Prophetic Requests

(Note: Today’s guest blogger is Peter Veitch, OSB. Peter is a member of the Spiritus community (if you go to Friday noon services you will know him from there!), an artist, a retired RCSD school teacher, devoted spiritual seeker and member of the Benedictine order. We’re fortunate to have him lend his vision and reflections today. Also, somehow this post – while scheduled for today – also went out yesterday afternoon. Apologies for the double posting, but we wanted to be sure it was your Monday reflection…)

In today’s first reading we hear the story of the healing of army commander Namaan.

Namaan was initially resistant to the method the prophet Elisha recommended for his leprosy. He expected a more glamorous solution to the problem, befitting his station. He wanted a little magic, being told to bathe seven times may have been a bit ego bruising for him. He had also probably grown a bit more comfortable giving orders and directions than following them, and he certainly wasn’t used to cooperating with the advice of his servants.

Upon surrendering, after a brief tantrum, Namaan was delighted to be restored to good health.

In the Gospel reading, Jesus refers to Namaan’s healing after asserting ‘no prophet is accepted in his own native place.’ This angered his listeners who must have known they were being compared with a comically stubborn character, one who was in his own way, despite his elevated social position.

The story ends ominously with Jesus’ narrow escape from being hurled over the cliff atop the hill Nazareth was built on by the angry townsfolk. The Gospel writer foretells the fate Jesus would meet in Jerusalem, which is sadly, the fate of many prophets and truth tellers.

On March 12, 1977, a prophet from our own time, Father Rutilio Grande, SJ was gunned down by a government sanctioned death squad in El Salvador. He was the first priest killed in a civil war that would claim at least 75,000 lives. Embracing the spirit of Vatican II’s call to live the Gospel message with those on the margins, he was identified as a threat to the corrupt government and murdered.

His death was the turning point, or ‘conversion’, of his longtime friend, the newly consecrated Archbishop, Oscar Romero. Romero took up what would be his cross on that day, and became a more vocal, passionate force for justice within El Salvador. He met a similar fate on March 24^th, 1980, when he too was murdered by state sponsored assassins while celebrating mass.

Both of those devout, introverted, prayerful priests would have preferred a different sort of ministry, but once they recognized the suffering of those whom they were called to serve they chose to respond in faith, despite their personal fears and the knowledge of the violent end awaiting them.

Where is the Good News in all of this? What crosses are we being called to take up? Who is suffering in our midst?

While most of us will not be required to surrender life and limb, we might be in a bit of denial around the danger some of us are currently facing. LGBTQIA+ folks are under imminent threat due to recent power shifts on the Supreme Court, in congress and in state and local legislatures. Laws are being proposed and have recently passed that will lead to frightening challenges for us, especially our most vulnerable community members, our trans youth.

In the last few months Lauren Urzetta Frey and I have been building an LGBTQIA+ and Allies Small Christian Community at Spiritus. Please consider attending our monthly gatherings, your help is needed. They are not gloomy, in fact the next one is a social/game night gathering. On other evenings we have scheduled speakers to broaden awareness of issues our community is confronting. Most of our gatherings are hybrid, you can attend from home via Zoom.

I’m praying that you will respond to this prophetic request. We need you. These are uneasy times, please consider joining us as we negotiate this uncertain journey.