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When people hear the word prophet, they often think of someone who predicts the future. In the Bible, that is only part of the picture.
What do you think it means for someone to speak God’s truth in a world that may not want to hear it?
A prophet is not mainly a fortune-teller. A prophet is someone chosen by God to speak God’s message with courage.
Throughout salvation history, God speaks through prophets to guide, warn, challenge, and encourage His people. Prophets call people back to covenant faithfulness, justice, mercy, and hope.
Prophecy has two important dimensions. Foretelling points toward future events revealed by God. Forthtelling speaks God’s truth into the present moment, often challenging injustice, hypocrisy, or empty religious practice.
This lesson focuses not only on famous prophets like Moses, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, but also on call stories, moments when God summons ordinary people to a mission. These stories often include fear, hesitation, reassurance, and finally a mission given by God.
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Biblical call stories show that God often calls ordinary and even reluctant people into extraordinary missions.
Moses encounters God through the burning bush in Exodus 3. God calls him to lead Israel out of slavery in Egypt. Moses objects, saying he is not eloquent and feels unworthy, but God reassures him: “I will be with you.”
Isaiah sees a vision of God’s holiness in the Temple. He feels unclean and unworthy, but an angel purifies his lips with a burning coal. When God asks, “Whom shall I send?” Isaiah responds, “Here I am, send me.” The visual on page 3 of the PDF highlights Isaiah’s raised hands and posture of awe, reinforcing the drama of this call.
Jeremiah is called while young and protests that he does not know how to speak. God tells him not to say he is “only a boy” and promises to put His words in Jeremiah’s mouth. The page 3 image of Jeremiah shows the emotional weight of his mission, fitting his later reputation as the “weeping prophet.”
Prophets comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. They speak truth because God’s people need conversion and hope.
Prophets listen deeply to God’s word. They speak faithfully, even when the message is unpopular. They call people to conversion, care for the poor, and expose false worship when religion becomes empty ritual without justice.
They also face resistance. Elijah was hunted, Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern, and John the Baptist was killed. Prophets often disturb the status quo because truth threatens comfort, pride, and power.
At the same time, prophetic messages are not only negative. Prophets warn, but they also offer hope. Isaiah foretells judgment but also speaks of Emmanuel. Jeremiah announces destruction but also promises a new covenant written on the heart.
Jesus continues the call pattern by summoning ordinary people into mission.
Peter, Andrew, James, and John were fishermen when Jesus called them to follow Him and become “fishers of people.” Matthew was a tax collector. These call stories show that Jesus calls ordinary people, including those others might overlook or judge.
Paul’s call on the road to Damascus is one of the most dramatic in the New Testament. He begins as Saul, a persecutor of Christians. After encountering the risen Jesus, he is blinded, healed, baptized, and sent as a missionary. His story shows that no one is beyond God’s reach.
A call from God does not always look like a burning bush or bright light. Vocation can unfold through prayer, conscience, gifts, wise advice, and the needs of the world. The question is not only “What job do I want?” but “How is God asking me to love and serve?”
Catholics believe public revelation is complete in Christ, but Christians are still called to speak and live God’s truth today.
Modern prophetic voices are not adding new public revelation. Instead, they apply Gospel truth to the needs of the present. They speak clearly about justice, peace, care for creation, human dignity, and the protection of the vulnerable.
Examples include St. Óscar Romero, who spoke against human rights abuses in El Salvador, Dorothy Day, who served the poor through the Catholic Worker Movement, and Pope Francis, whose teaching on care for creation echoes the prophetic tradition.
Page 8 of the PDF connects call stories to personal vocation and career choices. That connection matters because students are not only choosing future jobs. They are learning how their gifts might serve others. A teacher, nurse, social worker, parent, tradesperson, artist, or activist can live a prophetic vocation by serving truth and human dignity.
Prophecy is not only for dramatic biblical figures. Through Baptism, Christians are called to witness to truth.
Catholic teaching says that through Baptism, Christians share in Christ’s priestly, prophetic, and kingly roles. The prophetic role means witnessing to truth through words, choices, courage, and holiness.
The Church continues to listen to the prophets in the liturgy. Advent often features Isaiah’s prophecies about the coming Messiah. Lent often uses prophetic calls to repentance. This keeps the prophetic voice alive in the prayer of the Church.
Saints also show prophetic courage. John the Baptist calls people to repentance and prepares the way for Jesus. St. Catherine of Siena boldly challenged Church leaders to deeper faithfulness. St. Hildegard of Bingen used visionary insight to teach and challenge. The PDF’s “Did You Know?” section also reminds us that women such as Deborah, Huldah, Anna, Catherine of Siena, and Hildegard of Bingen were prophetic voices in Scripture and tradition.
Answer all seven questions. Feedback will appear as you complete each one.
These responses should move beyond summary and show application.
Compare two call stories, such as Moses and Isaiah, or Jeremiah and Paul. How are their reactions different, and what does this teach us about how different people respond to God’s call?
Why can telling God’s truth provoke such strong opposition? Connect this to a modern example, such as correcting a friend, exposing injustice, challenging bullying, or speaking up about an issue people ignore.
Use the whole lesson to explain prophecy, call, and Christian witness.
In one thoughtful response, explain what prophets and call stories teach Catholics about listening to God, speaking truth, facing resistance, and living out one’s vocation today. Include at least three examples from the lesson.
Review your progress, download your report, and then mark the lesson as complete.