"The Problem with Pain"
-Video message: Jan 4th, 2012 - Fr. Gregory Ames

Welcome to Guardian Angels
Catholic Church

Dear Friends and Families of Guardian Angels Parish,

A prophet is someone sent from God for the salvation of the people. That's very simple and direct. It has nothing to do with secret messages, with messages that are different from the Gospel, with messages about the end of the world.

God can choose anyone, not just the clergy. For example, Mother Theresa of Calcutta had many beautiful messages from God for our salvation about the value and dignity of human life. Mother Cabrini spoke passionately to the rich about God's need for them to be generous, and it led to their salvation. Joan of Arc received messages from God and was sent to the French people for their salvation. Catherine of Sienna was sent from God for our salvation in her beautiful writings and to call the popes to task for their salvation. God sent the Little Flower to teach us prayer for our salvation. They were prophets in our Church history. There were many more. They all were sent from God for our salvation. I don't know that any of these spoke at all about the end of the world.

What is this fascination with the end of the world? Personally it is one of the most boring conversations I have with people. Prophets are not at all about that. Only in this flakey kardashian culture is it a big stir. Perhaps it is because the real message about salvation which prophets bring to us is challenging and disturbing. Would people rather fixate on the end of the world?

God sends us prophets as God promised in our first reading from Deuteronomy, in the classical prophetic books of the Bible, and in Jesus himself.

The Church teaches us about prophets in the context of the catechism under the topic of the ministries of the Church. In CCC #2004 "Among the special graces ought to be mentioned the graces of state that accompany the exercise of the responsibilities of the Christian life and of the ministries within the Church. " Then we read in Romans 12:6-8 "having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them; if prophecy, in proportion to our faith, if service, in our serving; he who teaches, in his teaching; he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who contributes, in liberality; he who gives aid, with zeal; he who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness." Again, not a word about the end of the world.

Then in the section of the Catechism on Prayer, the Church speaks of prophecy. In CCC #2543: "But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it (the righteousness of God) the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe." (quoting Romans 3: 21-22.) In other words, prophets bear witness to the righteousness of God, which we need always to remember, understand, and act upon as necessary for our salvation. Prophets bear witness. Again, not a mention of the end of the world.

Perhaps the psychology of St. Paul about our anxieties is the best explanation for this phenomenon of fretting about the end of the world. We should be preparing ourselves for the world to God, but we are attached like super glue and Velcro to the things of this world. And the things of this world fill us with the preoccupations and distractions of our attachment, and we then become afraid that this world will end. This world indeed will end.

Let us lift up our hearts in prayer to God who is righteousness and yearn for ourselves and our world to be with God and Jesus and all the holy prophets who have lived and still live in the Church whom God has sent to help us for our salvation.

Prayer stills the human heart from all these things and silences the appetites of the five senses and ceases the motion of our heart and mind like monkeys in scattered directions. Our salvation is not in things of this earth, but in the things of heaven. The prophets remind of this and in their lives have practiced it. We have role models therefore in the lives of these holy women and men.

The Church today, in a world gone mad, helps us for our salvation with a challenging and often unwelcome message about our human priorities. Let us listen prayerfully and carefully to these voices sent from God. Thank you for your faith

Gratefully yours,
Fr. Alan

01/29/2012