By Lou Occhi
The Lord shines, and we reflect His light. When we console the grieving, visit the sick, smile as we walk along, pray for our friends and enemies, give to reputable charities such as St. Jude or Catholic Charities, etc., we are doing God’s work and letting His light shine through us.
Tuesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
1 Kings 17:7-16
Psalm 4:2-3, 4-5, 7b-8
Matthew 5:13-16
Today’s readings are about moving from darkness to light. First, we see Elijah in a time of great darkness. Ahab, the king of Israel, and his wife Jezebel were followers of Baal. They erected an altar to Baal in the house of Baal in Samaria. He then added Asherah, a statue of the Goddess of fertility, to the house. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, than any king before him.
Elijah approached Ahab and said to him, ”In the name of the Lord, the living God of Israel, whom I serve, I tell you there will be no dew or rain for the next two to three years until I say so.” Like any good red-blooded man who just threatened a murderous king, he quickly left town. The Lord came to him and told him to go and hide near Cherith Brook, east of the Jordan. The brook will provide water to drink, and the Lord commanded ravens to bring him meat and cheese.
Due to the drought, the brook eventually dried out. So the Lord told Elijah to go to Zarephath in Sidon. There, the Lord designated a widow to care for him. As he arrived, he saw a widow picking sticks. He asked her for a cup of water and a small bit of bread. She answered that she only has a little flour and oil left. Once she and her son have eaten it, they shall die.
Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid, for the Lord, the God of Israel, says, the jar of flour shall not go empty nor the jug of oil run dry before the day that the Lord sends rain.” Go and do as you propose. But first, make me a little cake and bring it to me. Here is this poor woman who has only a little flour and oil left. He was asking her to fix him something for himself first, and trust the Lord that there would still be enough for her family.
Surprisingly, she does as he asked. This seems to foreshadow Jesus’ miracle with the fishes and loaves.
After a period of time, the woman’s son became very ill and died. She immediately blamed Elijah for her son’s death. Elijah asked to hold the boy. He took the boy upstairs to his room and prayed the Lord would restore the boy’s life. Because the woman had been kind to Elijah, the boy returned to life. This is the first recorded incident in the Bible of raising the dead to life.
In the future, Jesus would raise a child from death just as Elijah had done. When she saw her son restored to life, she exclaimed, “Now I know you are a man of God and that the Lord really speaks through you.” In the darkness, we see a spark of light.
The psalm asks the lord to let His face shine on us. The Lord shines, and we reflect His light. When we console the grieving, visit the sick, smile as we walk along, pray for our friends and enemies, give to reputable charities such as St. Jude or Catholic Charities, etc., we are doing God’s work and letting His light shine through us.
The recipients of a charitable donation will never know who we are, but their lives are affected directly by what we have given. Who isn’t touched by the ads for St. Jude or the Shriners’ Hospital? That is God’s light shining through the support of thousands of God’s people.
I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. After Hurricane Katrina, no food was initially available. My wife and parents were eating some food Jill had stored in a cooler. Soon, various religious groups from Mexico to Canada began setting up kitchens to serve hot meals. I cannot tell you how much a hot meal can lift your spirits. Truly, God’s light was shining through all those volunteers.
The gospel tells us that “We are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.” We are like an oil lamp set on a stand, illuminating those around us. We are that lamp, and God is our source of energy. There are those who want to suppress our desire to bring light into the world by putting the proverbial bushel basket over us. The result is that the bushel basket will soon burst into flames, and the light will grow even brighter. When those who try to make us go away come, do not be afraid. Our God will never abandon us.
Many believe you have to be a theologian to bring the word of God to others. This is a mistaken notion. We are a temple of the Holy Spirit, and He will come to us when we need Him. All we need to do is be filled with the joy of Christ in our lives. Joy is a gift of the Holy Spirit and is visible to others without our effort. You and I instinctively know when someone is filled with joy because we are automatically drawn to them. Joy is a beacon of faith. In the words of that great classical hit, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”.
At one point in the bible, Jesus tells us that when we pray, we should close ourselves in a room. That is, we should not make a show of our praying. Today’s gospel tells us that, “Our light must shine before others, that they may see the good he does through us, and, in turn, glorify our heavenly Father.”