Heavenly Food, Earthly Journey

Homily for August 9, 2015 (19th Sunday in Ordinary Time)
1 Kings 19:4-8; Psalm 34; Ephesians 4:30-5:2

Heavenly Food, Earthly Journey

Have you ever wanted to tell God, “Lord, I’ve had it?”  Well, if you’re like me, you probably already have…and more than once!  Perhaps, at a very low time in your life, you have also (if only momentarily) felt that it would be a relief if you went to bed and didn’t wake up.

I suspect that most of us can relate in some way to Elijah’s cry to God:  “This is enough, O LORD! Take my life….”  The crisis he faced was, quite literally, a deadly one.  Our passage from 1 Kings 19 finds him on the run from Ahab and especially Jezebel after his powerful and ultimately bloody stand against the prophets of Baal at Carmel (cf. 1 Kings 18).  He was scared.  (Death threats will do that to you!)  He was tired of standing alone for God and being the bearer of bad news.  He was depressed:  while God had called and anointed him and done many wondrous things through him, the people and leaders of Israel had not turned their hearts and minds back to the LORD.  It seemed that all of his work, suffering and even his faithfulness had been wasted.

But even when he felt very alone, Elijah was reminded of God’s care and concern.  God gave him some time to rest and provided food and drink for his long journey to Horeb, where God had originally revealed the covenant to Moses and the people.  It would be at Horeb that God would speak personally to Elijah, not in wind or fire or earthquake but in a whisper, calling him to complete his mission (cf. 1 Kings 19:9-18).

Our Responsorial Psalm exhorts us to “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”  David was reminded of God’s goodness and generosity throughout his life.  It is said that he wrote this psalm while he was on the run from a murderous and jealous Saul, when he was so desperate that he and his men ate the Holy Bread after receiving it from the priest Ahimelech; and he faked insanity before Achish, King of Gath, in order to avoid being turned over to Saul.  God would save David from these and many other difficulties, even when he sinned.

When Jesus had to contend with the grumbling and murmuring of those who questioned how he could be “the bread come down from heaven (just as their ancestors during their sojourn in the desert had grumbled and murmured against Moses and the LORD), he didn’t dismiss them.  Instead, he reissued his invitation for them to receive the bread of life, even when it appeared in a form that they didn’t expect and in a person whom they thought they knew.  Perhaps we might be mindful of that the next time we are at Mass and receive communion!

The Church teaches that Jesus is really and truly present in at least four ways when we celebrate the Eucharist:  in the consecrated bread and wine, the Body and Blood of Christ; in the priest who presides; in the word that is proclaimed to us; and in the assembly—each and all of us.  Having received the bread of life, we are called to bear it and share it with the world with the same compassion, kindness, forgiveness and love that St. Paul urged on the church in Ephesus.

When we do that, our prayer is transformed from, “It is enough, O Lord, take my life” to “You are enough, O Lord; receive my life, teach me your will, and let me be your servant.” +