JULY262024

The Prophet Jeremiah is exhibit A of the prophetic obligation to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. In Chapter Three Jeremiah gives a nation destroyed and an exiled people hope from the Lord. I will bring you to Zion. I will appoint over you shepherds after my own heart, who will shepherd you wisely and prudently. For Jeremiah, at least part of the problem that has lead to the disaster has been poor leadership. This passage has been used this passage as a call for vocations, that God will provide more priests and religious to serve the Church. The example of Israel might give us pause before seeing that as the solution to whatever crises we are experiencing as Church. It was not the discovery of some dynamic king that restored a Jewish identity but a broadening of the understanding of leadership. Jesus certainly followed that model in appointing apostles and disciples to carry on his ministry. Let us not imagine that some individual leader will make the difference but rather discover the leadership that I possess in my little corner of the world which can help bring about one more step toward the kingdom of God.