A modern day prophet – who, me?

By Steven Polley

Director, Office of Youth Ministry

Allow me to begin by asking a couple of questions. Are you a modern day prophet, and are there young people you know who could be modern day prophets?

I began with those questions because of a recent event that happened in my life. It was a normal, warm evening back in late August. My wife, Pam, and daughter, Susan, had gone out to eat and I was beginning the process of putting our boat away for the year. I was looking for a tire cover and could not find it in the garage, so I went out to check my tool box to see if by chance it was there. As I was doing so, I saw them coming, two young men on their bicycles, in their white shirts and ties.

Now, there was a time in my life when I would have quickly went into the house to avoid them. But now, I waited on our driveway as they stopped to talk. Of course the first thing they asked me is if they could leave their materials for me to read. I told them thank you but no, as I had my own readings in the Scriptures that I did. I went on to tell them about my time in Adoration and how I used that time to read. They were struck by the words Perpetual Adoration, so they asked me more, and I explained it to them.

Well, in the end, they still had their agenda they had to cover, and today it was this: Did I believe that there was a modern day prophet like Moses walking the earth? I feel like I totally caught them by surprise when I said, well of course. I said that it could be either one of them or even myself. I said that I was certain that God was not going to speak to me from a burning bush, but that we are all called to listen to God’s voice and to help God build the Kingdom here on earth by sharing God’s word with others.

They seemed caught off guard that I would think that either of them could be a modern day prophet. It was like they had never considered this as a possibility. Two very humble young men, but I wonder did they ponder my thoughts later and through this begin to take on a new meaning of what God is calling them to?

I have pondered this encounter many times, even to the point of reading a little more about the Prophets found in the Bible. In the Catholic Youth Bible, it states that “A Prophet first and foremost is a person, or sometimes a group, who speaks for God.” Isn’t this what was happening during this encounter between the three of us? Isn’t this what we are called to do every day of our lives?

Through our baptism we are called to spread God’s word. God uses us and, yes, God uses each of the young people we encounter. Thus, shouldn’t we find ourselves doing a better job of listening to them and to the words they share? Over the years God has spoken to me though our youth. Through these experiences and through these words, I have become a better person. So please take time to listen to our youth. Take more time to see the child of God in them, and recognize God’s presence in their lives, as they become modern day prophets.