“I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I'm a human being, first and foremost, and as such I'm for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.”

“The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie. "One word of truth outweighs the world.” ― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: (1918 –2008: was a Russian novelist, historian, and short story writer.)

Gospel Text: (MT 17:9A, 10-13)

As they were coming down from the mountain,

the disciples asked Jesus,

“Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

He said in reply, “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things;

but I tell you that Elijah has already come,

and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased.

So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.”

Then the disciples understood

that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

We tend to think of a prophet as one who proclaims the Word of the Lord. But one of the chief stories about Elijah concerns him carrying out this role in deed. He challenges the disciples of Baal to forsake their false god, and then when they refuse he puts them to shame by pitting their imaginary god’s power against that of the Lord of Hosts. When Elijah then slays the priests of Baal, a price is put on his head by the pagan queen, forcing him to flee. It’s precisely in the midst of his flight that he encounters the Lord, not in an earthquake or mighty fire, but in a tiny whispering sound.

Neither the life of Elijah nor that of John the Baptist is easy. Both are called to proclaim the goodness of the Lord in words and works, and to challenge people to conform their wayward lives to the Lord’s will. We, as disciples of the Risen Jesus, need to listen to these prophet’s challenges, and rise to them. But beyond that, Jesus wants us to serve Him as prophets in our own day, preparing others for His coming.