The Prophet of Mercy

Elijah is the prophet of mercy. Why? Because mercy is a gift and a call. It is a generous gift and a call to conversion. This can be seen in the life of the “father” of prophets. After considering a reign like that of Ahab, who wouldn’t be left downcast and sorrowful in spirit? Dark clouds loom, every light seems extinguished, and voices are silenced – with death on the horizon. What a scene where all seems to be in the control of Satan himself! But God had a plan. In His mercy, He raised up a prophet. Elijah was to be a witness bringing light and power.

God is wise and full of compassion.

“As a father has compassion on his children,

so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.

For he knows how we are formed,

remembers that we are dust.” (Ps 103:13-14)

It is the mercy of God that raises up a prophet in a day of ruin. This He does with Elijah. God seeks out Elijah who is deserting, hiding under a broom tree! But God does not say, “Get up, go back to Jezreel!”

God is wise and full of compassion. 

The Lord tells Elijah first to rest and sleep. “ “Get up and eat!” He looked and there at his head was a hearth cake and a jug of water. After he ate and drank, he lay down again.” (1Kings 19:5-6) It has all been too much for Elijah, and he is crushed and unable to think or act clearly.

God is wise and full of compassion. 

He knows that Elijah is unable to process any correction nor is he able to take in any instruction. First, in order for him to be profitable, he needs to regain his physical and emotional strength.

“After Elijah had learned mercy during his retreat at the Wadi Cherith, he teaches the widow of Zarephath to believe in The Word of God and confirms her faith by his urgent prayer: God brings the widow’s child back to life.” (CCC 2583) The Catechism goes on to explain that it is “in their “one to one” encounters with God, the prophets draw light and strength for their mission. Their prayer is not flight from this unfaithful world, but rather attentiveness to The Word of God. At times their prayer is an argument or a complaint, but it is always an intercession that awaits and prepares for the intervention of the Savior God, the Lord of history.”(CCC 2584)

According to the visions of St.          Faustina, the Divine Mercy chaplet’s prayers for mercy have a threefold purpose. First, to obtain mercy, then to trust in the mercy of God, and finally to show mercy.

Christians know that they are not called to bring judgment. They know that they are to bring the Good News of Christ’s redeeming sacrifice to others. When faith is weakened people soon abandon the path to conversion because of their many sins. Then they are ladened with the guilt of these sins which slowly devour them. The role of the prophet is to help others to accept their faults and weaknesses while trusting in the mercy and hope that is found on the road towards forgiveness and conversion which leads to Jesus Christ.

To obtain “mercy” means to be given something that we do not deserve. As sinners we clearly do not deserve anything from God. But here is where we insert the prophetic message – God is merciful:

“Merciful and gracious is the LORD,

slow to anger, abounding in mercy.

He will not always accuse,

and nurses no lasting anger;

He has not dealt with us as our sins merit,

nor requited us as our wrongs deserve.

For as the heavens tower over the earth,

so his mercy towers over those who fear   

him.” (Psalm 103:8-11)

When we live in, with, through and for Christ, He will supply us with every grace.Then we can show others the way with God’s mercy. Mercy is God’s love, a compassionate love that seeks and meets the needs of others and relieves them of their miseries.The prophet, Elijah, prays for the widow’s son and he is returned back to life for her. “The woman said to Elijah, “Now indeed I know that you are a man of God, and it is truly the word of the LORD that you speak.” (1 Kings 17:24) 

Sadly, prayer among Christians is a neglected exercise and especially at at time when it is needed most. There is a mutual weakness felt among us, and along with this there should be a united utterance of this weakness that would therefore result in a renewal of our collective strength. From a shared, heartfelt prayer we could, no doubt, expect an outpouring of God’s refreshing grace that would revive those who are resting and satisfied with their dead, cold lives.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that, “St. James refers to Elijah in order to encourage us to pray: “The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.”” (2582) On this Feast of Divine Mercy and inspired by Elijah, the prophet of mercy, let us renew our efforts at prayer entering into that “one to one” encounter with God, and from this draw light, and strength, for our prophetic mission.

Mercy Without Measure

God gives gifts without measure. However, we often measure how much we will receive. Prayer changes all this. Prayer changes everything. It opens up our capacity to receive, to receive the gifts God wants to give us.

We are the ones who break friendship with God. It is so ingrained in our nature to dodge His demands. God wants to work in us, but we don’t want it; we have “other interests” or else we want to control God and so the conflict begins. A divided heart settles within and we resist and rebel. 

But our God is a God of Mercy. He only interacts with us as Mercy, yet we want to turn and run from so great a gift! Read more here.

Come Have Breakfast

The celebration of the Resurrection continues on for fifty days and with great solemnity during the octave, these eight days following Easter Sunday. This week the readings at Mass have been about the different ways that Christ has revealed himself to his disciples after He had risen from the dead. First we read about how He revealed himself to Mary who was weeping at the tomb, then to the travelers on the road to Emmaus in the Scriptures and in the breaking of the bread. Then He appears in the locked room, and in today’s readings He appears on the beach.

The disciples had all turned back to what they had been doing before all this drama had taken place with Jesus. Now that Easter Sunday has come and gone, we too, like the disciples, have already turned back to our usual routines. We may have attended Mass during Lent as our Lenten sacrifice, but now that Lent is over we say home and sleep in. Or maybe we spent more time at prayer or did some mortification, but now that Lent is over we have set it all aside. We are not so unlike the disciples. Christ had died and is gone; now it is time to turn back to what they did before. “I am going fishing.” says Peter. “We also will come with you.” the disciples said to him. (Jn 21: 3)

“But that night they caught nothing.” – the fruits of any of our efforts without Jesus. But at Christ’s prompting they do catch some fish – a great number of fish!

It does seem like at times that our efforts for Christ are all in vain and that the consummation of all is at hand in these turbulent times, but we must turn our minds to Jesus, because without Him we can do nothing. However, we often do not realize Jesus’s presence among us, much like the disciples on this particular morning at dawn.

Jesus mets the disciples on the beach “with a charcoal fire with fish and bread on it” (Jn 21: 9). In the same way as He did with the disciples, the Lord invites us to “come have breakfast” with Him and to realize that “it is the Lord” (vs 7) in the bread He gives.

As resurrection people we need to let the Lord reveal Himself to us. By being open to His presence and revelation at any time or place – on the road traveling, by the tomb weeping, alone in the room, or while having breakfast on the beach – and by keeping our minds turned towards Jesus, we can recognize His Resurrected Presence among us.

The breaking and the washing

Wonder and Beauty

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