20220616 THE REWARD OF A FAITHFUL LIFE OF SERVICE
16 June, 2022, Thursday, 11th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Ecclesiasticus 48:1-15 © |
The spirit of Elijah fills Elisha
The prophet Elijah arose like a fire,
his word flaring like a torch.
It was he who brought famine on the people,
and who decimated them in his zeal.
By the word of the Lord, he shut up the heavens,
he also, three times, brought down fire.
How glorious you were in your miracles, Elijah!
Has anyone reason to boast as you have? –
rousing a corpse from death,
from Sheol by the word of the Most High;
dragging kings down to destruction,
and high dignitaries from their beds;
hearing reproof on Sinai,
and decrees of punishment on Horeb;
anointing kings as avengers,
and prophets to succeed you;
taken up in the whirlwind of fire,
in a chariot with fiery horses;
designated in the prophecies of doom
to allay God’s wrath before the fury breaks,
to turn the hearts of fathers towards their children,
and to restore the tribes of Jacob,
Happy shall they be who see you,
and those who have fallen asleep in love;
for we too will have life.
Elijah was shrouded in the whirlwind,
and Elisha was filled with his spirit;
throughout his life no ruler could shake him,
and no one could subdue him.
No task was too hard for him,
and even in death his body prophesied.
In his lifetime he performed wonders,
and in death his works were marvellous.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 96(97):1-7 © |
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
The Lord is king, let earth rejoice,
let all the coastlands be glad.
Cloud and darkness are his raiment;
his throne, justice and right.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
A fire prepares his path;
it burns up his foes on every side.
His lightnings light up the world,
the earth trembles at the sight.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
The mountains melt like wax
before the Lord of all the earth.
The skies proclaim his justice;
all peoples see his glory.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
Let those who serve idols be ashamed,
those who boast of their worthless gods.
All you spirits, worship him.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | 1S3:9,Jn6:68 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Speak, Lord, your servant is listening:
you have the message of eternal life.
Alleluia!
Or: | Rm8:15 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The spirit you received is the spirit of sons,
and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 6:7-15 © |
How to pray
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘In your prayers do not babble as the pagans do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So you should pray like this:
‘Our Father in heaven,
may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test,
but save us from the evil one.
‘Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.’
THE REWARD OF A FAITHFUL LIFE OF SERVICE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Ecclesiasticus 48:1-15; Mt 6:7-15 ]
In today’s first reading, the author of the book of Sirach praises the life of Elijah. Indeed, Elijah was seen in the Old Testament as the greatest of prophets who fought for the pristine faith of Israel. His fervour to keep Israel free from idolatry brought in by King Ahab and his wicked wife, Queen Jezebel, was incomparable. He was courageous in challenging King Ahab for failing in his responsibility to keep Israel in the faith of their forefathers. “The prophet Elijah arose like a fire, his word flaring like a torch.” “When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, ‘Is it you, you troubler of Israel?’ He answered, ‘I have not troubled Israel; but you have, and your father’s house, because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals.'” (1 Kgs 18:17-19)
By his command, he brought drought to Israel for three and a half years to show them who the true God was; that it was not Baal who controlled the weather and gave fertility to the ground, but the God of Israel. Towards the end of the drought, he challenged the prophets of Baal in a contest at Mount Carmel to see which God would come down from the heavens to bring down fire and consume the holocaust. The prophets of Baal cried all morning till noon, and even slashed themselves, but the holocaust was not consumed by fire from the heavens. In contrast, Elijah purposely drenched and flooded the altar of sacrifice, submerging the holocaust in water, and the Lord consumed it. After which, he killed all the prophets of Baal for the sins they introduced to Israel. Hence, the author says, “It was he who brought famine on them, and who decimated them in his zeal. By the word of the Lord, he shut up the heavens, he also, three times, brought down fire. How glorious you were in your miracles, Elijah!”
But we must not think that Elijah had an easy life simply because he could perform miracles and call on the name of the Lord to work wonders in his ministry. He had his fair share of woes, disappointments in his ministry and failures as well. Very often, when we see people who seem to be successful in life or in their ministry, we think they are so blessed by God. But little do we know that behind their success is a lot of frustrations, anxiety, disappointments, struggles and hard work. Elijah too, after successfully eliminating the prophets of Baal, got a death warrant from Queen Jezebel. “Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, ‘So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.’ Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there.” (1 Kgs 19:1-3)
Elijah was persecuted just like those of us in ministry. When we do good, we will always be persecuted by those who think that we are wet blankets. The wicked and evil men will react and retaliate, as in the case of Jezebel. Again, like Elijah, when we are persecuted, rejected or criticised, we also fall into depression. He was unable to accept the fact that he had to run from her. He wished he would die. God did not seem to be with him or on his side. He was angry with God. He felt like giving up. Don’t we all feel that way as well? How often have we felt frustrated when people whom we trust and serve freely and unconditionally are ungrateful? Even we priests, at times feel like giving up serving the people because they are so ungrateful, demanding and unappreciative. Instead of being seen as a trouble maker, we would rather just withdraw from our ministry, and even from God, like Elijah, to lick our own wounds.
But this was not all that Elijah experienced. The Lord confronted him and sought to purify his motives in serving Him. Must he be successful in his ministry to be considered as serving the Lord? God said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.” (1 Kgs 19:13f) The truth was that Elijah was still thinking of how much he had done for the Lord. It was about him and his zeal for God. He forgot to direct everything to the Lord and surrender everything to Him. As St Teresa of Calcutta reminds us, we are called not to be successful but to be faithful.
When Elijah came to this awareness, he accepted the final test of faith given to him when God stripped him of his active ministry and handed on the baton to his servant, Elisha. God put him to shame by ordering him to do what he would not do. Ironically, he was to anoint “kings as avengers, and prophets to succeed” him. God said, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also, you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” (1 Kgs 19:15-18) God would use the most unimaginable people to fulfil His divine plan. He would not leave Israel without a prophet. God had prepared Elisha to take over from Elijah, and seven thousand other prophets. In other words, Elijah was not indispensable!
How did Elijah take this final humiliation? If we were Elijah, we would have felt so cheated. We would feel that God is not fair to us, especially when we have given so much of ourselves to Him and His Church. We would expect a fair deal, perhaps even a good deal, of higher promotion and rewards. Instead, God took away his ministry and gave it to others. Elijah was left only with one job, which was to groom Elisha to take over from him. How many of us can retire gracefully when the time comes? How many of us believe in grooming people to take over our office? Many would like to cling to their office unto death, afraid to let go of their position for fear that they would be marginalized, side-lined and no longer enjoy the privileges of their office, the recognition, the power, the respect and honour. This is the sad truth for many of us leaders. We try to cling on to our position until we are about to drop dead. But God says, let go and let others take over! Your time has ended. Let others take over. Would we let go like Elijah in good faith, in trust and with joy?
But because Elijah trusted in God, he was never left alone. Despite his grumblings and unhappiness, deep in his heart, Elijah trusted in God’s divine providence. Indeed, when he was in the desert on the way to Mount Horeb, God sent His angel to look after him, provided him water and bread. (1 Kgs 19:4-8) God journeyed with Him patiently, waiting for the right moment to wake him up from his presumption about himself and his ministry. Eventually, God spoke to him in the silence of the night. Isn’t this what the Lord is teaching us in the Lord’s prayer when He assures us that God is our heavenly Father and that He will provide us our daily needs, our daily bread, forgive us our debts and deliver us from the power of the Evil One?
But that was not all. The greatest reward that Elijah received was the glory of God, not the glory of man. At the end of his life, he was “taken up in the whirlwind of fire, in a chariot with fiery horses. Elijah was shrouded in the whirlwind, and Elisha was filled with his spirit; throughout his life no ruler could shake him, and no one could subdue him. No task was too hard for him, and even in death his body prophesied. In his lifetime he performed wonders, and in death his works were marvellous.” Indeed, the Lord teaches us that there is no greater reward than to enter into the Father’s kingdom. Therefore, we must pray, “Our Father in heaven, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.” God is our greatest reward. This was what Elijah discovered and was rewarded.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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