If you read the books of the prophets in the Old Testament, you might notice that they were not very popular. Most were killed or exiled because they challenged people (especially the rulers of the people) to follow the commands of God. John the Baptist (who could be called the last Old Testament prophet and the first prophet of the New Testament) suffered the same way. So what kept the prophets going?
First of all, the prophets had faith in God. They believed that God spoke through them, they believed that God’s people must obey his commandments faithfully and love the Lord above all things. They had faith that God would protect them and support them, and that God would always keep His promises.
Second, they had patience. They kept going when people rejected their preaching. They patiently waited for God to keep those promises, sometimes for the rest of their lives. Some prophets had to be patient with their own weaknesses or their failure to change the behavior of the people of Israel.
The third gift of the prophets was hope: That by keeping God’s commands, God’s people would be renewed, along with all of creation. Our first reading is an example of such hope, with its descriptions of deserts becoming gardens and the sick and disabled being healed and strengthened.
So what do we learn from those prophets? First, we need to keep our faith in God strong. If you go to church once a week, the bare minimum, it would be like exercising only once a week and thinking that will keep you in shape. Prayer, for our spiritual health, is an exercise just as important as aerobics for physical health.
Second, we need patience and not just with our kids. We need to be patient with ourselves and with God. Some people stop going to church because they don’t see any spiritual growth in themselves. So be patient; don’t expect to become a saint right away. Sometimes even saints could not see their own spiritual growth.
Finally, the gift of hope helps us be patient because we trust that God will keep his promises and give us whatever we need. The reading from Isaiah gives us hope that God will open our eyes of faith, clear our ears to hear His word, (Is 35:5) and “meet him with joy and gladness” (Is 35:10).
Tom Schmidt, Diocesan Publications