14TH JUNE 2022
Reflection
The events of which we have read in our today’s first reading take place some 5 to 6 years after the events on Mount Horeb. In that interim, Elijah has not been heard from nor seen in the life and affairs of Israel. Perhaps his time was spent training the prophet Elisha to take his place. Perhaps it was time wherein God allowed the prophet to rest his spirit, his mind and his body. Whatever the reason, it seems that there is a 5- or 6-year span in Elijah's life when he is on the shelf and is not being used by the Lord, at least in a public way.
But this quiet time has not been for naught! During those silent years, the Lord has reworked the prophet of God and when he appears on the scene again, he is not defeated, discouraged and self-centered. When he comes back into view he stands forth as a man of God once again. He has been prepared and reworked for new and renewed service to the Lord God.
Now that Elijah is back He is ready to serve and he is not disappointed. God gives him a new mission. As we see him carrying out the will of the Lord, we can see that Elijah is still the Faithful Man of God.
There is a lesson for us in all this. Let us not despise the times when God pulls us from the public eye and closes us up with himself. It may not be pleasing to the flesh and the ego, but it is a time that God has chosen to reform us and to mold us more perfectly into the image of His Son. Even at least to be able to Love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. (Mt 5:44)
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