When he grew up into a man, things did not get much better. He stayed a self-centered child. Unfortunately, his parents could not live forever, and when they died, he found himself alone, unable to cope or to be happy in the world. He could not satisfy his desires, and they were unbridled– lawless. He was unhappy.
We do not want to die. Okay, I know that some would object to this statement, but opposing sentiments are usually the exception. These exceptions are generally aberrations due to some form of suffering. We have all heard of suicide victims due to mental illness and depression, emotional trauma, excessive physical pain and handicap, and delusion (as in certain cults). In all these cases there is a running away from something (pain or anxiety) or a fleeing toward something (a higher plain of existence or some other such alternative). The latter comes close to the Christian hope, although with one essential difference, true faith defends the dignity and sacredness of all life, here and now.
The Lord appears to Mary Magdalene, consoles her, and sends her off with the news, “I have seen the Lord!” (see John 20:11-18). The insistence upon the witness of women in the Scriptures reveals to us just how much both men and women were called to be Christ’s disciples. Mary Magdalene proclaims the Good News to Jesus’ other followers, the men with whom he had entrusted his apostolic authority and power. Notice his words to her. She is so thrilled to see him that he must immediately tell her not to cling to him. He exclaims that he is “ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God!” This is one of the clearest statements by Christ that his particular Easter event will also be ours. The words also echo the time when he taught his friends to call God, “Our Father,” in the Lord’s Prayer. We, who belong to Christ, belong also to the one who sent and raised him up. We who are now identified with Christ can appropriately call God our adopted Father. He keeps us in existence and in baptism refashions us into the likeness of his Son.
“Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the Lord, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). These words when offered to the People of God by Moses were an encouragement to follow the commandments, and thus to seek God’s blessing and not his curse. So often this translated into the naive understanding that if one were good, only good things would enter one’s life. However, in the book of Job and then in the life of Jesus himself, we become well aware that sometimes suffering and even death can inflict the very best of people. The Christian appreciation of this text is very deep. Like a child trusting utterly in his or her parent, we are to rely upon and to be faithful to God — no matter what. Jesus lived out this passage, because as ironic as it might seem, by allowing himself to be betrayed, mocked, tortured, and murdered — he was choosing life for us. Now, in response to his sacrifice, we too have to open ourselves to a share in this life — a life which will ultimately be beyond the reach of pain and death. Notice what the Scripture said, we are to love God, heed his voice, and cling fast to him. We are to hold on so tight that no storm of sin and weakness can drive us away from him. This will require that our love for him always be fused with obedience, just as Christ was obedient unto the Cross. The secret is not to give up on God even when the times become difficult. What is more, we need desperately to find the peace and joy which comes with perfect discipleship in this life, despite the cost, loving God entirely for his own sake.
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