FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C

Jeremiah 1:4-5.17-19

Ps 70

1Cor. 13:1-13

Luke 4:21-30

THE LOT OF A PROPHET

A prophet is the spokesperson of God. He speaks on behalf of God. Unfortunately, prophets are often not welcomed: they may be rejected, maltreated or persecuted, especially by their own kins: “No prophet is ever accepted in his own country,” Jesus tells his townsmen in today’s Gospel reading. This was the experience of Jesus himself and many prophets including Jeremiah.

The evangelist Luke continues the episode of the visit of Jesus to the synagogue of his hometown. He preached so well that the people marveled at his gracious words and eloquence. But this admiration was to turn into rage at him; their amazement quickly turned into hatred. Thus, they wanted to push him off the cliff on which their town was built. But Jesus walked through them and left.

Such treatment of men of God was not uncommon. Many years before Christ, the prophet Jeremiah was to have similar experience. In his vocation narrative presented in today’s first reading, God warned him. Since his mother’s womb, God had chosen him to be a prophet to the nations. But he was to face opposition and hostility. The people would fight against him, but they would not overcome him because God had made him a fortified city. The Lord would be with him to deliver him.

By virtue of our baptism, we too are prophets. We are to speak and proclaim the words of God to our contemporaries. But we must keep two things in mind. First, we will often face challenges, rejection, criticisms and oppositions. And yet, we should not be afraid because the Lord is with us. With God, we shall overcome. Second, we may have all it takes to be a good prophet; but without love, we are “simply a gong booming or a cymbal clashing”. Indeed, love is a gift that lasts forever, says St Paul in the second reading. Yes, love is everything and it changes everything. So, our prophetic mission must be manifested first of all through the patient and enduring love that we bear to one another. Let us ask God the grace to become courageous and authentic witnesses of his wonders in our world today. Amen