“Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily. For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; if it delays, wait for it, it sill surely come, it will not be late. The rash man has no integrity, but the just man, because of his faith, shall live.”
These words from the first reading for mass today, from the book of the prophet Habakkuk, seem to be out of date. The visions and prophecies that the prophets received were something that happened in ancient times, but they do not seem to be applicable in our modern times. Many Catholics question the legitimacy of the gift of prophecy or they believe that people no longer have this gift in our day and age. While it is true that God sent the prophets to foretell the coming of Christ, it does not mean that prophecy or visions are a thing of the past. Many modern saints also had visions and the gift of prophecy, like Saint Padre Pio.
God still gives the gifts of prophecy and visions to modern people, including the average person. It is not necessarily a sign of a higher degree of holiness than everyone else, if a person has the gift of prophesy. God is the one who makes the gift holy. A person is not necessarily any holier than others if they have this ability, because it is a sheer gift from God. It helps to be free of mortal sin though, and honestly attempting to grow near to Jesus and have a deeper relationship with him.
The gift of prophecy requires a more sensitive awareness of the Holy Spirit’s presence and workings in your life. A person who is not accustomed to listening to the promptings or workings of the Holy Spirit though, will not recognize the gift of prophecy and it runs the risk of lying dormant. Many people have this gift, but are not aware that they do, or else they do not trust that their gift is genuine.
There are Catholics in the Charismatic movement that are specially trained to guide others to discover whether they genuinely have this gift or not. It also helps to write down any unusual occurrences, or unusual dreams that you have (just like today’s first reading says), because it will help you learn to detect the ones that come true or not. Over a long period of time, it can be God’s way of validating the genuineness of the gift you have received, and to trust God and His gift as well.
That takes faith. It requires an above average level of faith to trust in the spiritual gifts God sometimes gives to people, and this is what Jesus is talking about in today’s gospel. The faith of a mustard seed can move mountains. Without a strong faith and trust in the Lord, we are not open and receptive enough to receive these supernatural gifts and they remain dormant in us, much like the disciples in today’s gospel.
The disciples did not really believe that they could heal the boy with epileptic seizures. Christ had given them the gift of healing, but they did not fully believe in this gift, or trust it yet. Christ admonished his disciples to have a deeper trust in the gift they had received.
There are modern day Charismatic Catholics who have been genuinely given the ability to heal people. It is a rare thing for them to heal cancer, or other serious illnesses, but there are genuine, documented cases of that happening.
Many of the saints also had the gift of healing and prophecy too. It isn’t just in ancient times that people have been blessed with an unusual gift like this. These spiritual gifts are not given to make a person appear to be more holy than other people. These gifts demonstrate God’s presence among us and are for the benefit of the entire church, not just an individual.
Prayer is the key to growing closer to God and to trust Him more, but it is also a means for God to be able to trust you more too. It’s not the gifts we are given that is important in His eyes, it is what we do with them that matters. If we were to be given a supernatural gift from God, would it be used to serve ourselves? Or serve others?
Daily Mass Readings:
Habakkuk 1: 12-24 / Psalm 9 / Matthew 17: 14-20
