Giving God the faith
and trust He desires
1 KingS 17:7-16
The brook near where
Elijah was hiding ran dry, because no rain had fallen in the land. So the LORD
said to Elijah: “Move on to Zarephath of
Sidon and stay there. I have designated a widow there to provide for you.” He
left and went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the entrance of the city, a widow
was gathering sticks there; he called out to her, “Please bring me a small
cupful of water to drink.” She left to get it, and he called out after her,
“Please bring along a bit of bread.” She answered, “As the LORD, your God,
lives, I have nothing baked; there is only a handful of flour in my jar and a
little oil in my jug. Just now I was collecting a couple of sticks, to go in
and prepare something for myself and my son; when we have eaten it, we shall
die.” Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid.
Go and do as you propose. But first make me a little cake and bring it
to me. Then you can prepare something for yourself and your son. For the LORD,
the God of Israel, says, ‘The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of
oil run dry, until the day when the LORD sends rain upon the earth.’” She left
and did as Elijah had said. She was able to eat for a year, and Elijah and her
son as well; the jar of flour did not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, as
the LORD had foretold through Elijah.
I have a curious little habit when
it comes to eating dessert: I never clean my plate. I always leave a small portion of cheesecake,
or apple pie, or tiramisu. Now I LOVE
dessert, so this is no small sacrifice.
If anyone asks, I explain, “That portion is for Elijah.” You see, when the Jewish people sit down to
eat their Seder Meal, they always prepare an extra place-setting for
Elijah. Why? They believe he will return before the coming
of the Messiah to announce that coming.
Just in case he arrives during that Seder Meal, they can confidently
claim: “See, we were expecting you!” I
don’t know how impressed Elijah will be with a mouthful of baklava, but at
least I can also say, “See, I was expecting you!”
In the first reading today, Elijah
arrives unexpectedly and surprises a widow and her son. And what does Elijah want? He wants to eat! Apparently, being a prophet really works up
your appetite. The widow of Zarephath
doesn’t give Elijah a little of her dessert, however. She gives him her last meal, even the last
meal she had prepared for her son.
Elijah, in turn, promises her: “Do not be afraid…The jar of flour will
not go empty nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain upon
the earth.” In other words, God will
never be out-done in generosity! If you
give his prophet just one meal, you’ll be able to eat for a year! Even if all you give him is a little
chocolate cake, he will bless you abundantly.
Of course, when Elijah returns he
won’t really be looking for a free meal; he’ll be hungry for faith, to see if
we believe and trust in God. I gotta
tell you, this parish is packed with little “widows of Zarephath” ready to give
their last meal to a man of God. Yesterday, I gave David McMahon and Tom
Caldarera a tour of the youth building.
They both said, “We need to leave behind something beautiful for the
next generation.” That’s what Elijah
wants. Betty Etzkorn will be taking
Communion to the sick till her dying breath (no matter how much we tell her to
slow down)!). That’s what Elijah
wants. John Brandebura will spend hours
talking with just one patient in the hospital so they feel loved. That’s what Elijah wants. Pam Raible will welcome perfect strangers
into her home. That’s what Elijah
wants. Suzanne McGraw has organized a
list of people to bring meals to the priests every Saturday. Now, that’s just what I want, Elijah doesn’t
really care. Everywhere I turn in this
church, I see widows of Zarephath ready to give their last meal out of faith
and love. And that’s what Elijah
wants. The prophet says to us in turn:
“Do not be afraid. God will never be
out-done in generosity.”
Praised be Jesus Christ!
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