A prophetic moment last week in Washington, D.C.:
The famed cellist Yo Yo Ma was on his way to the Kennedy Center to rehearse for a performance later that evening. As his car approached the Russian Embassy, the musician aske the driver to stop. Ma got out of the car and took his cello from the trunk – then, on the sidewalk in front of the gate of the Russian Embassy, Yo Yo Ma began to play:
The Ukrainian anthem.
A cyclist riding by recognized Ma and stopped. Ma greeted him warmly and explained why he was playing outside the embassy: “Everyone has to do something.” The cyclist recorded Yo Yo Ma’s impromptu performance and the video aired that evening on Washington television.
That evening at the Kennedy Center, Ma, pianist Emanuel Ax and violinist Leonidas Kavakos played Ukraine’s national anthem – prompting the entire audience to stand in unity.
Yo Yo Ma has been among the many public figures who have spoken out strongly against Russian’s invasion on Ukraine.
Yo Yo Ma’s impromptu act was a prophetic act. The word prophet comes from the Greek word meaning to proclaim. To act prophetically is to see the truth and to understand how the truth can transform the present. To be prophetic requires courage, it challenges us to move beyond our own world, our own interests, our own concerns.
Prophets are not dissuaded because the issues are too complex or because there is risk involved in speaking the truth, or advocating for justice.
May we find the courage to take whatever we have, our voices, our computers, our cellos, our talents, to proclaim the good and challenging news of the Gospel.