{"id":13337,"date":"2012-08-11T07:00:46","date_gmt":"2012-08-11T14:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/?p=13337"},"modified":"2015-03-19T15:41:23","modified_gmt":"2015-03-19T22:41:23","slug":"living-bread-from-heaven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/2012\/08\/11\/living-bread-from-heaven\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Lectionary: Living Bread From Heaven"},"content":{"rendered":"

These notes have been taking up too much of my time again. I’m really going to try and concentrate on keeping them brief…<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: August 12th, 2012<\/h2>\n

Our Readings this week continue building on the themes of the past few weeks. In our First Reading we hear about how God provided bread and water for Elijah in the desert and in our Gospel Jesus continues with His the “Bread of life Discourse”<\/span><\/em>. In our Second Reading Paul continues His moral exhortation to the Ephesians.<\/p>\n

\"last<\/p>\n

O sacrament of mercy, O sign of unity, O bond of love! Whoso wishes to live, let him draw nigh, believe, be incorporated, that he may be quickened.<\/em> – St. Augustine<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

Reading I: 1 Kings 19:4-8<\/h3>\n

The events described in our First Reading today took place somewhere in the period 860-880 BC. Ahab, the King of Israel, is married to a woman named Jezebel. His wife has consistently supported and\u00a0encouraged the worship of Baal:<\/p>\n

“…bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal<\/span> and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel\u2019s table<\/span>.\u201d<\/em> – 1 Kings 18:19<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only that, she had been attempting to crush the prophets of Yahweh:<\/p>\n

While Jezebel\u00a0was killing off the\u00a0Lord\u2019s prophets<\/span>, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden\u00a0them in two caves<\/span>, fifty in each, and had supplied\u00a0them with food and water.)<\/em> –\u00a01 Kings 18:4,13<\/span><\/p>\n

Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to prove who was the One, True God:<\/p>\n

Then Elijah said to them, \u201cI am the only one of the\u00a0Lord\u2019s prophets left,\u00a0but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets.\u00a0Get two bulls for us<\/span>. Let Baal\u2019s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it.\u00a0<\/span>Then you call\u00a0on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the\u00a0Lord<\/span>.\u00a0The god who answers by fire\u00a0\u2014he is God<\/span>.\u201d<\/em> – 1 Kings 18:22-24<\/span><\/p>\n

After the prophets of Baal failed to call down fire, Elijah had his altar soaked with water and then he prayed:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/sup>Then the fire\u00a0of the\u00a0Lord\u00a0fell and burned up the sacrifice<\/span>, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.\u00a0When all the people<\/span> saw this, they fell prostrate\u00a0and cried, \u201cThe\u00a0Lord\u2014he is God! The\u00a0Lord\u2014he is God!\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Then Elijah commanded them, \u201cSeize the prophets of Baal<\/span>. Don\u2019t let anyone get away!\u201d They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley\u00a0and slaughtered<\/span>\u00a0there.<\/span><\/em> – 1 Kings 18:38-40<\/span><\/p>\n

Furious at the execution of the prophets, Jezebel set out to kill Elijah:<\/p>\n

So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, \u201cMay the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely,\u00a0if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.<\/span>\u201d<\/em> – 1 Kings 19:2<\/span><\/p>\n

Afraid, Elijah flees into the desert, and now we come to our First Reading for this Sunday…<\/p>\n

Elijah went a day’s journey into the desert,<\/span>\u00a0until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it.<\/span>\u00a0He prayed for death saying:<\/span>\u00a0“This is enough, O LORD!<\/span>\u00a0Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”<\/span>\u00a0He lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree,<\/span>\u00a0but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat.<\/span>\u00a0Elijah looked and there at his head was a hearth cake<\/span>\u00a0and a jug of water.<\/span>\u00a0After he ate and drank, he lay down again,<\/span>\u00a0but the angel of the LORD came back a second time,<\/span>\u00a0touched him, and ordered,<\/span>\u00a0“Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!”<\/span>\u00a0He got up, ate, and drank;<\/span>\u00a0then strengthened by that food,<\/span>\u00a0he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"eljiah<\/p>\n

Questions:<\/p>\n