Presently Prognosticating

The past Sunday’s readings address prophecy. Prophecy isn’t something I’ve thought much about; it always seemed like something left to the charismatics and abused by power-seekers. But lately, as I’ve been preparing a Bible study on women prophets, I’ve been thinking about it more often and learning about its broader meaning. A prophet is one who delivers a message for another, in Christian, a messenger for God. While most of us may think that prophecy entails prediction of future events. But it can also be an accurate account of present events, a directive to change and return to God, or a warning of consequences for wrongdoing.

In Sunday’s second reading, 1 Corinthians 12:31—13:13, Paul says, “If I have the gift of prophecy, and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing,” and “for we know partially and we prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.” The early Christians recognize prophecy as a gift of the Holy Spirit, and Paul holds it even higher than teaching (he also acknowledges that women can receive this gift). It is a component of living in a community that there will be prophets within it.

The Gospel reading picks up right where the previous Sunday’s left off, with Jesus in the synagogue reading the prophecy of Isaiah about the Messiah, the anointed one. Jesus then declares, “Today this passage is fulfilled in your hearing (Luke 4:21).” (Spoiler: that doesn’t go over well. It rarely does with prophets.) And the first reading comes from Jeremiah, one of the major prophets.

The point here is that prophecy is more present and more about the present that I really acknowledge. Fear of false prophets, though a valid fear, may lead me to not recognize real ones. Further, we should be open to the gift of prophecy, both receptive to a prophet’s message or open to deliver prophecy ourselves. The state of the world clearly needs correction, and if God chooses you to speak out, speak out.

We are called to follow Christ, who was priest, prophet, and king. His ministry included delivering messages from the Lord, so ours should too. We must listen for God’s voice and learn to read the signs of the times so that our messages come from God, not our own opinions. Some will be called to speak more or louder, but we all must be open to serving how God calls us. In big or small ways, we should strive for our speech to direct the listener toward Christ. We are called to share the Gospel, to deliver Christ’s message in his name, in other words, to be prophets.