Jul
12
You are a Prophet: Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time (Cycle B)
Amos 7:12–15; Ephesians 1:3–14; Mark 6:7–13
Whom do you think of when you hear the word "prophet?" Do you think of the Old Testament prophets and how they hounded the kings and people of Israel for turning away from the God of Israel? Do you think of self-appointed prophets on their literal or figurative soapboxes ranting about Hellfire and brimstone? Well, I want to say that many prophets, perhaps most, don't even know that they are prophets, and many of them have not even begun to answer God's call.
Amos is a great example because he fits no one's notion of a prophet during the first testamental period. He doesn't earn his living as a prophet but as a shepherd and "dresser of sycamores." In Israel, this is likely to mean a person who cultivates sycamore figs or fig-mulberries.
Whom do you think of when you hear the word "prophet?" Do you think of the Old Testament prophets and how they hounded the kings and people of Israel for turning away from the God of Israel? Do you think of self-appointed prophets on their literal or figurative soapboxes ranting about Hellfire and brimstone? Well, I want to say that many prophets, perhaps most, don't even know that they are prophets, and many of them have not even begun to answer God's call.
Amos is a great example because he fits no one's notion of a prophet during the first testamental period. He doesn't earn his living as a prophet but as a shepherd and "dresser of sycamores." In Israel, this is likely to mean a person who cultivates sycamore figs or fig-mulberries.
