Word to the Wise
Sunday, September 26, 2021 - 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time - B
[Num 11:25-29; Jas 5:1-6; Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48]"Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the people of the Lord were prophets! Would that the Lord might bestow his spirit on them all!" [Numbers] "Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us." Jesus replied,"Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us." [Mark]
Who can claim to be spirit-filled and speak in the name of Jesus? Going all the way back to Moses, the question of who may speak for God or in the name of God has always been around. One of the primary claims of the Protestant Reformation was the empowerment of the ordinary believer in contrast with those who claimed to be the only preachers - those ordained to Holy Orders. The reaction in Catholicism was to lock all preaching up in Holy Orders and even forbid Catholics from individual reading of the Bible! With the recovery of the primacy of Baptism in the theology of the Second Vatican Council came the empowerment of the People of God as "missionary disciples" (to use Pope Francis' term).
The "power of the pulpit" is still restricted somewhat in regard to the celebration of the Eucharist and other sacramental events, but outside those the field is open. Most people don't spend the majority of their time at sacramental events. Preaching can happen anywhere by anyonel
Of course, this raises the question of "quality control," a problem that has also been around since the beginning of time. There have always been "false prophets." St. Paul complained about preachers who were presenting the gospel in unacceptable ways. From time to time the Pope or an Ecumenical Council must clarify and strengthen the Tradition (capital T) so that it doesn not get muddied and distorted by "traditions" (small t) that are human inventions. The best assurance of faithful preaching is knowledge of the Tradition. One need not attend a seminary to become knowledgeable enough to preach, but one should have a knowledge of the content of Catholic faith that is appropriate for one's education and the people one serves as a "prophet" or preacher!
Our empowerment to be faithful witnesses (and our sharing of our faith) is given to us in the sacrament of Baptism. Jesus and Moses express the wish that we would use that power to witness to the truth about God. AMEN