Seeking Comfort
Jun 10: Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
A lot of people condemned Monty Python's Life of Brian for being blasphemous, but I think it makes a clear distinction between the satirical title character and Jesus of Nazareth. This scene, depicting the Sermon on the Mount (where today’s Gospel reading comes from)—
Every time we hear this reading, or its equivalent from Luke, my wife says, “Blessed are the big noses?”
OK, that might actually be blasphemous…
Reading 1
1 Kgs 17:1-6
Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab: “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.
This is the first appearance of Elijah, arguably the most important of the prophets.1 There’s not much to his introduction; Biblical scholars aren’t even sure if “Tishbe” is a place, or if this is just a poetic way of saying he’s a foreigner.
He just somehow gets an audience with the king, tells him there will be a drought, then peaces out.
While Elijah comes out of nowhere, the punishment does not. Ahab is latest in a long line of bad kings. He married princess Jezebel, which ties his dynasty to Phoenicia and worshipers of Baal.
There’s an old saying: As the king goes, so goes the nation. Ahab wasn’t just destroying himself by marrying a pagan; he was taking all of Israel with him. That’s why God had to send Elijah.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 121:1bc-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
R. (see 2) Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
I lift up my eyes toward the mountains;
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 not suffer your foot to slip;
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.
The LORD is your guardian; the LORD is your shade;
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.
The LORD will guard you from all evil;
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.
A drought is bad, especially in ancient times; many people likely died in Israel during the drought of Ahab’s reign. But worse is losing your soul to a demon.
God sent ravens to save Elijah, but more importantly, He sent Elijah to save Israel. Although we may not realize it at the time, sometimes even the bad, tragic events of our lives are their for own own good.
Alleluia
Mt 5:12a
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad;
for your reward will be great in heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We can’t know how our life will go, but we do know, with God’s grace, how it will end up.
Gospel
Mt 5:1-12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
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."
Chiara Lubich wrote “the beatitudes are not merely promises or encouragements but a reality. One who weeps can really find blessing in this very weeping.” What she means is that our suffering can bring us closer to Jesus’ on the cross. If life is free and easy, we might think that we deserve it, or worse, that we don’t need God.
It’s okay to seek comfort and grace from God; we don’t have to desire suffering. But it’s a part of our lives anyway. We can wallow in it, or can use it to bring about some good, as Paul wrote.
He appeared at the Transfiguration along with Moses, remember.