Be a Prophet!
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium instructed the Church that “The obligation of spreading the faith is imposed on every disciple of Christ, according to his state.”[1]
So, how are you doing with this obligation? How are you actively proclaiming and spreading the Catholic faith and the salvation of Jesus Christ? Don’t think you’re qualified? Do you think it’s too difficult for whatever reason? Do you see yourself as a prophet not being accepted in their own native place?
In the Old Testament reading from Second Kings, Naaman, a well-respected Aramean commander finds himself stricken with leprosy. Naaman though will find himself confronted with the good news of God’s saving power, but does it come from the King of Aram or the King of Israel? No. In fact, when the King of Israel is given a letter from King of Aram on behalf of Naaman the reaction from the King of Israel is to tear his garments because he takes it as a form of insult because he lacks the power to save Naaman. The King of Israel exclaims, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.”[2]
The good news of God’s saving power comes from the lowliest of places in the ancient world, a slave girl from Israel. The African Bible Commentary notes, “we know that her witness to the saving power of the God of Israel was powerful and convincing. Naaman came to believe that there was a cure in Samaria for his leprosy.”[3]
It’s important for all of us to know in our Christian journey that God desires the proclamation of the Gospel to be given by each of His co-workers whom he sends on mission. St. Paul writes, He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.” [4]
Therefore, God desires each one of us by virtue of our baptism where we were anointed priests, prophets, and kings to actively participate in these offices of Christ. Our mission is not always to stay cozy in our own parishes and neither was it the prophet Elisha’s mission. Our mission is to bring the Gospel to all people—especially those who find themselves outside of the mystical Body of Christ.
St. Peter wasn’t a theologian; he was a fisherman. The girl that proclaimed the good news to Naaman wasn’t a studied spiritual director. In the end, it’s simple, they actually believed in the faith.
So, let’s all go forth and proclaim the Gospel! God loves you! The world and we are fallen, but He sent His Son to save us from the death of sin and bring us to eternal life.
Glory Be to God!
image/ Public Domain “Elisha refusing the gifts of Naaman” (1630) by Pieter de Grebber
[1] Catholic Church, “Dogmatic Constitution on the Church: Lumen Gentium,” in Vatican II Documents (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2011).
[2] English Standard Version Catholic Edition (n.p.: Augustine Institute, 2019), 2 Ki 5:7.
[3] Tokunboh Adeyemo, Africa Bible Commentary (Nairobi, Kenya; Grand Rapids, MI: WordAlive Publishers; Zondervan, 2006), 447.
[4] English Standard Version Catholic Edition (n.p.: Augustine Institute, 2019), 1 Co 3:8–9.