1st Reading – 1 Kings 19:4-8

Elijah went a day’s journey into the desert,
until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it.
He prayed for death saying:
“This is enough, O LORD!
Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
He lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree,
but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat.
Elijah looked and there at his head was a hearth cake
and a jug of water.
After he ate and drank, he lay down again,
but the angel of the LORD came back a second time,
touched him, and ordered,
“Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!”
He got up, ate, and drank;
then strengthened by that food,
he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.

Today’s first reading describes a pivotal moment in the life of the prophet Elijah.

He has just had a dramatic confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel and is on the run for his life from the threat of Queen Jezebel. Elijah is the only prophet left (1 Kings 19:10); the emotional burden of being the sole defender of Yahweh against widespread apostasy weighs heavily on him.

The year is approximately 870 BC. Continue reading “Aug 11, 2024: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)” →