10 June 2014 - flour power

10 June 2014 - flour power

“Please bring along a bit of bread.”
She answered, “As the LORD, your God, lives,
I have nothing baked;
there is only a handful of flour in my jar
and a little oil in my jug.
Just now I was collecting a couple of sticks,
to go in and prepare something for myself and my son;
when we have eaten it, we shall die.”

The widow hungers and thirsts, but, as Jesus said yesterday as those who hunger and thirst, she will be satisfied.

For the LORD, the God of Israel, says,
‘The jar of flour shall not go empty,
nor the jug of oil run dry,
until the day when the LORD sends rain upon the earth.’”

O LORD, let the light of your countenance shine upon us!
You put gladness into my heart,
more than when grain and wine abound.

We need to trust the LORD even in dire circumstances.  We need to trust him even regarding our basic needs.  Jesus tells us "As for you, do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not worry anymore. All the nations of the world seek for these things, and your Father knows that you need them" (cf. Luk. 12:29-30).  Elijah himself trusts in the LORD to provide for him by ravens and then by this widow.  His journey is possible because he has this trust.  The widow trusts in her turn that the LORD is able to provide for her through Elijah..  They all learn the truth of the Psalm which says:

Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon those who fear him,
upon those who count on his mercy,
To deliver their soul from death,
and to keep them alive through famine. (cf. Psa. 33:18-19)

The LORD asks us to seek first his kingdom.  But if we are overly consumed with anxiety about our basic survival needs we won't have the attention to spare.  The LORD himself can keep our flour jars full until the rains finally come.  He can deliver us from the circumstances about which we worry and keep us alive even when our own resources aren't enough.

The LORD himself provides.  He is the source of every good thing.  But we have a role as well, for Jesus tells us that we "are the salt of the earth."  We have a role in preserving and giving a certain flavor to the gifts that come from God.  He uses us to elevate the gifts that he gives into something even greater.  This is how Elijah is used in the first reading.  In the multiplication of the loaves Jesus uses the disciples to make a natural gift of God do far more than it could have otherwise.

This morning we are called to trust in God to provide.  Trusting in him, we are called to cooperate and sharing the gifts he gives.  Through us we his gifts are well invested (cf. 25:14-30) and bear fruit thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold (cf. Mar. 4:8).  In ways both natural and supernatural the administration of his gifts by faithful Christians who seek first the kingdom make more of them than they would be otherwise.  They go further and their flavor is better. 

We are called to be the light of the world.  To do so we must recognize that we ourselves are not the source of light.  We are like the moon which shines with light from the sun.  We are called to reflect the light of the face of God to all the world.

Lord, let your face shine on us.