August 11
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”
Readings
Reflection
How many times do you find yourself grumbling against God? Let us take a moment to reflect and be honest with ourselves. How often do we feel like we have done our best, or feel that God himself is expecting too much from us? Often these demands on our time and our good efforts seem to go un-thanked. This can cause us to become desperate.
Today, in our first reading, we see the Prophet Elijah go into the desert, not to find himself or recommit himself to God, but instead he goes in the hopes that he will die! After much toil, Elijah concludes that God was asking too much from him. How much more can I do for an uncaring people he may have asked himself. After all, Elijah’s ancestors had failed to bring people to turn from their sinful lives, and now he was experiencing what he thought to be the same failure.
Therefore, we find Elijah sitting under a broom tree. He has settled for the limited shade this frail tree can provide. Broom trees are common in the wadi, but they only blossom when a torrent of water from an infrequent rain floods the wadi. The point of the broom tree is that it is steadfast! Even in the driest of times, it survives because it has strong roots. While its roots are strong, the foliage above ground can often wilt.
Our relationship with God can be similar. We may wilt under the pressure of expectations from God and those around us and thus we find ourselves in a desert experience. When we avail ourselves of the nurturing love that God provides, we bloom again with renewed strength to carry out the work that God has for us.
Let us pray for each other and ourselves that we take advantage of the nurturing grace God provides!
Peace,
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