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.
Both this past Saturday and this upcoming Saturday I have baptisms here at St Jude. As a part of the baptismal rite, the baptized is anointed to serve as a priest, prophet, and king in their communities. In light of today’s reading from the second book of Kings, we might reflect in the ways that God is calling us to be prophetic. God calls us to be prophetic in the way we live out the Gospel message in our words and our actions, being faithful to God’s truth. As prophets, we are called to have lives rooted in prayer and in communicating regularly with God. For those of us who are parents or godparents, we are to make time in lives to instruct our children and youth in our faith.
We may not be called to be an Old Testament prophet in the line of Elisha and Elijah, but we are called to prophetic on our journey of faith.
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