St. Anthony the Abbot Catholic Church

This is one of the most memorable and beautiful passages from the Old Testament. The Prophet Elijah has just had a run-in with the pagan prophets that have allied themselves with the evil Queen Jezebel.  Elijah came out victorious in that encounter, and it made Jezebel furious. She threatened his life, so he escaped to Mt. Horeb, in the desert of Palestine near the border with Egypt.

He came to that place for two reasons.  First, he was looking for new strength and guidance in his efforts to save Israel from its current fall into idolatry.  Second, Mt. Horeb was where Moses had received the Ten Commandments, where God had manifested Himself to His Chosen People after liberating them from slavery in Egypt, making His presence known by fire, thunder, and frightening signs. So Elijah goes back to this symbolic place where the covenant had begun in order to beg God for help to renew and protect that covenant.

He is probably expecting another violent and dramatic manifestation of God's presence. But when the strong wind comes, and the earthquake, and the fire, God is not present in them.  Only when everything is still and quiet does Elijah hear the voice of God and receive the guidance he needs.  Dramatic or impressive external signs can sometimes help us pay attention to God's presence, but ultimately, our relationship with Him must go deeper.

            It must be developed by the quiet, intimate encounter of conversing with Him heart to heart. Unless we have a relationship like that with Him, we may end up missing His most important actions in our lives, just as the Jewish nation at the time of Christ missed the coming of the Messiah. What can we do to rejuvenate and deepen this personal relationship with Christ that is so important for our growth into mature, wise, and joyful Christians?

We need to follow the example of Elijah in the First Reading, and the example of Jesus Himself in the Gospel. We need to go up to the mountain, leaving behind the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, in order to spend time alone with God, to be able to hear the "tiny whispering sound" of His voice, to renew our strength, to find out what He wants to say to us.  There are many ways we can do this. Here are three ideas.

First, every Catholic should go on a yearly spiritual retreat, even if only for one weekend a year, even if only for one day a year, to spend some quality time with the Lord, one-on-one. Second, we also need to spend time in personal prayer every day.  We easily find ten minutes for so many things - why is it so hard to find ten minutes in the morning and the evening to spend exclusively with the Lord?   The very fact that it is so hard is proof that we really need it.

Finally, a privileged moment of intimate, personal contact with our Lord happens every Sunday at Holy Communion, when we have those precious moments of silence to speak heart-to-heart with the One who loves us and gives Himself to us.  The sacred space of this church is like Mt. Horeb - set aside for personal encounters with God. And so we should always treat it with great respect.  If we don't take time to cultivate our personal relationship with Christ, chances are we will be swept away by the fire and the earthquake, and miss out on the wonderful plans God has for our lives.