Monday
of the Third Week of Lent
(II Kings
5:1-15ab; Luke 4:24-30)
Prophetic
truth is almost by definition unpopular.
When Upton Sinclair played the role of prophet denouncing miserable
working conditions in Chicago stockyards, he was shunned. Only when he revealed food contamination did
the public listen to his outcry. Today’s
readings report other instances of dismissal of prophetic judgment.
In the
first reading General Naaman dismisses the prophet Elisha’s advice. Expecting a sophisticated treatment for his
leprosy, he considers the prophet mad for recommending baths in the River
Jordan. Likewise, Jesus’ townspeople are
ready to stone him for criticizing their desire to see him work miracles.
Lent is
time for reconsideration. We should be
thinking about what prophets keep telling us.
President Trump’s endorsement of in vitro fertilization has stirred up
interest in this technological intrusion into human procreation. Prophets rightly point out that IVF is
leading the public into a crisis of identity as well as a mechanistic
mindset.
