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Friday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary
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The “tiny, whispering sound” conveying the presence of the
Lord to Elijah is better translated the “sound of silence.” God visits him, as He does each of us, in the
silent chamber of conscience where He tempers our pride and chastises our
sloth.
The Lord’s question of Elijah, “Why are you here?” is both
rhetorical and accusatory. God knows well
that Elijah has chosen to run away from his responsibilities as prophet. Elijah must speak the word of God in order to
turn the people’s hearts back to God. But
the prophet only complains about his lot: the people have abandoned God, they
have killed God’s messengers, and they are presently hunting down Elijah
himself. God, however, does not condemn Elijah
for irresponsibility and endless complaints.
He only re-commissions Elijah to carry out His will.
Sometimes we feel discouraged like Elijah. Nothing seems to go right despite our efforts
to please God. We too complain about our
situation and perhaps become cynical about possibilities for its improvement. A generation ago Henry Nouwen wrote a
pamphlet “From Resentment to Gratitude” which explored these feelings of
frustration and anger that pervade contemporary life. As an antidote, Nouwen prescribes humbly
refocusing our perspective. He writes
that we must see “that our life is not an inalienable property to be defended but a gift to be shared.” Recognizing life for the gift that it is, we
can leave behind our sulking to do God’s will.
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