Become a Prophetic Voice in the Heart of a Rebellious People

Sermon by Rev. John Paul Shea

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 5, 2015

Saints Peter and Paul Parish, Tucson, AZ

"And he said to me: Son of man: All these bones are the house of Israel: they say: Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost, and we are cut off. Therefore prophesy, and say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I will open your graves, and will bring you out of your sepulchers, O my people: and will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord" (Ezekiel 37:11-13)

Ezekiel prophesizing over the dry bones
of Israel 

We are all called to be a prophet!

In today’s first reading, we hear from the Prophet Ezekiel 2:2-5. Ezekiel lived about 600 years before the birth of Jesus, and he was called by God to be a prophet… 

As we know, there were many prophets in the Old Testament such as the Prophet Jeremiah, the Prophet Samuel, the prophets Jonah or Elijah… The last prophet in the Bible was John the Baptist who proclaimed the coming of our Lord Jesus.

Most often, God called prophets in times of crisis to direct the people in the path of righteousness. This was the role of Ezekiel. 

Like most prophets, Ezekiel was called not simply to proclaim God’s message to the society he lived under at the time, but he was particularly called to proclaim God’s message to his own people, the Israelites, who had rebelled against God. “I am sending you to the Israelites who have rebelled against me."

Ezekiel incessantly prophesied the destruction of  Jerusalem and its temple. Like  the Prophet Jeremiah, who was living in Jerusalem at that time, Ezekiel would witness the fulfillment of the prophetic message of God when Jerusalem was finally sacked by the Babylonians in 587 BC.

My brothers and sisters, just as God called Ezekiel to proclaim His Word in the time of

Baptism of Jesus. Our Baptism imposes an
obligation on us to proclaim the Truth. 

the Israelites who had turned from God, He is calling each one of us to proclaim His truth today. We are each called to be a prophet for Our Lord by virtue of our Baptism.

Being a prophet doesn’t mean that we are called to go out into the desert and live on locusts and honey. Nor does it mean that we must walk around the streets yelling, “Repent!” No. To be a prophet simply means that we learn God's law and His word and proclaim it by the ways in which we live our lives.

Being a prophet for Our Lord is not easy. In fact, most of the Old Testament prophets did not want to speak God’s word because they knew it would bring enemies.

But, we are reminded that our faith is not about being liked. It is not about saying what others want to hear. Our faith is not about being popular. In fact, our Lord Jesus Himself,

Christ Beaten, Scourged &
Crowned with Thorns

who was the greatest prophet, says that we will be hated on account of His name. And, of course, we all know what happened to Jesus for proclaiming the truth.

Our call as a prophet for God demands that we recognize the times in which we live. We are called to understand current society in light of God’s Word. 

As the Prophet Ezekiel was sent to the Israelites by God to denounce their godless ways, we, too, by our Christian life are called to denounce the godlessness of the culture we live in today.

This weekend, our country celebrates Independence Day. The United States began only 239 years ago with the understanding that our nation is  a blessing from God! For most of our history, we lived under God’s law. But it is no longer so. We have now become a nation that has turned away from God and His Law!

Pope Francis just came out with an encyclical on the environment. He urges the nations of the world to “build a better future” by seeking common solutions to environmental problems. Yes, God wants us to take care of the environment, but that requires what is most important for our world today -- conversion of heart.

We can strive to cut down on carbon emissions and reduce pollution, but if this country and world does not strive to radically eliminate personal and social sin with its multitude of rotten addictions, then our society will not be able to avoid the impact of the impending train wrecks that are already upon us! 

Just the fact that more than one million babies are legally murdered in the womb in this country each year is enough to bring about chastisement upon our nation! And now the courts have made same sex "marriage" the law of the land. Legalization of same sex "marriage" will have a disastrous effect because it is a decision that rebels against God! This decision will also be a litmus test for every Catholic: do we follow God’s prophetic message to be a witness for holy matrimony, or do we go along to get along? 

Every time the Israelites rebelled against God they suffered defeat. Our country will suffer the same if we do not let God lead us. History repeats itself. 

Fr. John Paul Shea 

My brothers and sisters, our country, our people, our world needs to turn back to God! Today’s Psalm 123 says, “Our eyes are fixed on the Lord pleading for His mercy.”

Fix your eyes on the Lord. Plead for God’s mercy. We have become a rebellious nation!

But what is even worse is that rebellion has infiltrated the Church itself. As the Israelites turned form God to follow the false gods of their neighbors, many in our Church have abandoned the teachings handed down to us from the apostles to follow the false gods of our culture: materialism, sex, and pleasure. More than 80 percent of American Catholics use contraception even though our Church teaches that it is wrong, according to statistics.  And according to the same surveys, 54 percent of Catholics favor the legalization of same sex "marriage"!

Pope Saint John Paul II, who is one of the greatest prophets of our current era, warned us about the state of our Church today.
When he came to the United States in 1976, as then Cardinal Wojtyla, he said, “We are NOW standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through. I do not think that wide circles of the American society or wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully. We are NOW facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the

Cardinal Karol Wojtyla who
was later elected Pope John
Paul II

Gospel versus the anti-Gospel. This confrontation lies within the plans of Divine Providence.”

My brothers and sisters, God is looking for faithful Catholics today. He is looking for prophets to proclaim the truths of our faith to a godless society and generation. Let us recognize the seriousness of the times we live in today and turn to the Lord. Let us be His prophetic voice of truth in our homes, our families, our work places and wherever He may send us. May God bless us and help us!

The people are waiting for your words #Speak 

Did you enjoy this homily? Fr. John Paul Shea has published many more on this blog. Visit How Desperate Are We For God? to hear last Sunday's sermon. 

Just Discovered! The Gospel of Symbols

by Lawrence Fox

"Oh, if only the Bible said what I think it should!" (21st Wisecracker saying of Susan Fox)

"Only a man who knows the Gospels inside and out can make a parody of the false interpretation," (34th Wisecracker saying of Susan Fox)

Author Theo-Symbolicus

These are  the hidden words that the Savior spoke while appearing among his apostles and companions, which I, Theo-Symbolicus, collected and wrote down so that you may have fellowship with us and know that the Kingdom of God is found within appearance and symbol.

“Now since it has been said that you are my apostles and true companions, examine yourself and understand the appearance of things. You who have ears must not listen and you with eyes must not see. In this way you will reform your senses and recognize that substance is symbol and existence is a reform against the physical."  

On the third day of their journey, the Savior and his apostles and companions attended a wedding. Mary came to Savior and said, “They have no more wine and not yet drunk?” Savior responded, “Woman, how does this concern me and you, my hour has not arrived?” Mary said to the servants, “Do not listen if he speaks in hyperbole.” 

So the Savior hearing their thoughts, plainly commanded the servants to fill six stone jars with water to the rim. He then plainly commanded them to draw some out from the jars and give it to the master of ceremony. They did so and the master tasted the water now turned into grape juice. The master then said to the bridegroom, “People normally

serve the best wine first and when the people have had their fill, the less quality wine but you have reserved the most wonderful grape juice till now.” This was the first of the Savior’s appearances. And that is why his apostles and companions celebrate his memory using bread and grape juice.

The Savior spoke to Nicodemus, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he born from above with water symbolically and spirit literally.” Nicodemus responded, “How can a man be born from above? All things above are invisible and hidden and therefore their substance is symbolic in nature. To reach this new life with us, you who have ears must not listen and

"Plug your nose, George, there's incense."
"What? I can't hear you."

you with eyes must not see and you with lips must not taste and you with nose must no longer use incense. In this way you will reform your senses and recognize that substance is symbol and existence is a reform against the physical. Until all substance is gone you cannot worship the Father in Spirit and Truth.”

The Savior said to his apostles and companions, “Who do you say that I am?”

Thomas said, “Savior, my mouth is wholly incapable of saying whom you are like?"

Matthew said, “You are like a wise philosopher.”

Simon, son of John said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”

The Savior responded, “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you. You are intoxicated with wine. Therefore I shall name you ‘the insignificant stone (Peter)’ and upon you this pebble will rise up an appearance of my church which the gates of hell with never overcome. To you pebble, I will give symbolic keys. What you appear to open will be opened and what you appear to close will be closed.”

The other apostles worried about the meaning of the Savior's words. The Savior then said to Thomas, “This heaven will pass away and the one above it will pass away. The dead are not

Fake keys, not real ones 

alive and the living will not die. Remain with Peter and your unity will remain invisible to others. No one will know where you, my apostles, have planted your feet or established my words. In this way, Satan will not know whom to attack.”

The Savior said to his apostles and companions, “If you fast you will give rise to sin for yourselves. And if you pray without ceasing you will be condemned. Those who remain celibate for the Kingdom, will be lost. For your works possess no substance. And that which does not exist in this life will certainly have no value before my Father in the next life?"

While moving through the towns a woman rejoiced, “Blessed is the womb who gave you flesh and the breast that nourished you?” The Savior responded, “All bodies of men are like beasts and begotten irrationally. My mother

"Ma, is that Jesus' Daddy?"
"No son. That is a demiurge.
Jesus' Daddy is God the Father."

conspired with demiurges and conceived me in death. But it is the Pleroma my Father in the Heaven above all Heavens who gives me life.”

The Savior said to the Jews, “I am the appearance of a door to heaven. Those who wish to reach the Father must reject nature.”

The Savior said to the Jews, “I am the appearance of bread from heaven. I am the bread which came down from heaven. I speak to you in hyperbole, unless you eat an appearance of the flesh of the son of man and drink an appearance of his blood, you have no life within you.”

The Savior said to the Jews, “For the symbol of my flesh is real food and the symbol of my blood is real drink. By participating in symbols you will abide in me and I will abide in you and raise you up on the last day.”

Many of his disciples said, “These are hard sayings. How can a person be saved by eating the symbol of flesh and drinking the symbol of blood?” Many of his disciples left him that day since they understood worship as consisting of both visible and invisible?

The Savior turned and said to his remaining apostles, “Do want to leave also.” Peter (little pebble) responded, “To whom shall we go? You speak the words of eternal appearance. We believe you are the Holy One. We know you always speak in hyperbole and symbol.”

On the night before the Savior was to receive the death due to his mother conspiring with the demiurges, he celebrated the Passover with his apostles and companions. The Savior prayed, “Father, I pray that they may appear to be one and you and I appear to be in likeness. In this way, the world will know that you sent me when they discover the oneness is an appearance of truth.”

After praying, the Savior then took the loaf, blessed it, broke it, and distributed it to them saying, “Take and eat. This is a symbol of my body which shall be broken for many. Do this act as a symbolic memory of me.” In the

Jesus pouring the Welch's Grape Juice for
Symbolic Last Supper 

same way, he took the cup filled with grape juice and said, “This is the symbolic cup of my blood. Take and drink as a symbolic memory of me.”

The Savior after His Resurrection entered the room in which his apostles and companions were hiding for fear of the Jews. The Savior breathed upon his apostles and said, “I am sending the Holy Spirit upon you so that you deal with sins symbolically. Those sins you forgive are symbolically forgiven so that the faith of your disciples remains rooted in which is appearance and separated from substance. Those sins you hold bound are symbolically bound so that the sins of your disciples remain united to substance.”

The Savior then met with his apostles and companions one last time. He said, “Go and make disciples of all nations, immersing them symbolically into my death and resurrection with all the authority of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

Paul writing to the Church in Corinth said, “Is not our participating in bread symbolic of our participation in the body of Christ? “Is not our participating in the cup also symbolic of our participation in the body of Christ? For whoever eats and drink this symbolic meal as if it is literal is eating and drinking condemnation to themselves. That is why some of you are sick and dead because you considered the Lord’s Supper as something Sacred and Literally Real instead of being symbolic and only bread and only grape juice."

These are the hidden words that the Savior spoke while appearing among his apostles and companions, which I,Theo-Symbolicus, collected and wrote down so that you may have fellowship with us and know that the Kingdom of God is found within appearance and symbol. To reach this new life with us, you who have ears must not listen and you with eyes must not see and you with lips must not taste and you with nose must no longer use incense. In this way you will reform your senses and recognize that substance is symbol and existence is a reform against the physical. Until all substance is gone you cannot worship the Father in Spirit and Truth.”

Did you enjoy this piece? Here is the serious version of this post: Who Were the Nicolaitans? A Mystery Decoded

Other Satires by Lawrence Fox:

U.S. President Creates Bureau of Vital Fetal Organs

Denver Night Trolling 

A Fairy Tale of Categorical Proportions

For the Obama Lady: New Product from Smoke and Mirrors!

The LGBT Agenda: Why We Care When Others are Doing "I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT!"

And the Great Classic: Adam Was a White Man from Baltimore 

Anglos Living the Life of the Migrant

 by Lawrence Fox

Navigating the motorway in search of nuevo fascination. 

Leaving the hullabaloo of urban home and occupation.

Traversing the motorway in search of mojo destination.

Tweaking the radio and pegging out the agitation.

A quien le importa as the wireless blares.

The road rises like a sparkling flare.

Leaving the hubbub of urban home and occupation.

Coxing the coche with rápido intention.

View and vistas garnishing poco attention.

Snooping stations is nuestros present captivation.

Hasta la vista to our urban home and occupation.

Traversing the motorway in search of nuevo restoration.