The cloud the size of a man’s hand over Lake Arrowhead
1 Kings 18:43-44 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
43 He said to his servant, “Go up and look out to sea.” He went up and looked, but reported, “There is nothing.” Seven times he said, “Go look again!” 44 And the seventh time the youth reported, “There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the sea.” Elijah said, “Go and say to Ahab, ‘Harness up and go down the mountain before the rain stops you.’”
Thursday’s reading at Mass was from 1 Kings 18:41-46. I have always thought of the prophet Elijah as a bit temperamental. He did as God asked, but at times he feared the outcome. He knew that he was called to get the Israelites back on track with God. He could very well be our modern day prophet; as with Elijah, when he asked the Israelites to gather at Mount Carmel. He asked all the people “How long will you straddle the issue? If the Lord is God, follow him; if Baal follow him.” (1 Kings 18:21) We have in this country plenty of Baal worshipers, and we are currently in a spiritual drought. As like in the times of Elijah, the people were fooled into believing and buying into matters that lack any real substance, let alone any truth. In the times of Elijah it had not rained in three years. After his battle with Ahab and his wicked wife Jezebel, Elijah prayed for his own death. But God had other plans. Though Elijah went to the mountain of God to hide, he could never escape the Lord.
Mount Sinai/ Horeb
Elijah was at the same mountain where Moses met the Lord (Horeb is the alternate name for Mount Sinai). He ran from danger but encounted God! And like Moses he received a great commission, after a theophany. When Elijah heard God’s voice he hid his face. Why would he do this? The prophet knew that his commission was not yet complete. When God asked him; “Why are you here?” (1 Kings 19: 9), Elijah heard the still, small voice of the Lord. The Lord did not appear in a strong violent wind, the Lord did not appear in an earthquake, nor in a fire. The Lord appeared to His servant Elijah in a still, small voice and instructed him on what he had to complete for God. The main purpose of Elijah’s calling was to lead the lost back to the one true God. There was mass confusion among the spiritually challenged Israelites; many of them turned to Baal worship, yet believed that they could also serve the one true God.
CubbyLucas and RussThe girlsCubby, Lucas, Will and MaddieMaddie, Jenny and WillRuss, Mikos, Mike and Cubby
The Still, Small Voice
I often wonder why things do not take a turn for the better in our country. We are certainly inundated with violent winds, earthquakes and fires, yet we fail to hear the still, small voice of God. As gas prices continue to rise, the food prices follow. We in California know what to expect when summer comes in with its sweltering heat. We, the consumers, will be hit again with rolling blackouts. As a nation we need to return to God; that is the only recourse. Like the lost Israelites in the times of Elijah, we need to climb that spiritual mountain and stay there for a few days until we hear from God.
Our Family Mountain Retreat
We traveled to Arrowhead Mountain this past weekend. It was a quick family getaway and both Mike and I were pleasantly surprised that our entire family could be together. Our granddaughter Maddie just completed her volleyball camp and took a few days off from work. William had a free weekend, no basketball until the following week. Lucas and Jacob’s last day of school was Thursday, so we were set. Mike and I arrived a day early and had a heavenly dinner in Blue Jay. I was so happy that I ordered the right dinner because nine times out of ten I order the wrong thing.
Prepared for the wildlife battle
My friend Helen warned me about bears and mountain lions and urged me to carry a stick when taking my walks. The fresh air is different and more peaceful in the mountains, and the wind speaks in a whisper. This warning put a little fear in my heart, so the first day I walked like a mad woman, circling the spacious driveway. The following day Russ found a sizable stick that I could use in case of a bear or mountain lion attack. I kept reciting the Bible verse from Genesis 1:28 because we do have dominion over all living creatures.
Genesis 1:28 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
28 God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that crawl on the earth.
The mountain flies are bigger and more aggressive here. I had recently watched a video on how to trap and kill flies on Tik Tok. Mikos challenged me, “I bet I can kill more flies with the flyswatter than with your silly concoction.” He was right; the following day I discovered that it only caught a few gnats.
Our little staycation was definitely a bonding experience. Mike cooked and we ate all our home cooked-meals together. I made sandwiches for the boat ride, but there was one glitch. I forgot to put cheese in Lucas’ ham sandwich; he did not recover well from that incident. One other minor mishap: we only packed three bottles of water, and before the engine started we drank two bottles. When we had finished using the pontoon, we filled it with gas. Jenny, along with Will, Lucas, and Jacob, decided to disembark and wait for us. Both Maddie and I proved to be no use when parking the boat. Mikos told us to either laugh and sit there or help; we chose the former. Both Sonja and Mikos teamed up to help in the effort; honestly I have not seen this type of camaraderie between them since they were toddlers. Russ did a great job and Mike, as always, was our great support. Lastly, thank you, Larry and Helen, for allowing us to stay in your beautiful mountain retreat.
My Prayer
Dear Lord, I thank you for the time we had together as a family. I pray that You would always keep us as a strong family unit. Lord, equip us to climb that spiritual mountain and, just as You met Moses and Elijah, meet us there to commission us to do Your holy work. Amen.
