Wednesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
(I Kings 18:20-39; Matthew 5:19-19)
It should be no wonder why Israel is looking to Baal for
salvation. Their land has had draught
conditions for years. The people need
rain in order to survive. Yahweh seems
deaf to their pleas. Then they hear
their neighbors speak of Baal, the god of rain, lightning, and fertility. They say to themselves, “Why not give this
god a try?”
Elijah, however, knows that appealing to Baal will only
bring ruin to Israel. He realizes that
the reason for the draught is not an indifferent Yahweh. Rather, Yahweh is chastising them for their faithlessness. The infidelity is epitomized by their wicked
king Ahab. Elijah challenges the prophets
of Baal to a test. If Baal exists, then as
the god of lightening, he should be able to easily burn his prophets’
offering. But, of course, he doesn’t
exist and cannot consume the offering.
Yahweh, however, burns up Elijah’s sacrifice, even after the prophet has
made it hard to do so.
Don’t many people – perhaps some of us -- worship Baals? They attach superhuman status to entertainers,
politicians, and athletes. These people try
to fulfill their needs for doing well and being recognized by identifying with
these celebrities. They may even wear
their jerseys, copy their hairstyles, or imitate their mannerisms. Such attention to gifted but inevitably flawed
heroes may bring a little euphoria but cannot bring happiness. Worse, it diverts one from following the true
God revealed in Jesus Christ. If this
portrait describes us, we must stop worshipping Baal and concentrate on following
Jesus.
No comments:
Post a Comment