A prophet speaks the “mind of God” and since God’s thoughts and ways are a challenge to a putrid society, a prophet has to contend with opposition and rejection. Some prophets have had to flee from their home countries on account of opposition and others too have had to sacrifice their very lives.
Jeremiah came to reveal the mind of God to his contemporaries. Some were not happy with his prophetic mission and today’s First Reading gives us a picture of some of the schemes his opponents put in place to eliminate him – "Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name will no longer be remembered!" (Jer 11:19).
Jesus came to show the face of God and reveal the mind of the Father to the world. In response, some of the leaders of the Jewish community plotted against him. In today’s Gospel text, we read: “Some wanted to arrest him, but no one actually laid a hand on him” (John7:44).
No one can lay a hand on a prophet of God unless God permits it. Like Jeremiah and Jesus, we may have to contend with persecutors who set into motion evil schemes to derail our prophetic presence. Our hope lies in the fact that since God the Father never abandoned Jeremiah and Jesus, he will not abandon us too.
I pray for the spirit of endurance for all the children of God who are toiling to sow the seeds of life. I pray especially for those who are on the verge of giving up. Jesus, for the sake of your name, come to their aid. Amen
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