“No prophet is accepted in his own native place.” Jesus knew this so very well, as the scribes, the Pharisees, and the elders of
the people refused to listen to Christ’s message. It is prophetic that we have this Gospel reading today as we commemorate the
anniversary of the martyrdom of one of the great prophets of the 20th
century – Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador. When chosen as the Archbishop of this Central American country, the rich and
powerful of the country were delighted – they saw him as one of their own. However, Romero saw the reality of the oppression and the atrocities that were
taking place across the land. Romero was not afraid to speak out against these injustices, but this made a
target himself. He was martyred by the military forces of that country on March 24, 1980. Sometimes we don’t hear the truth in the voices of the prophets of our land, as
Jesus points out in today’s Gospel. Word is that Pope Francis is a supporter of the cause of Archbishop Romero – a fellow
Jesuit - for beatification. How many other prophets are speaking out in our faith, but we are refusing to
recognize their message?
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