The Holy and Glorious Prophet Elijah (Elias) (9th c. BC)
Abstinence from meat and foods that contain meat.
Read
James 5:10-20; Luke 4:22-30
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Today’s Gospel speaks to us about the Holy Glorious Prophet Elias, whose day this is. Our Lord refers to the time of the Prophet Elias and how prophets are rarely acceptable in their own country, speaking of the Syro-Phoenician widow Zarephath and Naaman the Syrian, the leper who was healed at the time of the Prophet Elisha, both of whom were foreigners. Our Lord illustrates in this manner that those not under the Law, the Gentiles, might bear witness to the mercy of God. The leaders at the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown, are outraged by His insinuation that somehow the Gentiles are worthier perhaps than they are. Indeed, the religious Jews of Nazareth seek to kill Christ because of this claim. In revealing this to his very own people, His fellow Nazarenes, Our Lord foreshadows the revelation to the Gentiles, those who would follow Him upon having an experience of the Risen Lord through the preaching of the apostles.
At the heart of today’s Gospel Our Lord is challenging our narrow-mindedness, our selfishness, our desire to exclude others, being sanctimonious, and ultimately our pride. Do we in our own lives sometimes believe ourselves to be holier than others, more faithful, more loved by God, or more capable of living a good Christian life than our neighbours? How often do we in our own churches question why someone is there? Do we consider that our churches to belong only to us, or to a particular ethnic community, or only to those whose ancestors built a particular parish? In doing so, do we perhaps exclude those who desire community and who desire to grow in their Christian faith with us? Our Lord always challenged the Pharisees and those who saw themselves as being righteous before God and revealed in the lives of tax collector, the Samaritan, the adulteress, and the prostitute the capacity for true sanctity and deep faith. May we always reach out to those who Our Lord Jesus Christ places in our midst, especially those different from us, and in doing so let us welcome them openly and in so doing welcome Christ Himself.