Thursday of the Third Week of Lent - March 11

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Jeremiah 7:23-28 Luke 11:14-23

“…the words of the prophets were written on the subway walls…and tenement halls.”
                                                                                                                         -Simon & Garfunkel

Not a lot of subtlety or warm fuzzies today from Jeremiah or Luke . . . We are in a bad way. We are not listening to God. We have hardened our “evil hearts.” We are not on the right path. We are missing every single sign to course correct. “Faithfulness has disappeared.” Instead of opening our hearts to God’s message, we question the Lord, we put him to the test, we doubt the source of his power, we divide ourselves, and we fail to recognize the Kingdom of God is upon us even when God gives us an explicit sign.

Today’s cautionary readings highlight the critical necessity of finding modern-day prophets. If I met a prophet on the street, how would I respond? I imagine prophets are somewhat grating. I would no doubt steer clear of a prophet at a party. A prophet probably is not the portrait of good hygiene. He offers nothing but doom and gloom to everyone he meets. His stories are terrible. The punchline is almost always the end of the world, no doubt caused by something we are doing wrong. Who could possibly want to hear that? Today’s readings remind us in no uncertain terms that we need to hear it and ingest God’s message.

Unfortunately, it is getting nearly impossible to clear out the atmospheric static to allow us to hear a prophet. People who tell us to love and cherish one another are in relatively short supply. Instead, our politicians, the social media machinery, and the endless repositories for news content conspire to conjure up trivial disputes designed to sow hatred and division between us (often by using misinformation). They do not care about our redemption. Instead, they are concerned with the fame and material treasures that come from peddling in the art of mutual distrust. There has to be a better way. We must find and rely upon our prophets to help point us in a better direction before it is too late.

Q. Who are the prophets in your life who allow you to open your heart to God’s message?

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