Reading 1 1 Kgs 17:1-6
“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.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 121:1bc-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
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.
Alleluia Mt 5:12a
Rejoice and be glad;
for your reward will be great in heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
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.”
NEW LEADERS FOR A NEW WORLD
"Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the stream." –1 Kings 17:6
The Lord is raising up new Elijahs to conquer the false prophets (see 1 Kgs 18:19ff) and call our society to repent. To strengthen these new Elijahs, the Lord is calling them aside where they will drink daily from the life-giving waters of the Spirit (see Rv 22:17). The words the psalmist applied to the Messiah will be true for these new Elijahs: "From the brook by the wayside he will drink; therefore will he lift up his head" (Ps 110:7). Moreover, the new leaders of God's kingdom will be brought the bread and meat of God's Word each morning and evening (see 1 Kgs 17:6). They will no longer be conformed to the world, but will be transformed through the power of God's Word (see Rm 12:2).
In this way, the Lord raises up new leaders for a new world. Moses spent forty days in communion with God (Ex 24:18). When Jeremiah found God's words, he devoured them and they became the joy and happiness of his heart (Jer 15:16). For three years, the apostles heard God's Word from Jesus, the incarnate Word. The church of Antioch was the first group to be called Christian after they received the Holy Spirit and spent a year in God's Word (Acts 11:26).
Are you letting the Lord prepare you to be a new Elijah? Are you in the Spirit? Are you in the Word?
| PRAYER: | Father, may I not lose my appetite for Your Word by indulging in the things of the world. |
| PROMISE: | "How blest are the poor in spirit; the reign of God is theirs." –Mt 5:3 |
| PRAISE: | St. Norbert converted to a deep faith in Jesus after a fall from his horse, then accepted the call to the priesthood. |
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