God, the Center of Elijah and Elisha's Lives

"Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord," we pray in today's responsorial psalm.  In today's first reading, 2 Kings 2: 6-14, Elijah is taken from Elisha, the prophet to succeed him.  Knowing that he is about to leave, Elijah asks Elisha to stay with him. He also encourages Elisha to ask for whatever he would like Elijah to do for him before he takes leave of him. Elisha asks for "a double proportion of your spirit....'[I]f you see me taken up from you, your wish will be granted; otherwise  not.'"  Elisha watches as "Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind....When Elisha saw it happen he cried out, 'My father! my father!'...[W]hen he could no longer see him, Elisha--overcome with grief--gripped his own garment and tore it in two." In his grief and facing a challenge beyond him, Elisha cries: "Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?"

Imagine someone dear to you about to leave you, someone you admire greatly for their service to and personal relationship with the Lord.  For what would you ask?  Also think of times that you have been overwhelmed with grief and facing seemingly insurmountable problems, what do you do? To whom to you call for help?

The Need for Holy Mentors and Holy Mentoring

"In God I trust; I shall not fear," we pray in today's responsorial psalm.  In the first reading, 1 Sam 18: 6-9;  19: 1-7, Saul's son Jonathan cautions David to hide--"[m]y father Saul is trying to kill you.  ...[P]lease be on your guard tomorrow morning." So David hides! Jonathan positions himself close to his father that morning so that he can intercede on behalf of David. Jonathan knows that his father is jealous of David, whom, upon his return from killing Goliath and 10s of thousands of Philistines out to harm the nation of Israel, is lauded for his accomplishment.  In the process, the people credit Saul for killing less of Israel's enemies.

Jealousy is a powerful force and gone unchecked can lead to disastrous results. People can lose their lives and murderers their freedom. Chaos abounds for all in this web of jealousy. God protects his servant David as well as his servant Saul, using Jonathan, Saul's son, to challenge him.  "Let not your majesty sin against his servant David, for he has committed no offense against you, but has helped you very much by his deeds."  Saul listens and David is now safe in his service to Saul.

Like Saul, you and I may, at times, need someone who will intervene for us when  jealousy or other unruly passions consume us and we are out to berate another: bring harm to them by verbally   For some of us that is a spiritual director, a confessor, a dear friend, a sibling, a school counselor, a teacher). For all of us, thank God, Jesus is that person. Jesus is always on our side. Jesus will destroy "death" in us and "bring life to light [within us] through the Gospel"  (Today's gospel Acclamation).

God, forgive me when I let jealousy or any other human passion get the best of me and rule my thoughts and actions. I pray for the grace to be open to the person/s You send to me to challenge my thinking when I am off base.  May I also be open to holy reading that will redirect my thinking, to taking time to sit in Your holy  presence in a church or chapel or in my room gazing into your face upon the cross and allowing You to gaze upon me in love and mercy, transforming whatever disorder has taken hold me and purifying my heart of sinful inclinations!

Circumstances that Prepare us to Hear the Lord

In today’s first reading, 1 Samuel 3: 1-10, 19-20, Samuel is awakened three times. Each time he thinks that Eli, his master, is calling him, so he goes to Eli, awakens him and says: “Here I am; you called me.”   Finally Eli realizes that it is the Lord calling him so he says to Samuel: “Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening’.”  Note that it is in the dark of night. It is silent and, more importantly, Samuel, too, is silent, not distracted by the busyness or distractions of the day.  Furthermore,   Samuel relies on an elder, a trusted individual, to show him the way, as he” was not familiar with the Lord, because the Lord had not revealed anything to him as yet.”  Jesus, in today’s Gospel, after a very busy day, rises “very early before dawn,” and goes off to a deserted place to pray—a place apart from the busyness and distractions of His life.

From both Scriptures, we learn how important it is to take time to listen to the Lord, to hear His voice and the circumstances under which we are more likely to be predisposed to hear the Spirit speaking to us: in the quiet, in darkness, in a deserted place, by being instructed by our elders (parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, counselors, trusted friends/peers, anyone  familiar with and genuinely devoted to the Lord; in short, persons of integrity)  and, especially people like Eli devoted to the ministry of the Temple/the Church: priests and women and men religious, deacons and others in the service of the Church who exemplify a life of prayer, are devoted to the Scriptures,  holy reading and, in short, seek God above all else and, yes, are persons of integrity.

What circumstances do you create in your life to hear the voice of the Lord?