Leave here, go east and hide in the Wadi Cherith, east
of the Jordan. You shall drink of the wadi, and I have
commanded ravens to feed you there. 1 Kings 17:3-4
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. Matthew 5:6-9
Piety
Father, help us to
recognize that our help is not in our own hands but in another’s – Yours. Let us look toward where that help will come
and accept it when it is offered as we prayer the Serenity Prayer:
God grant me the serenity to
accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and
wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time; Enjoying
one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next. Amen.
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next. Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr
Study
The prophet is not the
grumbling Israelite. The prophet is set
apart from the regular citizen, as the notes in the New American Bible explain,
because the holy ones receive the divine word and obey it. In addition, they effectively convey the
threat or promise contained in the revelation of the divine word – in the case
of today’s first reading the threat of drought is balanced with the promise
that the Lord will provide water to drink and meat and bread to eat.
Today’s reading
harkens us back to the book of Exodus when the people were wandering in the
desert and not satisfied with anything provided for them. “I have heard the grumbling of
the Israelites. Tell them: In the evening twilight you will eat meat, and in
the morning you will have your fill of bread, and then you will know that I,
the LORD, am your God.” (Exodus 16:12). However, today, we see Ahab get his fill.
Where are we to get our
satisfaction? Jesus recognizes the many
needs, wants and desires in life. He
promises to fulfill them if we act as he acted.
In essence, if we want to be happy, we should realize that recently popular
bracelet: “WWJD?”
- Happy are the poor: Jesus lived his life in the family of a hard-working carpenter and then as an itinerant preacher.
- Happy are they who mourn: We saw Jesus mourn and weep for his friend Lazarus.
- Happy are the meek: Jesus was never boastful, or conceited or proud.
- Happy are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness: Jesus was concerned at how people treated the children, the poor widows, the outcasts and the sinners.
- Happy are the merciful: Even as he hung from the nails of the cross, Jesus prayed to the Father for mercy (“Forgiven Father, for they know not what they do.”)
- Happy are the clean of heart: Jesus healed the words, “Go and sin no more.”
- Happy are the peacemakers: Although Jesus said he came to bring division, he also came to bring people to his side of the division – the side or peace, love and happiness.
- Happy are they who are persecuted: Despite preaching in the temple, the Pharisees and Sadducees plotted against him and frequently tried to trap Jesus in theological riddles.
Action
To where do you look for satisfaction? Chances are good it will not come from Ford or Maytag or Safeway or Lord and Taylor or Sears or Target or eBay or Amazon.com. We can get stuff from them but not stuff that will make us eternally happy.
To where do you look for satisfaction? Chances are good it will not come from Ford or Maytag or Safeway or Lord and Taylor or Sears or Target or eBay or Amazon.com. We can get stuff from them but not stuff that will make us eternally happy.
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