When I was young, my primary understanding of the value of the prophets was in the way Christians believed they predicted the coming of the messiah. It was only much later, when I was in college, and then later in my graduate studies, that I gained a greater understanding of who they were and why their texts should be read and engaged. I saw how vital their work was and why it was a terrible disgrace that many Christians only looked to them as proof-texts concerning the way Jesus fulfilled messianic prophecies. The prophets spoke from and revealed to their audience the pathos of God, or at least, the portion of that pathos which they had themselves apprehended (as the pathos of God, like every quality of God, transcends human comprehension). It was their experience of this pathos which inspired them and provoked them to speak and write. This became especially clear to me after I read Abraham Heschel’s book, The Prophets, while at Xavier, one of many interesting books which were used in a course I took on the Holy Spirit. Heschel showed me that the prophets were moved by injustices in the world because of God’s contention against those injustices; God’s pathos could be seen in God’s wrath at those who exploited the poor, the hurt, the needy and the vulnerable. As the messiah is also a prophet, a prophet like unto Moses, it should not be surprising that Jesus continues to present to us the pathos of God, indeed, reveals it in a way which completes all former revelation, so that in and through his temporal ministry, we can see him consistently reinforcing the principles of the prophets who came before him: the poor must be helped, not exploited, and the rich, who have gained their wealth on the backs of the poor, whom they have abused, are warned they shall suffer a similar fate as those the previous prophets condemned in their own times. For Christians, the messiah, to be sure, is not just a prophet, but also the incarnate God-man, which is why in and through him, revelation, including the revelation of the heart of God, is complete; he not only continued the prophetic heritage which he inherited, he strengthened and affirmed it, promoting it to one of universal value, and its teachings should be heeded by all Christians.
My appreciation of the prophetic legacy became enhanced when I studied and explored the depths of Catholic social doctrine; one of its main sources is the prophets and their decrees against injustice, decrees which were spoken against religious and secular leaders alike. Catholic social teaching makes it clear that God’s love for humanity is revealed in and through God’s promotion of justice, that those who undermine the dignity of some, especially the most vulnerable in society, fight against God and God’s ways (and so, can be said to be sinner). Once again, the teachings of Christ confirmed the universal validity of this, as he shows us, in a way no others have, the heart of God, the love God had for humanity, the way God wants all of humanity to be treated and shown with respect and dignity; he was willing to do all he could to lift humanity up and receive every good gift which we need for our salvation and glorification. Jesus wants us to follow suit, making sure we show each other proper respect and love, doing what we can to promote the good of each other, and therefore, for the common good. My initial foray Catholic social teaching came from my study of various patristic sources, like St. Basil and St. John Chrysostom, was reinforced my various readings from scholastic theologians, and was completed by my professional theological studies as I was encouraged to read through its modern developments. To be sure, the Sophiologists, and their friends, like S. L. Frank and Nikolai Berdyaev, served as a bridge between my patristic studies and the concerns of the modern age.
I am quite sure, most Christians take the prophets in a way similar to the way I did before my studies. They view the prophets primarily in respect to their messianic prophecies, secondarily, for the predictions of what was going to happen to Israel, using the way the predictions concerning Israel verified they were authentic prophets so that their messianic prophecies could then be seen as valid. They do not understand, as I did not understand, what tied the prophecies together was the way they all worked to reveal something about the pathos of God, how God’s justice and mercy, wrath and love, are all connected together in the way God judges and saves us all.
This is why, time and time again, I keep thinking about the message of the prophets, the warnings they gave, and the warnings which Jesus continued to give, concerning mistreatment of the poor for the sake of the rich and powerful, when I hear Christians in the United States promoting the rich and powerful, and their pleasures, over the basic needs of the poor and vulnerable. I cannot help but think of what the prophets would say to those who ignore or exploit the vulnerable all the while invoking God in what they do. It certainly comes to mind when I see what Trump and the Republicans desire to do with their so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” because it is all about finding ways to give more and more money and power to those who are wealthy while ignoring and undermining the common good, destroying the livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable. Similarly, I could hear them lament about the way the Supreme Court has undermined the power of the lower courts, so that no court cannot properly stop Trump’s troubling executive orders. Now the people of the United States truly find themselves as unequals, as some states and federal courts will protect the basic rights and privileges guaranteed by the Constitution, while others will not; in some states, the 14th Amendment with its birthright citizenship will remain in force, while in others, it can now be ignored, as federal judges are no longer able to put up universal injunctions against actions Trump takes that go directly against the Constitution itself. The poor are told they have to go to court, one at a time, to validate their rights, but of course, they don’t have the means or resources to do so – universal injunctions helped protect them against grave violations of their rights, but now nothing will stop Trump and his administration from further undermining the rights of the poor and vulnerable, even as they will have no one to put an end to bills sent to Trump by a Congress which is desirous to make sure their friends, and themselves, get richer by taking as much as they can from the poor.
If I were filled with the spirit of God, like the prophets, if I had the pathos of God speaking through me, I would have better words to use as I warn the United States, its leaders, and the religious authorities who helped such bad leaders come into power, in a way similar to the way the prophets spoke in their respective times. But, as it stands, I can only say: Beware, you might think you have got what you wanted, you might think you have fooled the people, and for a time, you might have, but you have not fooled God. God will not be mocked. Restore what you have taken away from the poor and vulnerable. Make sure they will have their basic needs, their basic rights, protected along with their human dignity, lest you find one day that you will suffer the fate which you have made for them.
* This Is Part LXIX Of My Personal (Informal) Reflections And Speculations Series
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