Homily Fourth Sunday of Year B: Fr. Michael
Ufok Udoekpo
·
Deut 18:15-20;· Ps 95:1-2, 6-9;
· 1 Cor 7:32-35
· Mk 1:21-28
“A Prophet Like” Moses
There is a book in my Library, Great
Speeches of our times, by Hywel Williams. This book contains speeches of politicians
and Human Rights Activists such as; Eamon de Valera, Eleanor Roosevelt, J. F.
Kennedy , and Charles de Gaulle; Martin Luther King, Jr , Nelson Mandela,
Julius Nyerere, Ronald Reagan, Jesse Jackson, Margaret Thatcher, Mikhail
Gorbachev, Fidel Castro (Jan 1, 1999), Tony Blair and Barack
Obama,-- our president…
Speeches of biblical prophets, theologians
and spiritual authors of our times, strictly speaking, are not mentioned. The
Bible readings of today, beginning with the first reading (Deut 18:15-20)
reminds us these omitted speeches of the authentic and conscientious biblical
prophets, apostleship and discipleship whom we are called to imitate.
As evident in the readings an authentic
prophet is a prophet like Moses (Exod-Deut). He is one of us, a member of the
community, a friend, chosen by the Lord to speak in the name of God (Deut
18:15). A true prophet is the mouth piece of God and a divine messenger.
An authentic prophet preaches with divine and moral authority, about God, not
about himself or herself. A true prophet is the conscience of the people.
A true prophet is not selfish, but sensitive to the evil and opt for the poor,
the widow, the oppressed and those in the margins of society. A
true prophet cherishes the highest good and lives the truth with love, faith,
obedience and hope for the divine blessings.
In matters of faith the true prophet is not
a coward. He challenges every unjust status quo and seeks for a just and
peaceful alternative. True prophets offer symbols and hope that are adequate to
confront the horror and massiveness of the experience that evokes indifference.
The prophet is the one who brings to public expression those very fears and
terrors that have been denied so long and suppressed so deeply that we do know
they are there. The prophet speaks metaphorically but concretely the truth of everyday
life, that hovers over us. The prophet speaks neither in rage, nor with cheap
grace, but with the candor born of anguish, passion, sympathy, empathy and
compassion. In doing this the prophet free people from all types of slaveries,
especially modern slaveries, and sins, mentioned by the Holy Father, Pope
Francis in his recent New Year messages (2015-2018). Authentic prophets bring
people, men, women and children to God.
The biblical Moses, of the Exodus, is an
example of a true prophet. Though he suffered, he endured. He challenged the
pharaohs of his time. He dismantled the politics of oppression and
exploitation, by countering it with a politics of justice, true freedom,
compassion and humanitarianism. Let my people go! Moses is a paradigm of all
prophets. Speaking today in the first reading, he says, “The Lord will raise a
Prophet like Me from among your kindred, to him you shall listen” (Deut
18:19-20). This prophet would come to be Christ our savior!
But, in every nations, lands, villages,
communities, times and places, even here in our Seminary Community, God is
always raising prophets to speak to us in his name. Think of our parents, our
Church Leaders, Popes, Saints, our teachers, professors, spiritual directors,
the staff, spouses, and good friends, students, fellow parishioners around us, and
models of Christian virtues. Through these “prophets” we become better people
each day, and strive to do the will of God!
In the second reading (1 Cor 7:32-35), Paul was also prophetic to the
Corinthian community. Like Moses, Paul challenges the common but wrong
practices of his time: factions, rivalries, abuse of marriages and our
sexualities. Paul offers an alternative. If you are married, good! If you are
unmarried, like him, good, be faithful to your vows of celibacy, for the sake
of the kingdom of God.
Christ, in the Gospel (Mark 1:21–28), no
doubt, is the prophet par excellence! And his prophecy is the norm for our
lives. His birth challenges Herod and the powers that be! He introduces a new
prophecy. He dismantles the proud and raises the lowly. He reaches to the poor,
the Samaritan woman, the “Matthews,” the “tax collectors”, the “Mary
Magdalene”, the “Zacchaeus”, the “Lazarus”, the “lepers” and the blinds,
forbidden in the past.
Today he shocks the Pharisees and everybody
in the synagogue of Capernaum, by preaching, healing, and liberating
authoritatively on the Sabbath (Mark 1:21ff), against the status quo.
For the status quo, the Sabbath was the sacred sign of social
settlement. For Christ, the new Moses, the Sabbath was made for man and not man
for the Sabbath. For Christ, the Sabbath must be a Sabbath for love, a Sabbath
for healing, exorcisms, peace and forgiveness.
Jesus’ prophetic ministry is that of
freedom from falsehood, deceit, false gods, intimidation, exploitation,
immoralities, and deceitful practices. The ministry of Christ, the new Moses,
also entails, unity, faith and hope. It requires empathy, sympathy, compassion
and justice. Therefore, Christ invites us today, wherever we are
located, to participate in his prophetic ministry, beyond the shore of
Galilee, in our homes, offices, class rooms, parishes, dioceses, to the ends of
the earth, and to our innermost selves.
Reflection Questions:
1. In the light of today’s reading how prophetic are you in your faith
community?
2. Apart from Pope Francis – his writings (Lumen Fidei, Evangelii Gaudium,
Laudato si, and Amoris Laetitia etc), visits, preaching, who is your model
of modern prophet or prophetess?
3. Do you approach your ministries and callings with obedience of faith, Christ-like
authority, justice, love, empathy, passion, pathos, sympathy and courageously
like Israel’s prophets?
