Cloud Rider

Becoming zealous for the true God alone

06/14/2018

1 Kings 18:41-46 Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain." So Ahab went up to eat and drink, while Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, crouched down to the earth, and put his head between his knees. "Climb up and look out to sea," he directed his servant, who went up and looked, but reported, "There is nothing." Seven times he said, "Go, look again!" And the seventh time the youth reported, "There is a cloud as small as a man's hand rising from the sea." Elijah said, "Go and say to Ahab, 'Harness up and leave the mountain before the rain stops you.'" In a trice the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and a heavy rain fell. Ahab mounted his chariot and made for Jezreel. But the hand of the LORD was on Elijah, who girded up his clothing and ran before Ahab as far as the approaches to Jezreel.

I was first introduced to the fiery figure of the prophet Elijah many years ago when I visited the Carmelite monastery called Marylake. Throughout the monastery were scattered various statues of saints, and I enjoyed trying to identify them because they didn’t wear any name badges. You may have noticed none of the statues or stained glass windows in our church have names either. You have to guess their identity by the clothes they wear – like a bishop’s robes – or an object in their hands – like a book or a sword. I could easily surmise which statues were Carmelite holy heroes like St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila and St. Therese of Lisieux, and even Edith Stein. But one figure baffled me because he carried a sword that looked like fire. I guessed it might be St. John the Baptist at first, but I was wrong.

Later when I spent three months with the Carmelites in Dallas, I saw this fiery figure again, but this time with an additional clue. Below his statue were the words in Latin, “Zelo zelatus sum pro Domino Deo exercituum” meaning “With zeal I have been zealous for the Lord God of hosts.” That line comes from 1 Kings 19:10 and those prophetic words were uttered by the mighty ancient prophet Elijah. Elijah was the fellow with the fiery sword. I later learned that Elijah was the inspiration for the Carmelite order and their spiritual founder 800 years before the coming of Christ.  They are truly the first religious order.

1 kings 18 records the epic battle between Elijah, the last of the true prophets, and the false prophets of Baal, a pagan deity. The most dramatic moment of that spiritual showdown is definitely when Elijah slays the 450 false prophets with his fiery sword. Don’t mess with Elijah. But that was not the most decisive moment. The real climax of the story doesn’t center on fire but on water, specifically on rain. Elijah has commanded the clouds not to rain for three years, and after his duel on Mt. Carmel with the prophets of Baal, Elijah goes to pray for rain to descend again from heaven. We read that he went “to the top of Carmel, crouched down to the earth, and put his head between his knees.” Then he sends his servant seven times – seven is the symbolic number of the covenant with God – to see if his prayer for rain has been answered. Why is that prayer for rain so significant? Well, because the name “Baal” literally means “Cloud Rider” and it was Baal particular power to command the rain, and that was challenged and vanquished by Yahweh, the true God. In fact, the name Elijah literally means, “Behold, Yahweh is my God.” In other words, the point and purpose and passion of Elijah the prophet was to make clear to the people who is the true God, and demand their loyalty and love for him alone. That mission is likewise the point and purpose and passion of the entire Carmelite order, and why I wanted to join them.

But we shouldn’t casually peruse the story of Elijah as something that only happened 3,000 years ago. It happens every day. We, too, can turn to modern day Baals and worship them instead of the true God. We may not be tempted to trust in the power of the Cloud Rider, but we do easily turn to the false deities of money, sex and power. And it’s not too far a stretch to suggest that our last three popes have been modern-day Elijah’s “zealous for the Lord God of hosts” turning us back to the true God. Pope St. John Paul II left us the legacy of his monumental theology of the body, teaching us that sex is sacred, and should lead us to God, but not worshiped as a god like in pornography. Benedict XVI reformed the liturgy – he’s the reason we started saying “And with your spirit,” and included the word “consubstantial” in the Creed – and taught us real power resides in the prayerful celebration of the sacraments, not power politics. And lastly Pope Francis shows us how money can become a god as he embraces a life of prophetic poverty. Each pope embodies the name of Elijah which means “Behold, Yahweh is my God.” John Paul, Benedict and Francis, no less than ancient Elijah, demand the people turn away from false idols to worship the true and living God.

Next time you visit a Carmelite monastery and try to identify the saintly statues and happen to see one curious fellow with a fiery sword, you’ll know who is he. And the next time you go to Rome and get to see the pope, you’ll not only see the successor of St. Peter, but also, in a sense, the successor of Elijah.

Praised be Jesus Christ!