Memorial of St. John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Both of today’s readings mention Elijah. In the Book of Kings, Elijah tells the Israelites to turn back to God and stop worshipping the idols of Baal. The first reading refers to the conflict or showdown between Elijah and Baal’s prophets and the subsequent result of the Israelites conversion to God (1 Kings 18:1-45). Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, the Israelites struggled with worshipping idols and other gods. For us today, this reading can help us reflect on who or what are the “idols” of our time? Is it wealth, status, career, our appearance, pride, etc? How do we struggle with them throughout our lives?
In the gospel reading, Jesus’ disciples know about Elijah and his story, so they were expecting Elijah to return. However, Jesus told them that Elijah already came, but they didn’t recognize him in John the Baptist. Two thousand years later, what does that mean for us today? It is interesting to ask ourselves, who are the “Elijahs” of our time? Who are the prophetic voices in our time? Who are the people that point out what our idols are? Would we recognize them?
Today is the memorial of St. John of the Cross. In some ways, he was like Elijah. He tried to reform the religious order he was a member of, the Carmelites, who were becoming lax in their spiritual practices. His fellow Carmelite brothers opposed his reforms and consequently imprisoned and persecuted him. During this time, he wrote reflections, many of which were about the soul’s unity with the love of God. His most famous one is “Dark Night of the Soul.” His writings helped many people turn back to God and led to his canonization and being proclaimed Doctor of the Church. May we be inspired to see joy and God’s love in the midst of suffering like he did. May we also have the courage to speak up against the false gods in our society like Elijah.
—Sr. Emily Sandoval, FMI