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Home  / News & Publications /  Michigan Catholic News / 2009 /  There are prophets still among us

by Fr. Richard C. Macey special to The Michigan Catholic
Published June 26, 2009

First Reading: Ezekiel 2:2-5

The prophet Ezekiel was a priest who was taken away from Judah during the Babylonian exile. The passage begins with a typical introduction to prophetic speech: "the spirit entered into me ... ." It showed that prophecy came from the initiative of God.

The term, "son of man," is used 93 times throughout this book. It is how God addresses the prophet. Simply, it means "human being." It emphasized the distance between the divine and the human elements, especially in the prophet's use of the double name, "Lord God." Later Jewish thought, by the time of Jesus, associated "son of man" with messianic expectations. Throughout the Gospel of Mark, it was the preferred self-reference by Jesus. The term "Israelites" in Hebrew is "sons of Israel."

The verbs, "rebelled ... revolted," have a political sense of "refuse allegiance to ... break an alliance." The infidelity of the people explains why they are suffering exile, destruction of their Temple and the loss of the Davidic kingship. God is still their true king, who claims their fealty, even in exile (see Ezekial 20:33). It was an important lesson to learn. The power of God extended beyond the borders of the land of promise. It helped prepare for the Jews of the diaspora, those who maintained their Jewish identity far beyond the borders of Palestine.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Paul addresses the members of this Gentile Christian Church and uses his own example as an argument to exhort the people to persevere in their faith. The threefold request to the Lord by Paul emphasizes the burden of this unidentified "thorn in the flesh." The answer Paul receives to his prayer is the only saying of the Risen Lord in his letters.

The Latin translation of the Greek phrase, "thorn in the flesh," became "thorn of the flesh." It led exegetes to identify this encumbrance as a temptation to a sexual sin. Other suggestions, based on allusions in other letters, have been: an eye disease, epilepsy, migraines, malaria, or a speech impediment.

Paul plays on the meaning of "boasting." It is not about his own resilience in the face of hardships. It is praise of God for holding him up when his own mortal weakness would falter. He praises God for standing by him and supporting him in his mission.

Gospel: Mark 6:1-6

The Gospel of Mark plays upon what some scholars call "the messianic secret." The source of the power of Jesus is questioned, and the faith of the disciples is challenged throughout the narrative. The wonder of the people is raised by both the words and the deeds of Jesus.

Commentators have remarked upon the references to the family of Jesus in this passage. Jesus is called "the carpenter, the son of Mary." The reference to Jesus in the Koran is almost always, "Jesus, son of Mary." Some have claimed that Joseph, the husband of Mary, was already dead by this time, which would help explain the reference to Mary and not Joseph. Jesus would have assumed the same trade as Joseph as a carpenter. The word actually refers to a craftsman, and it included someone who worked with stone, too.

One of the explanations for the names of Jesus' brothers is that there is a translation from the Hebrew into Greek. The Hebrew word for "brother" could describe a close relative, such as a cousin. Some writers have identified these brothers as children of Joseph by a previous wife, the step-brothers of Jesus. The apocryphal Protoevangelium of James, written in the last half of the second century, supports this view (see also Galatians 1:19). Some commentators have also identified this James as the author of the Letter of James, rather than either of the two of the Twelve who have that same name. He has also been connected with James, who spoke on behalf of the Church at Jerusalem in Acts 15:13 and a few other places in the New Testament.

I go for a morning walk before Mass each day. I enjoyed seeing the neighborhood close up. But after many months, I realized that I wasn't looking anymore. It was the "same old thing." It was routine. Then an idea came to me. Why not walk the opposite way! I had always walked the same direction and saw the same side to everything. When I changed direction, I noticed things that I had not seen before, since I saw them from a different perspective.

Another name for a prophet is a seer. It isn't always the future events that are seen by prophets. Most prophets look at what we see, but see them from a different perspective. Sometimes we don't like what they see. One of my neighboring pastors brought a box of old mail to a meeting. It was a month's collection of diocesan mail. Each envelope had postage stamped on it. Sometimes there were several envelopes from different departments on the same day, each with its own postage. Eventually, his findings led to a package of mail from all the diocesan departments. I am sure some people didn't appreciate having to deposit their material to a central mail earlier than sending out their own mail. (In the early days of the central mail, some brochures arrived after the event had occurred.) But much money is being saved. At the parish, one of our employees wanted us to recycle our paper. I didn't think much about it ... until the bin filled up within a week from the junk mail and spoiled copies from the copy machine. I never realized how much paper we throw away! Now, we help our local school by making paper runs to their recycling bin.

Who are the prophets who help you see the same things you see everyday, only help you see them differently? It will not always be an enjoyable experience. But life will never be dull!

Fr. Richard C. Macey is pastor of Our Lady of the Woods Parish, Woodhaven.