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From Today's Gospel |
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On Stewardship: |
Much will be required of
the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be
demanded of the person entrusted with more. Luke 12:48
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Elijah
The
Greatest Prophet of the Old Testament
1 Kings 17-22
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Introduction |
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A true son
of the wilderness, he calls home the cliffs
above raging torrents, the caves of the
mountains or the scanty shelter in the
desert.
His clothes
are made of animal skin and he wears leather
girdle. He wears a mantle with miraculous
power. He is swift on his feet and tongue.
His words foretell and “burn like a torch”
at a time that needs such a prophet.
His name is Elijah, the Tishbite, in
reference to his origin. Elijah and Moses
appear with Jesus during the
Transfiguration, which is witnessed by three
disciples.
And this is his story.
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From Out of
Nowhere
Seemingly out of nowhere, Elijah comes and
announces to King Ahab, the king of Israel in the
first half of the ninth century BC, that his
kingdom will soon be struck with a long period of
drought. Elijah says that by the LORD the God of
Israel, whom he serves, there shall be no dew or
rain except at his word.
After delivering the message the LORD commands
Elijah to leave and hide in the Wadi Cherith, east
of the Jordan. The LORD tells Elijah to drink off
the stream and that He has commanded the ravens to
feed him. And Elijah eats the bread and meat in
the morning, and bread and meat in the evening,
brought to him by the ravens. He drinks from the
stream.
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After some
time, however, the brook runs dry,
because no rain had fallen in the land.
So the LORD tells Elijah to move on to
Zarephath of Sidon and stay there, where
the LORD has designated a widow to
provide for him. And so Elijah moves on
to Zarephath of Sidon. When he arrives
at the entrance of the city, he notices
the widow gathering sticks there. He
calls out to her and tells her to please
bring him a small cupful of water to
drink. Then Elijah adds to also bring
back a bit of bread.
The woman then swears by the LORD that
she has no bread but has only a handful
of flour in her jar and a little oil in
her jug. She says that she is just now
collecting a couple of sticks, to go in
and prepare something for herself and
her son; when they have eaten it, they
shall die.
Elijah
tells her to do what she has planned but
to first make a little cake and bring it
to him. Then she can prepare something
for herself and |
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her son.
Elijah reassures her that the LORD the God
of Israel has said that neither shall the
jar of flour go empty, nor the jug of oil
run dry, until the day when the LORD sends
rain upon the earth. |
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She leaves and
does as Elijah had said. As the LORD foretold
through Elijah, her jar of flour does not go
empty, and the jug of oil does not run dry.
She and son are able to eat for a year in the
time of extreme famine.
Some time later
the son of the woman becomes severely ill that
he dies. So she weeps and asks Elijah why he
has come to her to call attention to her guilt
and to kill her son. Moved by her sorrow,
Elijah carries her dead son to the upper room,
and lays him on his bed. Then he begs God to
let the life breath return to the body of the
child. The LORD hears the prayer of Elijah and
revives the child! |
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Elijah Meets
Ahab
On the third year of the drought the LORD tells
Elijah to present himself to Ahab and He may
send rain upon the earth. So Elijah leaves to
present himself to Ahab.
At that time
the famine in Samaria is very severe. So Ahab
summons Obadiah, his vizier, and a zealous
follower of the LORD. Some time back when
Jezebel was murdering the prophets of the LORD,
Obadiah took a hundred of the prophets, hid them
in two caves, and supplied them with food and
drink.
Because of the famine, Ahab then tells Obadiah
that they will now go out and look for all
sources of water and for streams, then look for
grass and save the horses and mules, so that
they may not have to slaughter any of the
beasts.
Dividing the
land to explore between them, Ahab goes one way
by himself, Obadiah another way by himself. On
his way Obadiah meets Elijah. Recognizing him,
Obadiah falls prostrate on the ground. Elijah
then tells Obadiah to go and tell his master,
'Elijah is here!'
Obadiah tells Elijah that Ahab had been looking
for him all over. Obadiah is sure that Ahab will
kill him if he tells him that Elijah is here.
Obadiah tells Elijah that he has saved a hundred
prophets from murder by Jezebel. He also tells
Elijah that after he leaves, spirit of the LORD
will carry him to some place he does not know,
whereas Ahab will kill him.
Elijah then says that he will present himself to
Ahab that day.
The
Challenge at Mount Carmel
So Obadiah goes to Ahab and tells him about
Elijah. Ahab comes to meet Elijah whom he calls
the disturber of Israel. True to his reputation
of not holding back, Elijah charges Agab that he
did not disturb Israel but rather he and his
family did by forsaking the commands of the LORD
and following the Baals. |
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Then Elijah
challenges Ahab to summon all Israel to him on
Mount Carmel, as well as the four hundred and
fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred
prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's
table.
When all Israel and the prophets assemble on
Mount Carmel, Elijah appeals to all the people
that if the
LORD is God, then they must follow him;
however, if Baal, is god then they follow him.
He tells the
prophets of Baal to slaughter a young bull,
cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood,
but start no fire. He shall also prepare
another and place it on the wood, but shall
start no fire. |
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Then he tells the
prophets to then call their gods and he will call
on the name of the LORD. The God who answers with
fire is God. And all the people agree.
After choosing a young bull, the prophets of Baal
prepare it as prescribed by Elijah and then they
call on Baal from morning to noon to answer them.
But there is no sound, and no one answering. And
they hop around the altar they had prepared.
When it was noon,
Elijah taunts them to call louder, for their god
may be meditating, or may have retired, or may be
on a journey, and that perhaps he is asleep and
must be awakened. And they call out louder and
slash themselves with swords and spears, as was
their custom, until blood gushed over them.
Noon passes and they remain in a prophetic state
until the time for offering sacrifice. But there
is not a sound; no one answered, and no one is
listening. |
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Elijah and the
LORD’s Fire
Then Elijah repairs the altar of the LORD which
had been destroyed, takes twelve stones, for the
number of tribes of the sons of Jacob, and builds
an altar in honor of the LORD. Then he makes a
trench around the altar large enough for two seahs
of grain.
He arranges the wood, cuts up the young bull and
lays the meat on the wood. Then he tells the
people to fill four jars with water and to pour it
over the holocaust and over the wood, repeating
the sequence three times. The water flows around
the altar and fills the trench around it.
At the time for offering sacrifice, the
prophet Elijah comes forward and calls on the
LORD to answer him so that this people may
know him as the LORD.
Then the LORD'S fire
comes down and consumes the holocaust, wood,
stones, and dust, and it laps up the water in
the trench! |
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Seeing this, all the people fall prostrate and
declare that the LORD is God! The LORD is God!
The Prophets of
Baal |
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Then Elijah
tells the people to seize all the prophets of
Baal. When all the prophets of Baal are
captured and brought to Elijah, he brings them
down to the brook Kishon and there he slits
their throats.
Then he tells
Ahab to go up, eat and drink, for there is the
sound of a heavy rain coming. So Ahab goes to
eat and drink, while Elijah climbs to the top
of Carmel, crouches down to the earth, and
puts his head between his knees.
Then Elijah
directs his servant to climb up and look out
to sea, but the servant sees nothing. Elijah
repeats this order and on the seventh |
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time, the youth
reports seeing a cloud as small as a man's hand
rising from the sea. Then Elijah tells his servant
to go to Ahab and tell him to leave the mountain
before the rain stops him.
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The sky grows
dark quickly with clouds and wind, and a heavy
rain falls. Ahab mounts his chariot and leaves
for Jezreel. But the hand of the LORD is on
Elijah, who girds up his clothing and runs
before Ahab as far as the approaches to
Jezreel.
Ahab tells his wife Jezebel all that Elijah
had done and that he had put all the prophets
to the sword. Jezebel then sends a messenger
to Elijah that she has vowed to kill him just
as he has killed her prophets.
Elijah
Escapes to the Desert
In fear for his life, Elijah flees to Beer-sheba
of Judah. There he leaves his servant and goes
a day's journey into the desert, until he
comes to a broom tree and sits beneath it.
Then he prays for the LORD to take his life,
for he feels he no better than his fathers. |
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He lies down and
falls asleep under the broom tree, but then an
angel touches him and orders him to get up and
eat. Then he finds near his head a hearth cake
and a jug of water. After eating he lies down
again, but the angel of the LORD comes back a
second time, touches him, and orders him to
again get up and eat, else the journey will be
too long for him.
He gets up, eats
and drinks; then strengthened by that food, he
walks forty days and forty nights to the
mountain of God, Horeb. There he comes to a
cave, where he takes shelter. But the word of
the LORD comes to him asking why he is there.
The Tiny
Whispering Sound |
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Elijah answers
that he has been most zealous for the LORD,
but the Israelites have forsaken His covenant,
torn down His altars, and put His prophets to
the sword. He says that he alone is left, and
they seek to take his life, too. |
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Then the LORD
tells Elijah to go outside and stand on the
mountain before the LORD; the LORD will be
passing by. A strong and heavy wind is rending
the mountains and crushing rocks before the
LORD--but the LORD is not in the wind. After
the wind there is an earthquake--but the LORD
is not in the earthquake. After the earthquake
there is fire--but the LORD is not in the
fire.
After the
fire there is a tiny whispering sound. When he
hears this, Elijah hides his face in his cloak
and goes to stand at the entrance of the cave.
A voice calls out to Elijah and asks again why
he is there.
Again Elijah replies that he has been most
zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. But
the Israelites have forsaken His covenant,
torn down His altars, and put His prophets to
the sword. Elijah then says that he alone is
left, and they seek to take his life. |
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Elijah’s Missions
Then the LORD tells Elijah to go and take the road
back to the desert near Damascus. When he arrives
there, the LORD tells him to anoint Hazael as king
of Aram.
Then the LORD tells Elijah to anoint Jehu, son of
Nimshi, as king of Israel, and Elisha, son of
Shaphat of Abel-meholah, as prophet to succeed
him.
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Then the LORD
tells Elijah that if anyone escapes the
sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill him; If he
escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill
him. The LORD tells Elijah that He will
leave seven thousand men in Israel--all
those who have not knelt to Baal or kissed
him.
Elijah sets out, and comes upon Elisha, son
of Shaphat, as he was plowing with twelve
yoke of oxen. Elijah goes over to him and
throws his cloak over him.
Elisha
leaves the oxen, runs after Elijah, and begs
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to give him time
to say good-bye to father and mother, and he
will follow him. But Elijah orders Elisha to go
back. Elisha leaves him and, taking the yoke of
oxen, slaughters them. He uses the plowing
equipment for fuel to boil their flesh, and
gives it to his people to eat.
Then he
leaves and follows Elijah as his attendant. |
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To be continued... |
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For further
reading on the heroes of the Old Testament: |
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The Chariot of Israel: Exploits of the Prophet of Elijah
THE CHARIOT OF ISRAEL: When Elijah was caught up
to heaven, his disciple Elisha cried out, "the
chariot of Israel, and its horsemen." Elisha was
referring not to the chariot but to the prophet.
This study of Elijah’s life will captivate you
as it walks you through a pivotal period in
Israel’s history, and illustrative maps will
give you a better picture of the physical
geography of this ancient land. |
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The First Book of Kings (Cambridge Bible Commentaries on the Old Testament) This
volume of commentary on the New English Bible text of the First Book of Kings
follows the pattern of the now well-established series on the Old and New
Testaments. The main divisions of the text are those provided by the New English
Bible itself, but these are further subdivided for the purposes of the
commentary, which is printed in short sections following the relevant portion of
the text. |
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Canon Robinson suggests that the editors of I
Kings compiled their history in order to teach
the Hebrews that their existence as Israel, the
covenant people of God, depended upon their
continuing loyalty to their own religious
traditions, and their refusal to exchange them
for the very different traditions of the
Canaanites among whom they lived.
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I & II Samuel: A Commentary (Old Testament
Library)
First sentence in
the book:
""THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL contain that
part of the history of Israel which describes
the foundation of the State, running from the
close of the period of the Judges to the
establishment of the united kingdom." |
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The Sunday Readings |
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August 12,
2007: Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
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First Reading From the
Book of Wisdom: |
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Wis 18:6-9 |
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The night of the
passover was known beforehand to our fathers,
that, with sure knowledge of the oaths in which
they put their faith, they might have courage.
Your people awaited
the salvation of the just and the destruction of
their foes. For when you punished our adversaries,
in this you glorified us whom you had summoned.
For in secret the
holy children of the good were offering sacrifice
and putting into effect with one accord the divine
institution. |
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Responsorial From the Book of Psalms:
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Ps 33:1, 12, 18-19,
20-22 |
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R. Blessed
the people the Lord has chosen to be his
own.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own
inheritance.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen
to be his own.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who
fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen
to be his own.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen
to be his own.
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Second Reading from
the Letter to the Hebrews |
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Heb 11:1-2, 8-19 or
11:1-2, 8-12 |
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Brothers and
sisters:
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and
evidence of things not seen. Because of it the
ancients were well attested.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go
out to a place that he was to receive as an
inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was
to go.
By faith he
sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign
country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob,
heirs of the same promise; for he was looking
forward to the city with foundations, whose
architect and maker is God.
By faith he
received power to generate, even though he was
past the normal age —and Sarah herself was
sterile— for he thought that the one who had made
the promise was
trustworthy.
So it was that
there came forth from one man, himself as good as
dead, descendants as numerous as the stars in the
sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore.
All these died in faith.
They did not
receive what had been promised but saw it and
greeted it from afar and acknowledged themselves
to be strangers and aliens on earth, for those who
speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland.
If they had been
thinking of the land from which they had come,
they would have had opportunity to return. But now
they desire a better homeland, a heavenly one.
Therefore, God is
not ashamed to be called their God, for he has
prepared a city for them.
By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up
Isaac, and he who had received the promises was
ready to offer his only son, of whom it was said,
“Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.”
He reasoned that
God was able to raise even from the dead, and he
received Isaac back as a symbol. |
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Brothers and
sisters:
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and
evidence of things not seen. Because of it
the ancients were well attested.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go
out to a place that he was to receive as an
inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was
to go.
By faith he
sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign
country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob,
heirs of the same promise; for he was looking
forward to the city with foundations, whose
architect and maker is God.
By faith he
received power to generate, even though he was
past the normal age —and Sarah herself was
sterile— for he thought that the one who had made
the promise was
trustworthy.
So it was that there came forth from one man,
himself as good as dead, descendants as numerous
as the stars in the sky and as countless as the
sands on the seashore. |
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Reading From
the Gospel of Luke:
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Lk 12:32-48 or
12:35-40 |
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Jesus said to his
disciples:
“Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for
your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money
bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an
inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can
reach nor moth destroy. For where your treasure
is, there also will your heart be.
“Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like
servants who await their master’s return from a
wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes
and knocks.
Blessed are those
servants whom the master finds vigilant on his
arrival.
Amen, I say to
you, he will gird himself, have them recline at
table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he
come in the second or third watch and find them
prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants.
Be sure of this:
if the master of the house had known the hour when
the thief was coming, he would not have let his
house be broken into. You also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man
will come.”
Then Peter said,
“Lord, is this parable meant for us or for
everyone?”
And the Lord
replied,
“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward
whom the master will put in charge of his servants
to distribute the food allowance at the proper
time?
Blessed is that
servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say to you, the master will put the
servant in charge of all his property.
But if that
servant says to himself,
‘My master is delayed in coming,’
and begins to beat the menservants and the
maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk,
then that servant’s master will come on an
unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will
punish the servant severely and assign him a place
with the unfaithful.
That servant who
knew his master’s will but did not make
preparations nor act in accord with his will shall
be beaten severely;
and the servant
who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in
a way deserving of a severe beating shall be
beaten only lightly.
Much will be
required of the person entrusted with much, and
still more will be demanded of the person
entrusted with more.” |
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Jesus said to his
disciples:
“Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like
servants who await their master’s return from a
wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes
and knocks.
Blessed are those
servants whom the master finds vigilant on his
arrival.
Amen, I say to you,
he will gird himself, have the servants recline at
table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he
come in the second or third watch and find them
prepared in this way, blessed are those servants.
Be sure of this:
if the master of the house had known the hour when
the thief was coming, he would not have let his
house be broken into.
You also must be
prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the
Son of Man will come.” |
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References |
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The Chariot of Israel: Exploits of the Prophet of Elijah
THE CHARIOT OF ISRAEL: When Elijah was caught up
to heaven, his disciple Elisha cried out, "the
chariot of Israel, and its horsemen." Elisha was
referring not to the chariot but to the prophet.
This study of Elijah’s life will captivate you
as it walks you through a pivotal period in
Israel’s history, and illustrative maps will
give you a better picture of the physical
geography of this ancient land. |
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Read more about the Liturgical Year |
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The Origins of the Liturgical Year (Pueblo
Books)
by
Thomas J. Talley (Author) The Rev. Dr.
Thomas J. Talley, Professor of Liturgics
at the General Theological Seminary in New
York, is one of the leading liturgists in
the country. He gives us a fresh
examination of the complex history of the
Liturgical Year. |
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The Cultural World of Jesus: Sunday by Sunday, Cycle C. (Bestseller! the Cultural World of Jesus: Sunday by Sunday)
by
John J. Pilch (Author)
Reader
Review: The book by Pilch provides
those who not only fill the pulpits across
this country but also all interested in
the cultural world in which Jesus lived
with a lot of pertinent information that
sheds light on a lot of areas that have
been "muddled" in the past. Yes, I highly
recommend this book. - James Mauldin |
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Learn more and read the Old Testament. |
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Preaching from the Old Testament
by Elizabeth Achtemeier (Author) Reader
Review: The author of these
thirty-two short chapters begins and ends
with the assumption that problems we
experience with the Old Testament are our
problem, not the Bible's. This
subordinating of the Bible reader to the
well-weathered book he holds in his hand
opens doors, not to forced harmonisations
of problematic passages, but to fresh
reappraisal of difficult texts on their
own terms. -
David A. Baer |
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The Navarre Bible: Pentateuch (The Navarre Bible: Old Testament)
This volume helps you make the first five
books of the Old Testament a vital part of
your spiritual reading and practical
growth in the Christian life. It contains
the full English and Latin texts of these
books, along with extensive and faithfully
Catholic commentaries. Like other volumes
in the world-renowned Navarre Bible
series, these commentaries draw on Church
documents, the exegesis of Fathers and
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Doctors of the Church, and the works of contemporary
spiritual writers — particularly St. Josemaría
Escrivá, who initiated the Navarre Bible
project. |
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Comments and
Suggestions are Most Welcome.
If you have any
comments or contributions, please
use the form in this link.
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Recipes |
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Red Onion
and Olive Pizza |
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SERVES SIX
Ingredients
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/4 lb small red onions, thinly sliced
1 1/4 lb puff pastry, thawed if frozen
3/4 cup small pitted black olives
Click
here for a Printer Friendly Version
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Mussel Risotto |
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SERVES THREE TO FOUR
Ingredients
2 lb fresh mussels
10 oz packet risotto
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
2 tbsp double (heavy) cream
Click
here for a Printer Friendly Version
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Chewy Flapjacks |
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SERVES TWELVE
Ingredients
3/4 cup unsalted (sweet) butter
1/4 cup caster (superfine) sugar
2/3 cup golden (light corn) syrup
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/4 melted chocolate or chocolate sauce
Click here for a Printer Friendly Version
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The Bank Robber
A man,
wanting to rob a downtown Bank of America, walked
into the Branch and wrote:
"Put all your
muny in this bag."
While standing in
line, waiting to give his note to the teller, he
began to worry that someone had seen him write the
note and might call the police before he reached
the teller's window.
So he left the Bank of America and crossed the
street to the Wells Fargo Bank. After waiting a
few minutes in line, he handed his note to the
Wells Fargo teller. She read it and, surmising
from his spelling errors that he wasn't the
brightest light in the harbor, told him that she
could not accept his stickup note because it was
written on a Bank of America deposit slip and that
he would either have to fill out a Wells Fargo
deposit slip or go back to Bank of America.
Looking somewhat defeated, the man said, "OK" and
left.
He was arrested a few minutes later, as he was
waiting in line back at Bank of America.
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The Wise Guy |
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A motorist was
unknowingly caught in an automated speed trap that
measured his speed using radar and photographed
his car. He later received in the mail a ticket
for $40 and a photo of his car. Instead of
payment, he sent the police department a
photograph of $40.
Several days later, he received a letter from the
police that contained another picture, this time
of handcuffs.
He immediately mailed in his $40. |
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