Prophetic voice
Friday of the Second Week of Lent
Gospel: Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032125.cfm
Prophetic voices within a tradition have a tendency to initially be rejected before they become the new tradition. Prophetic voices are means of change. These voices, inspired by God, help to right the way of humanity’s relationship with God. We have a tendency to falter, not just as individuals, but as communities. Within humanity, it is easy for individuals to rise up, organize, and lead. Once these individuals are in respected positions, they can fall trap to the evils of power and greed. Religious institutions are not immune to this. The Old Testament is full of stories about these abuses of power. In the New Testament too, we see Jesus’s conflict with the Pharisees and their abuse of power.
When we reflect on the actions of prophets like with some Catholic saints and reformers like Martin Luther, they don’t tend to be received well by the ruling class. Prophets voices challenge the status quo when power dynamics are not kept in check.
We all are vulnerable to the abuses of power when we wield it and receive it. Once certain levels of power are gained by a person, they are compelled to do what it takes to maintain it. To stand-up to power can lead to rejection, separation from one’s community, becoming a victim of violence, and numerous other atrocities. Most of the prophets in the Old Testament feared for their lives at the hands of those they were asked to witness to.
Jesus was and is a prophetic voice. He is the rock and foundation that his followers and their followers would build upon. He is the cornerstone of the faith to come. That said, he was rejected by the builders of his tradition, the religious leaders of his day. The kingdom that Jesus wants to build goes beyond any earthly institution. This kingdom is given to those who produce its fruits. People that produce God’s fruits will be included. Jesus didn’t focus on a new institution, but on people. He wants people to be the kingdom through building the kingdom. The kingdom is not bound to titles or hierarchies of power but is created through serving one another through love.
With power there is domination and subjugation. God’s kingdom is not built on such things. God’s kingdom is built on mutually sharing the load. God’s kingdom is for those who produce its fruits, not those who seek to consume them. May we always seek to serve rather than to be served. Let the rock that has been rejected become our cornerstone.
