Saint Ignatius of Antioch
“Therefore, the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles; some of them they will kill and persecute’”
Luke 11:47-54
In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus is accusing us of silencing contemporary prophetic voices.
I think of Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Oscar Romero and in Nicaragua, Bishop Orlando Alvarez. Even our Pope Francis has been openly criticized and ‘silenced’ for teaching Vatican II documents.
I think of the global silencing of persons speaking up for their faith beliefs in many developing and developed countries of the world. I think of the global persecution of Christians. I think of a baker, in a developed country, charged because he refused to make a wedding cake symbol for an all-male marriage.
Often, we read the Gospels as if they were events of the past. Today’s Gospel challenges us to see them also as events of contemporary life. As in Biblical times, the silence of the majority, allowed the powers that be to kill and silence the prophets.
Today, Jesus’ words challenge us to examine ourselves.