 |
| “Elijah Fed by Ravens” by and unknown Dutch potter 1577-78 |
“As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve,
during these years there shall be no dew or rain except at my word.”
The Lord then said to Elijah:
“Leave here, go east
and hide in the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan.
You shall drink of the stream,
and I have commanded ravens to feed you there.”
So he left and did as the Lord had commanded.
He went and remained by the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan.
Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning,
and bread and meat in the evening,
and he drank from the stream.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Kgs 17:1-6
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 121:1bc-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
whence shall help come to me?
My help is from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
may he slumber not who guards you:
Indeed he neither slumbers nor sleeps,
the guardian of Israel.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
he is beside you at your right hand.
The sun shall not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
he will guard your life.
The Lord will guard your coming and your going,
both now and forever.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 121:1bc-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.
Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 5:1-12
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
“Those who practice the Beatitudes are imitators of God, of the divine nature. The Beatitudes are no longer now negative commandments that forbid sin, as the first Decalogue largely was, in keeping with its nature as the minimum necessary to obey God. The Beatitudes are the carta magna, as it were, that invites poor mortals to be like God here and now in this world, to live on the other side of sin, to incarnate the divine holiness, to become children of God in truth, begotten by the Word of Truth who, sitting on this mountain, is now dispensing life through his words.” [6]
The final reference in the Beatitudes from St. Matthew (“Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you”) is exemplified by the situation unfolding in 1 Kings for the prophet Elijah. Elijah is told by God to flee to the “Wadi Cherith” to avoid being killed by the worshipers of Baal. God protects the great prophet by keeping him safe and fed during his sojourn. The Lord blesses Elijah for his faithful witness in the face of persecution.
Jesus’ litany of blessings is so necessary. He extols Christian virtue, which flies in the face of the wisdom of the world. He holds up those who are powerless as beloved of God. He expresses his abiding love for those who seek the face of God, and encourages those who face the most difficult path. Faith in Christ is not an easy path, and Jesus’ support in this passage assures us of his unfailing faithfulness.
This great discourse provides hope and consolation for all of us. And, each of us goes through different times in our life of faith that bring us from being the “poor in spirit,” to being “peacemakers,” to being “persecuted.” In each stage the Lord extends his blessings. And how do we experience his love? We find it in the sacraments, where it is extended through his visible presence in the world, the Church. We also find his reassurance in prayer, hearing his voice of consolation, reminding us we are not alone in our struggles, that he is with us.
Today we hear once more the words of comfort and challenge in the Beatitudes. We are called once more to rededicate ourselves to the principles of Christian virtue and accept the blessings of our loving Father.
Pax
[1] The picture is of a plaque “Elijah Fed by Ravens” by and unknown Dutch potter 1577-78.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] NAB footnote on 1 Kings 17:1.
[5] Simon J. DeVries, 1 Kings, 2nd ed., Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 12 (Dallas: Word, Inc, 2003), 218.
[6] Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume I (Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 1996),184.
[1] The picture is of a plaque “Elijah Fed by Ravens” by and unknown Dutch potter 1577-78.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] NAB footnote on 1 Kings 17:1.
[5] Simon J. DeVries, 1 Kings, 2nd ed., Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 12 (Dallas: Word, Inc, 2003), 218.
[6] Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume I (Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 1996),184.
No comments:
Post a Comment