If the story that we hear from the First Book of Kings today were depicted on a television show, I am sure that there would be a warning given: “Do not try this at home!”
One might ask why the Israelites were so attracted to this so-called god Baal. Baal was the storm and fertility god. The Middle Eastern culture in which these stories grew was an agrarian culture. The lives of these people were very much affected by the weather because they were so dependent upon the produce of their fields to sustain their lives. So when the weather was particularly bad, as it was in the time of Elijah, the children of Israel were tempted to turn to the pagan gods and goddesses that were supposedly responsible for good crops.
All of the stories from the Prophet Elijah’s life have the same purpose. Elijah preached the necessity of staying faithful to the God who had entered into a covenant with Israel on Mt. Sinai. Today’s story is just one example of how Elijah consistently made the point that the God of Israel could be trusted to be faithful to the promises made through the covenant.
Jesus preaches much the same message in today’s Gospel passage. He was consistently teaching that the people needed to keep the commandments, the provisions of their covenant relationship. The so-called “Sermon on the Mount” is filled with passage about the commandments and how we are meant to understand them. Jesus came to fulfill God’s promises. That promise is what gathers us together today and every day.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M.,Administrator