Reading 1
1 Kgs 18:41-46
Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink,
for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”
So Ahab went up to eat and drink,
while Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel,
crouched down to the earth,
and put his head between his knees.
“Climb up and look out to sea,” he directed his servant,
who went up and looked, but reported, “There is nothing.”
Seven times he said, “Go, look again!”
And the seventh time the youth reported,
“There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the sea.”
Elijah said, “Go and say to Ahab,
‘Harness up and leave the mountain before the rain stops you.’”
In a trice the sky grew dark with clouds and wind,
and a heavy rain fell.
Ahab mounted his chariot and made for Jezreel.
But the hand of the LORD was on Elijah,
who girded up his clothing and ran before Ahab
as far as the approaches to Jezreel.
Gospel
Mt 5: 20-26
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that
of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.
“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment,
and whoever says to his brother,
‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,
and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there recall that your brother
has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him.
Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,
and the judge will hand you over to the guard,
and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you,
you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”
Meditation: 1 Kings 18:20-39
Answer me, that this people may know that you, Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to their senses. (1 Kings 18:37)
Elijah prayed these words on Mount Carmel when he was asking the Lord to send a fire upon the sacrifice that he had doused with water. He knew that if the Israelites witnessed the Lord’s power, they would repent of their idolatry and turn back to the one, true God.
Elijah’s faith and God’s spectacular response to that faith may seem to have little to do with our lives. After all, Elijah was a great prophet, and we’re just ordinary believers trying to get by in this world. But none of us should think that we can’t manifest God’s power and bring people “back to their senses” (1 Kings 18:37).
Two thousand years of Christian history have shown that nothing is more convincing than the witness of Christian love. Not even Elijah’s pyrotechnics can compare with the way a single, humble believer can be a “living gospel” demonstrating the love that Jesus showed on the cross. What’s more, it doesn’t have to be a super heroic, one-in-a-million love. An unexpected word of kindness, a ready willingness to forgive, a small sacrifice of time or resources, a decision to turn the other cheek over a minor offense: All these actions reveal a God who is alive and who works through the people who call on his name.
If you prefer a more direct approach, something closer to the dramatic scene in today’s first reading, there is always prayer. It takes a certain kind of courage to offer to pray with a person who is struggling in some way. And the situation doesn’t always lend itself to this kind of intervention. But we should always be ready should the opportunity arise. Why? Because not only does shared prayer speak volumes about our love for that person; it also opens the floodgates of God’s blessings, just as Elijah’s prayer brought down the fire of God.
May we all become vessels of God’s love and grace. May the world come to see him through us!
“Father, I want everyone to know about your wondrous deeds. Give me at least one opportunity today to manifest your power and love to someone whose faith is weak.”
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