July 5 is the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

I heard a priest once say that on the day of his ordination, his own mother, suitably proud, taught him humility: "’I used to think priests knew everything,’ she told me. ’Now I worry, because you are a priest and I know you don’t know anything.’" A priest/prophet is not accepted…

Prophets are people who have vision – not so much into the future as into the present. They can sense that something is askew, needs correction. When everyone around them is oblivious to an insult or an injustice, the prophet speaks up. She points out how evil war is. He makes sure we care for the earth. They live a life of nonviolence, not because they "like" peace, but because peace is the only way. They simply cannot keep the vision to themselves.

And yet, how hard it is for them to convince the rest of us! Perhaps an illustration will help here: A young monk asked the master, "Why are some people faithful and others not?" The master responded with a story:

One day, a dog chased a rabbit. The rabbit ran fast and the dog, chasing after it, barked and barked. Soon the barking caught the attention of other dogs. So they, too, joined in the chase. What a noise they made! Eventually, as the other dogs began to get tired, they fell off from the chase and went home. Finally, the only dog left was the first dog, still in pursuit of the rabbit. Up and down the roadways they ran until the rabbit eluded the chasing dog. Once the dog realized he could no longer chase the rabbit, he returned home, ever watchful for the next time and the next chase. The young monk remained silent for a respectful period and then said to the elder, "I don’t understand." The master smiled and simply said, "The first dog was the only dog actually to see the rabbit. Those who remain faithful must see the vision."

What killed Jesus was his fidelity to the vision – he knew a God who sided with the poor. Who are the poor today? The undocumented, those without health care, addicts, the unemployed, the exploited, the stranger, Iraqis, North Koreans, fill in the blank (and be careful, it may very well be someone you don’t like)…these are those for whom Jesus died; the rest of us are either for Jesus or against them. Until I believe this, that priest’s mother is right: I don’t know anything.