Daily Readings for Monday, June 9 2014. Today is Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 359

Reading 1
First Kings 17:1-7

¹ Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, 'By the life of Yahweh,God of Israel, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain these coming years unless I give the word.'

² The word of Yahweh came to him,

³ 'Go away from here, go east and hide by the torrent of Cherith, east of the Jordan.

⁴ You can drink from the stream, and I have ordered the ravens to bring you food there.'

⁵ So he set out and did as Yahweh had said; he went and stayed by the torrent of Cherith, east of the Jordan.

⁶ The ravens brought him bread in the morning and meat in the evening, and he quenched his thirst at the stream.

⁷ But after a while the stream dried up, for the country had had no rain.

Responsorial Psalm,
Psalms 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

¹ [Song of Ascents] I lift up my eyes to the mountains; where is my help to come from?

² My help comes from Yahweh who made heaven and earth.

³ May he save your foot from stumbling; may he, your guardian, not fall asleep!

⁴ You see -- he neither sleeps nor slumbers, the guardian of Israel.

⁵ Yahweh is your guardian, your shade, Yahweh, at your right hand.

⁶ By day the sun will not strike you, nor the moon by night.

⁷ Yahweh guards you from all harm Yahweh guards your life,

⁸ Yahweh guards your comings and goings, henceforth and for ever.

Gospel,
Matthew 5:1-12

¹ Seeing the crowds, he went onto the mountain. And when he was seated his disciples came to him.

² Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them:

³ How blessed are the poor in spirit: the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

⁴ Blessed are the gentle: they shall have the earth as inheritance.

⁵ Blessed are those who mourn: they shall be comforted.

⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for uprightness: they shall have their fill.

⁷ Blessed are the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them.

⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart: they shall see God.

⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers: they shall be recognised as children of God.

¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted in the cause of uprightness: the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

¹¹ 'Blessed are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you falsely on my account.

¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven; this is how they persecuted the prophets before you.

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: A PROPHETIC LIFESTYLE

"They persecuted the prophets before you in the very same way." –Matthew 5:12

Elijah prophesied: "During these years there shall be no" rain in Israel "except at my word" (1 Kgs 17:1). This prophecy turned Israel's economy upside down. Elijah's prophecy so threatened Israel's culture of death that he actually had to leave the country, moving east of the Jordan (1 Kgs 17:3). Elijah's face was on the top of the Most Wanted Poster in King Ahab's government.

What did Elijah say that was so threatening to Israel? Elijah prophesied against Baal, the pagan fertility God. First, Elijah prophesied drought. Then, as God's agent, he controlled the duration of the drought. This action graphically showed the people of Israel that Baal, supposedly all-powerful in the area of fertility and rain, had no power to influence the growth of crops. Some fertility-god Baal turned out to be! Since the only way to restore Baal's tarnished image was to kill Elijah and hope to get the rains pouring again, the Lord had to protect His prophet. So God removed Elijah from Israel, settled him by a remote stream which hadn't yet dried up, and provided his daily meals.

Living a prophetic lifestyle of obedience to God puts us in a position of radical trust in the Lord. We reach a point of no return in which we have to rely completely on God. With such a daily relationship of trust, we are compelled to speak out (2 Cor 4:13) against the culture of death.

Who will trust God enough to speak up for Him? Who will not fear the Goliaths of the present day, but rather fear the Lord even more? Trust God with your lifestyle and life.

PRAYER: Father Provider, put Your words in my mouth (Jer 1:9). I am Yours. Release me from the fear of man.

PROMISE: "Blest are they who hunger and thirst for holiness; they shall have their fill." –Mt 5:6

PRAISE: St. Ephrem was a teacher, Scripture scholar, prolific songwriter and worship leader, and is a Doctor of the Church.

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