This blog follows the daily bible readings of the Catholic Church

Reading 1,  2 Kings 2:1, 6-14

1 This is what happened when the Lord took Elijah up to heaven in the whirlwind: Elijah and Elisha set out from Gilgal, 6 Elijah said, ‘Elisha, you stay here, the Lord is only sending me to the Jordan.’ But he replied, ‘As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you!’ And they went on together. 7 Fifty of the brotherhood of prophets followed them, halting some distance away as the two of them stood beside the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water; and the water divided to left and right, and the two of them crossed over dry-shod.

9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Make your request. What can I do for you before I am snatched away from you?’ Elisha answered, ‘Let me inherit a double share of your spirit.’ 10 ‘Your request is difficult,’ Elijah said. ‘If you see me while I am being snatched away from you, it will be as you ask; if not, it will not be so.’

16th Cent icon of Elijah's exodus

11 Now as they walked on, talking as they went, a chariot of fire appeared and horses of fire coming between the two of them; and Elijah went up to heaven in the whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw it, and shouted, ‘My father! My father! Chariot of Israel and its chargers!’ Then he lost sight of him, and taking hold of his own clothes he tore them in half. 13 He picked up Elijah’s cloak which had fallen, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took Elijah’s cloak and struck the water. ‘Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ he cried. As he struck the water it divided to right and left, and Elisha crossed over.

This wonderful legend picks up many of the themes of Elijah’ prophetic ministry:

1. He is like Moses in his devotion to God and God’s law. Like Moses he stands between the people and God. Like Moses therefore he can “divide the waters.”

2. He is the father of the prophetic movement in Israel hence the references to guilds of prophets and to the matter of his successor.

3. The fiery nature of his prophecies, mirroring the fire of God’s Spirit and defending the true Israel against all injustice and unfaithfulness, are imaged in the chariot of fire which accompanies his exodus in the whirlwind.

The succession of Elisha is interesting. Elisha boldly demands the “double share” which goes to a father’s eldest son. Elisha is asking for leadership. Although he has already been tested his vision is now tested again: will he “see” Elijah’s exodus? His ability to do so, means that he is worthy to wear the prophet’s cloak. The tearing of his own clothes is both a sign of grief at Elijah’s removal, and his abandonment of personal identity. He is now God’s person.

The whole passage sets out vividly the conviction that prophetic ministry is the conscience, critic and comfort of the people-a vocation for the church in any nation.

Gospel, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

1 ‘Be careful not to parade your uprightness in public to attract attention; otherwise you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. 2 So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win human admiration. In truth I tell you, they have had their reward. 3 But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; 4 your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

5 ‘And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them. In truth I tell you, they have had their reward. 6 But when you pray, go to your private room, shut yourself in, and so pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

16 ‘When you are fasting, do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they go about looking unsightly to let people know they are fasting. In truth I tell you, they have had their reward. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret; and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

plaque to Bonhoeffer in Berlin

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, martyred by the Nazis in 1945, wrote of this passage, that it pointed to the “secret discipline” which should be at the heart of faith. Any behaviour that promiscuously promotes God or religion is false, not just in the sense of self-advertisement, but also in that it turns God into an object in the world, a commodity.

God, the true God is not available in the world. He is pushed out of the world on to the cross. He is the beyond in our midst. He can be worshipped, loved and obeyed but he must not be prostituted by any over- familiarity, chumminess, sentimentality or marketing. God sees in secret and that should be reward enough, as we love and obey without fuss. Bonhoeffer was also conscience, critic and comfort of a corrupt nation.