I always like it when I can start a homily with a good story. I like it even more when I can start a homily with a really good Bible story; and when it comes to Bible stories, they do not get much better than the story about the prophet Elijah.

At a very difficult time in the history of Israel, Elijah was called by God to be a profit and bring God’s message to the people. At the time Elijah was called, the nation was being ruled by an evil King and Queen by the name of Ahab and Jezebel. They had brought false gods into the worship of the country and had taken to worshiping the false god Baal, who was thought to be the god of rain, thunder, lightening, and dew. Elijah was called to tell the people of Israel that there would be a drought for as long as they were unfaithful to the true and living God. Because Baal was thought to be in charge of the rain, for Elijah to claim that the true God had power over it, was a direct challenge to Baal’s authority. Continue reading →

During these summer months, when many people take a break from the hectic pace of life, this Sunday’s readings reinforce for us the importance of stopping to recharge and take a rest. Although we do not often think about it, rest is an important theme in our spiritual lives. The eternal, all-powerful God, who created Heaven and earth, stopped to rest Himself on the seventh day. In doing this, God intended to set an example for us.  The human person needs rest in order to maintain a healthy and balanced spiritual life. As scripture reminds us, the Sabbath Day of rest was made for man, and not the other way around (Mark 2: 27).  Rest allows us time to reconnect with God, ourselves and others. Taking time on the Sabbath is also vital for the human person to reflect upon who each of us is as a child of God and our relationship with God and others. Continue reading →