Elijah is considered one of the greatest
prophets in the history of Israel. He is
the one for whom an empty seat is left during the Passover meal that the Jews
celebrate each year. In today’s first
reading, we hear about the moment before Elijah is going to be taken up to
heaven by the Lord, when the mantle of prophet is going to be passed to
Elisha. Elijah offers to do whatever
Elisha wants before he is taken up by the Lord. Elisha’s response is very
remarkable indeed: to receive a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. Elisha desires to serve the Lord as a prophet
just as Elijah did; he want to be legitimately recognized as such and to have
Elijah’s spirit follow him. In the end,
we see that God has indeed blessed Elisha in this way, as he is able to part
the Jordan River just as Moses and Elijah were able to do.
We should all be edified by the tenacity and
fervent faith that Elijah and Elisha display in wanting to serve the Lord as
his prophets, knowing the difficulty, frustration, and danger that are attached
to such a service. If we could all feel
such fervor in whatever way we serve the Lord in our own lives. Sometimes what so many in our society are
looking for is the easy way out, or for a life filled with as much pleasure and
material success as possible. Any of us
can fall into that trap. Let us open our
hearts to the ways we can serve the Lord with humility and selflessness.
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