Thursday, June 21, 2018

Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

(Sirach 48:1-14; Matthew 6:7-15)

Although no book of the Bible bears his name, Elijah may be considered the preeminent prophet of Israel.  As a prophet, he received revelation from God, spoke on God’s behalf, and suffered because of God’s message.  However, he was not martyred, which was considered the prophet’s fate.  Rather, he was taken up into heaven in a fiery chariot.  Pope Benedict in his book Jesus of Nazareth writes that the people of Israel awaited Elijah’s return so that he might experience a true martyr’s death. 

Because of his expected return, some thought Jesus himself was Elijah reincarnated.  When he asked his disciples who the people were calling him, they answered that some considered him to be Elijah.  But Jesus had another candidate for the Elijah role: John the Baptist.  John, like other prophets, was beheaded after telling the truth about Herod Antipas.  For Jesus, John’s death anticipates the prophetic “Day of the Lord,” the day of reckoning. 

Christians understand the prophets as foretelling Jesus’ coming.  How did Elijah do this?  There are incidents about Elijah that parallel experiences in Jesus’ life like providing food for the widow and her son prefiguring Jesus’ feeding the multitude.  Perhaps more indicative, however, is the story of the Lord God coming to Elijah as a whisper at the mouth of a cave.  We see the whisper as Jesus, the full revelation of God in the quite unassuming figure of a carpenter from Nazareth.  The cave too invokes Messianic meaning. It is the depth of being from which Jesus talks with the Father with whom he is one.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Thursday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

(Sirach 48:1-14; Matthew 6:7-15)

Although no book of the Bible bears his name, Elijah may be considered the preeminent prophet of Israel. As a prophet, he received a special revelation from God, spoke on God’s behalf, and suffered at the hands of kings and people because of God’s message. However, he was not martyred, which was considered the prophet’s fate. Rather, he was taken up into heaven in a fiery chariot, which was fitting since fire was Elijah’s trademark. Pope Benedict in his book Jesus of Nazareth writes that the people of Israel awaited Elijah’s return so that he might experience a true martyr’s death.

Because of his expected return, some thought Jesus himself was Elijah reincarnated. When he asked his disciples who the people were calling him, they answered that some considered him to be Elijah. But Jesus had another candidate for the Elijah role: John the Baptist, who was beheaded after telling the truth about Herod Antipas. For Jesus, John’s death anticipates the prophetic “Day of the Lord” which is how the evangelists saw the paschal event.

Christians understand the prophets as foretelling Jesus’ coming. How did Elijah do this? There are incidents about Elijah that parallel experiences in Jesus’ life like providing food for the widow and her son prefiguring Jesus’ feeding the multitude. Perhaps more indicative, however, is the story of the Lord God coming to Elijah as a whisper at the mouth of a cave. We see the whisper as Jesus, the full revelation of God in the quite unassuming figure of a carpenter from Nazareth, and the cave as the depths of his being where he talks with the Father because he is one with Him.

Homilette for Friday, June 13, 2008

Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua, priest and doctor of the Church

(I Kings 19:9a, 11-16)

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 pouting to do God’s will.