“It is not lawful for you to have her.” (Matthew 14: 4).
The speaker of the above words is the Prophet John the Baptist. He paid supreme price for these words. An English author wrote: "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Prophets in the Bible and in history have suffered the brunt of angry women whose loves were threatened. Let's consider a few:
#1. Jezebel would have skinned the Prophet Elijah alive if she had caught him.
#2. "And he [Herod] had John beheaded in the prison." (Matthew 14: 10).
#3. King Henry VIII beheaded St Thomas More in order to marry Anne Boleyn.
Clearly the vocation of a Prophet would rank one of the most dangerous in the world. The concluding verse in today's first Reading is: "But the hand of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, protected Jeremiah, so they did not hand him over to the people to be put to death." (Jeremiah 26: 24). Yet in spite of these clear dangers, the Holy Spirit urges us:
"Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy." (1 Corinthians 14: 1).
That is, pray especially for the gift of prophecy. What is your response?
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