Word to the Wise
Friday, June 10, 2022 - Friday in the 10th Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-16 and Matt 5:27-32]At the mountain of God, Horeb, Elijah came to a cave, where he took shelter. But the word of the Lord came to him, "God outside and stand on the mountain before the Lord; the Lord will be passing by." A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the Lord - but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake- but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was fire - but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, "Elijah, why are you here?" [1 Kings]
One of the better known mottos of Ignatian spirituality (the heritage of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus - the Jesuits) is "finding God in all things." The story of Elijah and his encounter with God on the mountain could easily suggest the Ignatian motto to us. Elijah was in crisis, along with the people he served as prophet. He was fleeing for his life. His relationship to God led him to stand at the mouth of the cave and wait. He had to wait through wind, fire and earthquake - the fundamental elements of nature (along with water) but God was not in those on this occasion. God was present in a "tiny whispering sound." Elijah realized that it was in this way that God was to be found and went to the mouth of the cave only to be asked, "Elijah, why are you here?"
My pastoral and personal experience suggests to me that God's question is the fundamental one of spiritual direction. "Why are you here?" In the midst of crisis it may be very difficult to discern God's presence. We may be looking for some kind of dramatic intervention or we may simply be overwhelmed and do not know where to turn. Our faith suggests to us that we turn to God for help in the midst of our efforts to cope. Knowing how to discern God's presence (the tiny whispering sound) and coming to terms with our "expectations" of God ("Elijah, why are you here?") are central to the discernment essential to spiritual direction. But even if we do not seek formal spiritual direction from someone else, Elijah's story is the basic one of prayer and discernment. When we find God, are we ready to answer God's questions? AMEN