By
Beth DeCristofaro
He
prayed for death saying: “This is enough, O LORD! Take my life, for I am no
better than my fathers.” … but the angel of the LORD came back a second time,
touched him, and ordered, “Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!” He got up, ate, and drank; then strengthened
by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God,
Horeb. (1 Kings 19:4, 7-8)
Jesus
answered and said to them, “Stop murmuring among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who
sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the
prophets: They shall all be taught by
God. … I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this
bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the
life of the world.” (John 6:43-54, 51)
Piety
Make us worthy,
Lord, to serve those people throughout the world who live and die in poverty
and hunger. Give them through our hands, this day, their daily bread, and by
our understanding love, give them peace and joy. (Mother Theresa of Calcutta)
Study
I recently set a
Windows screensaver on my computer that is a marvelous landscape, probably from
Arches National Park, Utah. The view is
from under one of the soaring arches of deep red sandstone looking over a dry
terrain of pinnacles, mesas, hills in smoky corals, bronzes, and shadowy blues,
lit by a brilliant sun in a bright sapphire sky. This photo spoke to me not only because it is
so beautiful but because it reminded me that when my life feels most
desert-dry, that I can always remember and hope for the potential hidden within
the aridity. If I look beyond the
desiccation and remember the Lord traveling with the Israelites, I might begin
to notice tiny spots of life. I might
see a green weed sprouting from a crevice, a lizard scurrying under a rock, a
hawk cruising the up drafts and even a point of darker sand signaling a
miniscule stream. Life abounds in this
good earth God gave us. Hope wells up
even in times of despair.
In today’s reading Elijah was hiding from Queen Jezebel who threatened his life. Elijah prayed for death. God did take his life but not in death. Instead, God provided him with food and water, nourishing him so much he managed to walk 40 days further into the desert, no less! Jesus, divine Son, was discounted and threatened by unbelievers but he knew that not only did His nourishment come from God but that He is nourishment for all sacred life. Elijah accepted God’s food, water and will. Jesus is God’s food, water and will. We accept, we even cling to in moments of anguish, and we too can walk further in the desert with life flowing in our spirits. Jesus’ prayer at Gethsemane showed us the vast desolation of his desert journey but also his deep well of faith immersed in God’s infinite mercy and will.
Action
Elijah’s prayer “This is enough, O LORD! Take my life, for I
am no better than my fathers” is powerful and relevant. In
desert times Elijah received strength from the Lord but an answer he did not
expect. Speak with God as did
Elijah. Might someone who annoys me be
in the desert, unable to see beyond the barrenness? See her/him with eyes of faith and
prayer. Is the desert, frightening and
lonely, a place of growing more deeply in our relationship with God as Mother
Theresa never stopped hoping in her long life?
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