Today’s reading from the First Book of Kings seems to be about a drought and about bringing an end to the drought. It is far more complicated than that.
First we need to consider why God punished Israel by the drought. By this time in their history, the children of Israel had violated their covenant relationship with God through the worship of pagan gods, particularly through the worship of Baal. Baal was considered the god who controlled the weather, particularly storms and rainfall. So to demonstrate the power of the true God, a drought afflicted the land until the people repented of their sin of idolatry. If yesterday had not been the Feast of St. Anthony, we would have heard the story of how Elijah destroyed the priests and the idol of Baal. Today, we pick up the story line right after that demonstration of God’s power. The people have repented. So Elijah prepares Ahab and his people for the coming rainstorm.
While no one here worship an idol or a pagan god, there is much that we can learn from this reading. First of all, we are reminded that God is not only our Creator and Redeemer, God is also the one who protects us from dangerous weather. We are also reminded that God’s ways of dealing with the world and with the evil that exists within the world is not something that we can take for granted. We will never completely understand God’s ways until such time as we are living with God. Although our scientists have explained much of the natural world, God is still in control. When we presume to take that power upon ourselves, we are stepping into dangerous territory. What is needed is trust. What is needed is faith.
Each day we place our needs before the Lord at least three times a day. God hears those prayers and helps us to accept God’s will in all things. The mysteries of our world are gradually becoming better known. However, let us never err as did the children of Israel in thinking that we now have the power to control our world.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator