Choosing the Fire: Elijah’s Bold Faith and Jesus’ Call to Full Obedience

Hey everyone welcome to this time together. Thanks for joining me. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. I am just a regular guy a veteran a dad a gardener a bit of a scientist who loves Einstein and the wonders of the universe and most importantly a Catholic trying to spread the Word of Jesus right here. Let us spend some real time together opening our hearts to God. Whether you are chilling at home dealing with your own struggles or just scrolling and landed here let us pray and dive into Scripture. No pressure to chat back just let these words sink in pray along in your heart and let the Lord meet you where you are.

O God come to my assistance. O Lord make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen. Lord we thank You for this day for every breath for the simple things like the plants growing in my backyard or the stars shining overhead that remind me how vast and ordered Your creation is. Even in our messy lives with bipolar swings autism masking for decades family reconciliations that took years of tears and apologies or the daily battles veterans face You are right there with us.

Let us start by turning to the Bible. First from the First Book of Kings chapter 18 verses 20 through 39. This is that powerful story on Mount Carmel. Ahab sent to all the children of Israel and had the prophets assemble on Mount Carmel. Elijah appealed to all the people and said How long will you straddle the issue. If the LORD is God follow him. If Baal follow him. The people however did not answer him. So Elijah said to the people I am the only surviving prophet of the LORD and there are four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. Give us two young bulls. Let them choose one cut it into pieces and place it on the wood but start no fire. I shall prepare the other and place it on the wood but shall start no fire. You shall call on your gods and I will call on the LORD. The God who answers with fire is God. All the people answered Agreed.

Elijah then said to the prophets of Baal Choose one young bull and prepare it first for there are more of you. Call upon your gods but do not start the fire. They took the young bull prepared it and called on Baal from morning to noon saying Answer us Baal. But there was no sound and no one answered. They hopped around the altar. At noon Elijah taunted them Call louder for he is a god and may be meditating or may have retired or may be on a journey. Perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened. They called louder slashed themselves with swords and spears until blood gushed but still nothing. Noon passed and they kept at it until the time for sacrifice but no sound no answer.

Then Elijah said to all the people Come here to me. He repaired the altar of the LORD that had been destroyed. He took twelve stones for the tribes of Israel built the altar arranged the wood cut up the bull and laid it on. He had them fill four jars with water and pour it over the offering and wood. Do it again a third time so the water flowed around and filled the trench. At the time for sacrifice Elijah prayed LORD God of Abraham Isaac and Israel let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things by your command. Answer me LORD. Answer me that this people may know that you LORD are God and that you have brought them back to their senses. The LORDS fire came down and consumed the burnt offering wood stones dust and even lapped up the water in the trench. Seeing this all the people fell prostrate and said The LORD is God. The LORD is God. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Now let us reflect on that with the Responsorial Psalm Psalm 16. Keep me safe O God. You are my hope. Keep me O God for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD My Lord are you. Keep me safe O God. You are my hope. They multiply their sorrows who court other gods. Blood libations to them I will not pour out nor will I take their names upon my lips. Keep me safe O God. You are my hope. O LORD my allotted portion and cup you it is who hold fast my lot. I set the LORD ever before me. With him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. Keep me safe O God. You are my hope. You will show me the path to life fullness of joys in your presence the delights at your right hand forever. Keep me safe O God. You are my hope.

Alleluia. Teach me your paths my God and guide me in your truth. Alleluia.

And now the Gospel from Matthew chapter 5 verses 17 to 19. A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew. Glory to you O Lord. Jesus said to his disciples Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen I say to you until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law until all things have taken place. Therefore whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Our Father who art in heaven hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Lord God You showed Your power on Mount Carmel and fulfilled the law in Your Son Jesus. Strengthen our faith help us fulfill Your commandments and bring us to everlasting life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. May the Lord bless us protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Now brothers and sisters let us sit with these readings for a good while and talk about what they mean for our lives today. That story of Elijah on Mount Carmel hits hard. The people were straddling the fence trying to hedge their bets between the true God and the idols of the day. Elijah did not play games. He challenged them straight up. Choose. And then he backed it up with bold ridiculous faith. He soaked that altar with water made it impossible by human standards and trusted that the Lord would send fire anyway. And God did. Fire came down consumed everything even the water. The people saw it and fell on their faces crying out The LORD is God.

Think about that in our world right now. How many of us are straddling fences. Maybe it is between faith and the pull of social media likes money worries or old habits that keep us from fully surrendering. As a veteran who served in the Army I know what it means to stand firm when things look impossible. As someone living with bipolar and autistic traits I have masked for 47 years there are days when everything feels like that water soaked altar hopeless by human measure. But God brings the fire. He shows up. That is the same God who holds the laws of physics together the one Einstein marveled at in the order of the universe. Science and faith are not enemies. They point to the same Creator.

In the Gospel Jesus makes it clear. He did not come to throw out the law or the prophets. He came to fulfill them. Every little command matters not as a heavy burden to crush us but as a path to freedom and love. Whoever obeys and teaches them will be great in the Kingdom. That is encouragement for all of us. Whether you are a parent trying to model faith for your kids like I am doing with my children building those relationships after years of hard work writing those notebooks with Bible verses and daily messages or you are out there grinding on TikTok at a job or just fighting through health stuff obedience out of love brings greatness.

I see this in my garden all the time. You prune the rose of Sharon or dahlias hard sometimes you mulch deep to fight the weeds you propagate cuttings with care and they bloom stronger. That is what Gods commandments do for our souls. They prune away what does not belong so we can grow fuller in joy. Like the Psalm says the Lord is our refuge our portion and cup. When we set Him before us we will not be disturbed no matter what comes VA appeals family drama downswings where eating is hard or the restless nights. He shows us the path to life fullness of joys in His presence.

Jesus fulfills it all. Remember the thief on the cross or the woman caught in adultery. Gods mercy is huge. All sins are forgivable except turning away from mercy itself. He meets us in our mess. As a Catholic I hold to the Catechism the rosary the saints and the real presence in the Eucharist but also know that science reveals more of His glory. Evolution black holes gravimetric stuff I am studying around stars like Vega none of it disproves God. It shows His genius.

So what does this mean practically for us tonight. Stop straddling. Call on the Lord like Elijah did. Repair the altar in your own life maybe through prayer Confession reading Scripture daily or acts of love for your neighbor. Teach others by how you live. For those watching who are parents veterans gardeners musicians or just searching Jesus sees you. He chose you on purpose. Build those family bonds create content that glorifies Him tend your little patch of earth as a sign of hope. In my backyard I am expanding beds with vinca planning hydrangea walls overwintering lilies. It is work but it brings beauty. Your life can too.

Let us take a moment in silence right now to talk to Him in your heart. Tell Him where you are straddling. Ask for the fire of His Holy Spirit. Thank Him for the small and big things. If you are dealing with mental health chronic stuff or loneliness know you are not alone. The same God who answered Elijah answers us. He guided my reconciliation in family relationships after that long apology and years of effort. He is doing work in your story too.

I could go on for hours about how this ties into everyday faith rock music that stirs the soul like Sabbra Cadabra helping through tough times TikTok as a way to reach people with prayers and reflections the peace of morning rosary or watching baseball with family as simple joys under Gods providence. The point is the Lord is God. Choose Him fully. Obey and teach His ways. He will bring the fire that changes everything.

Thanks for sticking with me through all this. If it spoke to you drop an Amen or share it. Let us keep growing in faith together. Pray the rosary read your Bible love your neighbor no matter what. God bless you abundantly. Stay close to Jesus. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Catch you next time. Peace.