Reflection
Prophets are never mainstream. They hold a completely different vision of life than do most. In fact, they hold the rest of the vision of holiness, the part that seldom is taught in the same breath as charity or morality or good citizenship. They are the other half of Christianity, the forgotten half of the spirituality of the Christian world. They see what’s missing in the world around them and set out to see that the world supplies it for those who need it most. They value other ends in life than the ones toward which most of the world strains. The prophet in this day must lead this world beyond its present divisions of race and gender, of national identity and economic class. The prophet is always out of step with the average response to pain or want or loss or oppression. They are always disturbingly different, always stirring up the consciousness of those left behind, always confronting a world that obstructs them, always on a path toward the Kingdom rather than the palace.
Joan Chittister
Prayer
Would that all God’s people were prophets and that God would put his Spirit upon them!
Numbers 11:22
Action
Do you find yourself being mainstream on issues where you are called to be prophetic? Reflect on this question and decide on a path.
Suggested Reading
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.
Matthew 7:15
A prophet restores the roots, restores one’s belonging to the people of God in order to go forward.
Pope Francis
Learn the lesson that, if you are to do the work of a prophet, what you want is not a scepter, but a hoe. The prophet does not rise to reign, but to root out the weeds.
Saint Bernard
Prophets will say things others will not say. God touches the prophet’s mouth. When God touches a person’s mouth, He puts power and authority in their words.
John Eckhardt
Prophets and poets lead us into a new world, beyond simply yelling at the old one.
Shane Clairborne
The best prophets lead you up to the curtain and let you peer through yourself.
Frank Herbert
Today social justice represents one of the most serious challenges to the conscience of the world.
Leonardo Boff