One does not ask for the gift of prophecy.  If one were to ask for this gift, they would not know for what they are asking as the gift of prophecy often feels more like a curse than a gift.  I know this because I am one who has been given this gift. It is not with pride, but with deep humility and some personal agony that I acknowledge this gift.

Prophecy is a many-edged sword.  It allows us to see the sign of the times – to understand what will happen if humanity (or individuals) continues on its current path. With this gift we are provided with the tools and steps that could be taken to turn a path of potential destruction into one of peace, harmony, and fruitfulness.  We are called (compelled, forced) to share what we see and know with an audience that is most often deaf to our words. Herein lies the pain of being a prophet:

• We often find our words and our very selves ignored.
• We are accused of being insane.
• People turn against us for speaking the truth. (Sometimes we don’t even need to speak it.)
• People hate us for seeing the truth they don’t want to see for themselves.
• We are condemned for challenging the world to let go of the status quo and the perceived comfort therein in favor of actions that could lead to a better world.

Being a prophet is a lonely calling for which we don’t get paid.  Prophecy leads not to welcome and acceptance, but to rejection and condemnation. I know this because it is exactly what happened to me – most specifically in my (now former) relationship with the Catholic Church – more generally as it relates to some acquaintances, friends, and the world at large.

No one in their right mind would ask for the gift of prophecy.  

And yet, here it is. As it relates to the gift and calling of prophecy, I take comfort in these words from the prophet Jeremiah:

The word of the LORD came to me, saying:
            Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
                        before you were born I dedicated you,
                        a prophet to the nations I appointed you.

            But do you gird your loins;
                        stand up and tell them
                        all that I command you.
            Be not crushed on their account,
                        as though I would leave you crushed before them;
            for it is I this day
                        who have made you a fortified city,
            a pillar of iron, a wall of brass,
                        against the whole land:
            against Judah’s kings and princes,
                        against its priests and people.
            They will fight against you but not prevail over you,
                        for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.

Jeremiah 1: 4-5, 17-19

As one endowed with the gift of prophecy I have no other choice but to continue in its use – seeing the signs of the times and sharing what I see as a way humanity just might save itself from itself. As Jesus often said, this gift is will be received by “those who have ears to hear.”

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