MONDAY, TENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Saint Mariam Thresia (Memorial in India)
1 Kgs 17: 1-6 Ps 121: 1-8 Mt 5: 1-12
A CALL TO HOLINESS
The First Book of Kings preserves traditions about prophets especially within the reign of Ahab in Israel. It shows that the word of God proclaimed through the prophets is always fulfilled and that the prophet, who speaks for God, is more powerful than the king. Elijah’s words to Ahab are both a warning of drought and an assertion that, as God’s prophet, he will declare its duration. The word of the Lord to Elijah is a promise of protection, food, water, and a place of safety. Implicit in this divine word is the power of Yahweh; the word of the prophet becomes the instrument of Yahweh’s punishment for Ahab’s sin.
Ahab is clearly presented as more wicked than any of the kings before him. His sins include marrying Jezebel and worshipping Baal. Therefore, Elijah says to Ahab: “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, during these years there shall be neither dew nor rain except at my word.” Then the Lord says to Elijah: “Leave this place, go eastward, and hide yourself by the brook; I have commanded the ravens to feed you there with bread and meat in the morning and in the evening.” Just as Elijah stands as a prophet of God’s demanding justice, the Beatitudes reveal the inner attitudes of those who are truly God’s people.
The Beatitudes present a radical vision of God’s kingdom. Each blessing overturns worldly values, honouring the poor in spirit, the meek, and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Jesus promises comfort, mercy, and fulfilment to those who suffer for God. The Beatitudes invite us to grow in humility, compassion, and a thirst for justice, trusting that God will reward such hearts with eternal blessing. We see these Beatitudes embodied in concrete lives: poor in spirit in the publican, those who mourn in Saint Monica, the meek in the centurion, the pure of heart in little children, peace-making in Joseph with his brothers, mercy in Saint Stephen, and persecution in Elijah and the martyrs who suffered for God’s truth.
Response: Our help shall come from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
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