By Jonathan Camiolo –
I wish I knew the future and could know what was going to happen next. If I could know how things would turn out, it would definitely change how I think about things and how I live. I might not worry so much about the future and the unknown. What would you do different if you knew what the future was going to be?
When I read the readings, I read Isaiah and St. John the Baptist who both predicted that Jesus was coming, a savior for all people. They told people to prepare for His coming and to do what was right. They were known as prophets. People listened to them about what was going to happen. They helped those that listened hear what God wants to say and share knowledge. It is important to clarify, a prophet does not know everything about the future, but simply shares a divine message about the future and shares truths that change the way we live; they have some insights of future events and truth, but they are not “psychics”.
Some people even thought Isaiah, John the Baptist and other prophets were the savior God had sent. John the Baptist clearly tells people in the Gospel from Luke that he was not the One. His life as a prophet was to prepare the way for Jesus, to get people ready for His coming and message. John the Baptist said, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than me is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” He clearly was telling anyone that was wondering, I am not the messiah, but He is coming…
We celebrate the Baptism of Jesus this weekend. He was baptized as an adult in the Jordan River. Most of us were baptized as babies and do not remember anything about that day. Each of us, on that day, was baptized a priest, prophet and king. You and I are prophets! Yes, we are! We might not feel like we are; we might not think of ourselves like Isaiah and John the Baptist. I struggle with that idea too. How am I a prophet?
There is a poem by Archbishop Oscar Romero who was killed for his Catholic faith in El Salvador in 1980. His story and life are an inspiration. This poem gives me a better understanding of how all of us are prophets.
Prophets of a Future Not Our Own
—Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero of El Salvador (1917–1980)
It helps now and then to step back and take a long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime
only a small fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.
Nothing we do is complete,
which is another way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the Church’s mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about:
We plant the seeds that will one day grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything,
and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something, and to do it well.
It may be incomplete but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results,
but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.