The Blessing and Reward of a Prophet. In today’s gospel, we read about rewards that await acts of generosity. Beyond being rewarded for a good deed, there seems to be a particular of blessing and reward bestowed on those who bless and or attend to the needs of a prophet.
Who is a prophet? A prophet is someone who speaks on behalf of God. Is there a unique reward designated to a prophet? Yes! It seems to be preeminent access to God. Does it mean some people have better access to God than others? No. It simply means that proximity to a given target makes a difference (Cf. Acts 10:34ff; Rom. 2:11ff).
In the Old Testament, prophets are specifically called, commissioned, and sent by God, sometimes by the Lord Himself and other times through an already-established prophet. In the New Testament Scriptures, the coming of Christ in the human flesh changed the way prophetic missions are given (Cf Hebrew 1:1ff). While there are still prophets, just like in the Old Testament, every baptized Christian has received the prophetic grace to be a mouthpiece of God in different degrees. In the Old Covenant, the Spirit of God comes to designated individuals (such as The Patriarchs, Priests, Judges, Prophets, and Kings) for specific missions. In the New Testament, the Spirit of God is given to all believers. The Spirit of God is the source of prophecy (Cf. 2 Peter 1:21). Do you believe in Christ? You are a prophet! Is the Holy Spirit resident in you? You are a prophet!
How to Exercise Your Prophetic Mandate
The idea of being a mouthpiece of God is not new. It was in the original Divine plan that humankind would mirror the image of God. Christ restored the image distorted by our disobedience. St Augustine comments that one of the effects of the original sin is the darkening of the mind and weakening of the will. The grace of baptism enlightens our minds and strengthens our resolve to obey God. It is within the restoration package which Christ gives that we find our co-sharing invitation to be part of Christ’s priestly, prophetic, and kingly duties. We exercise our priestly role through prayer (different from the ministry of the ordained priest). In serving one another through various ways as we use our gifts daily, we exercise our kingly mission.
We see our prophetic essence in that no one likes to be told lies. Everyone has a default expectation of being told the truth. We desire the truth. We expect the fact. And, we live and tell the truth all because we are made for the Truth—Christ Himself (Cf. John 14:6). But we know we do not always live up to the expectation. In declaring the reward of a prophet crucial, Jesus reveals the blessings attached to a life of sincerity, honesty, and truth.
The woman of Shunem who took care of Prophet Elisha (Cf. 2 Kings 4:8ff) received the reward of a prophet through the Prophet in the sense that Elisha’s intercession to God opened to her the door of the blessing of a child. Christ, the greatest of all Prophets (and more than a prophet), opens to us all the treasures of heaven if we allow ourselves to be channels of the truth, prophetic missionaries.
