Thursday of 11th Week in Ordinary Time, Yr. II: reflection
Theme: What will the book of who is who of the people around you say about you?
Reading: Sirach 48:1–14
How lovely and beautiful are the things Sirach said about the prophet Elijah in the first reading of today. Chapters 44–50 of Sirach were most likely taken from the book of Who’s Who in the history and religion of Israel or could be viewed as a book of Who’s Who in Israel’s history. Today’s reading from chapter 48 described the wonders wrought by Elijah while he served as a prophet in Israel, as well his unflinching personality even in the presence of powerful kings and queens.
One of the striking things Sirach said about Elijah was that no one could intimidate him, especially in his convictions about God. Dear friends, can we say the same about ourselves in our relationship with God? Are we solidly confident about our faith in this God in such a way that no human being or circumstance can push us to lose our faith in Him or are we like trees tossed by the wind, which tilt to any direction of the wind? Elijah’s story tells us that God doesn’t disappoint anyone who convincingly hold cling to Him in the face of intimidations.
Again, just like Elijah, God has given all of us some years of service here on earth in different capacities, and He has given us the freedom to choose the type of service we would like to render. The wonders of Elijah, as told by Sirach, reminds us that any service rendered with the time given to us by God will not be forgotten by the people in whose lives and times we rendered such services, for nothing done under the sun would be entirely hidden.
The weakness of the human nature may make men to say evil of our good or good of our evil, but time will eventually reveal the true color of everything. Let us, therefore, start today in our various little ways to write our names with a golden pen in the book of Who is Who of the people of our time, beginning from those around us.
May God’s grace be abundant in your life this Thursday, Amen.
Fr Isaac Chima