prophets of our Time

Prophets are seldom recognized in their own time. Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekial, Micah, all the Old Testament prophets failed to be accepted by their communities. They often suffered abuse and rejection by their own people. It was no different for Jesus who was persecuted and endured an excruciating death from his own people whose leaders betrayed him. 

In more recent times it is no surprise that Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton met opposition during their lifetimes.They spoke against injustices and advocated a change in the way others were treated. Mahatma Ghandi led his people to break the chains of English control of India through non-violent action. King is considered a hero by all Americans, but especially Black Americans for his cry for justice. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. who spoke out for women's rights, especially the right to vote, overcame much prejudice. After their deaths they were honored as prophets, as people who spoke truth to power.

Who are our prophets today? I would propose Bishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, Nelson Mandela of South Africa, and Greta Thunberg, the young climate activist from Sweden. Mandela succeeded in bringing about a peaceful revolution in South Africa. Romero advocated for an end to the persecutions of the poor indigenous people in El Salvador in the 1990s. Thunberg speaks boldly about the need to make immediate, critical changes to save our planet Earth. The first two are dead but their hard work endures and serves as models for other countries.Thunberg, who continues to spread her ardent message around the world, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize this year.

There are certainly other prophets who will rise up in our day, but we need to be careful of the false prophets around us."Only someone who is open to God’s surprises can become a prophet." (Pope Francis)