Friday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time
1 Kings 19:9,11-16 | Psalm 26:7-9,13-14 | Matthew 5:27-32
The Lord was not in the mountain-shattering wind, nor the earthquake, nor the great fire, but in the gentle breeze that followed all three. And Elijah was wise enough to stay safely in the depths of the mountain cave until he knew the Lord had arrived.
I too have experienced some periods of great turmoil in my life, with people yelling at me to get things fixed, or excoriating me for forgetting an important engagement, or once nearly killing myself in a horrific car crash. Each time, my thoughts ran in several directions at once, with no clarity or focus. With the blood rushing to my head in fearful response, my ears started ringing, probably about as loudly as Elijah’s through all the earthly calamities.
Then came a timely interruption by the measured basso profondo voice of my partner, or a ringing phone, or the settling of a crumpled car body. Then mental calm crept back like a quiet breeze, and I was able to think clearly again. Had I been rash enough to react beforehand, I would have only made angry people angrier, or be crushed by falling rock, or roasted alive by wildfire, or…oh sorry, wrong channel. ?
So it is with letting God in. How easy it is to simply let the most strident voice rule our actions and our lives, to spend rashly at PC shows (canny promoters), to continue in a well-paying but soul-sucking job (well-meaning elder relatives), or to abort a fetus with Down syndrome. How difficult it is to just “take five”, to retreat from the thunder of misguided righteousness, to seek the peace of Christ before making a critical decision, and to pray:
Lord, I am besieged by human noise, and I am lost. Help me to weather the storms of popular opinion, to hear and accept Your wisdom in the quiet beyond the turmoil, and to act in a manner that gives glory to Your Holy Name. Amen.