Showing all posts by Elija

As I mentioned at the end of the last meditation, I would like to include in our Lenten itinerary a short series on the transformation of the heart. On the one hand, it is a theme that appears again and again in the biblical texts of Lent, which describe how the human heart turns away from God and clearly point out the abysses that exist within it. On the other hand, it is also fitting to delve more deeply into this theme in light of the wars taking place in the world and which, unfortunately, are once again affecting the people of the Middle East. The war that has just broken out has a very significant impact on Israel, the land where Jesus accomplished the work of Redemption.

In the context of our “Lenten retreat,” I do not consider it my task to explain in detail the political, social, and religious background of the conflict between Israel and Iran. Rather, I am moved by the question of what we, as disciples of the Lord, can do to contribute to the true peace that comes from God.

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Today’s readings confront us very concretely with the depths of the human heart and with the evil deeds that spring from it. First, we hear part of the story of Joseph and his brothers (Genesis 37:6–22). Joseph’s brothers realized that their father, Jacob, loved Joseph the most. Joseph was the one who told their father about the evil things they did while grazing the sheep and goats. Therefore, “they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him” (v. 4).

Their hearts grew darker and darker, and when Joseph innocently shared with them two prophetic dreams indicating that one day they would bow down before him, this increased their jealousy even more. When a favorable opportunity presented itself, they decided to kill him. Only one of the brothers, Reuben, wanted to save him from their hands and bring him back to their father. He persuaded them to throw him into a cistern in the wilderness and not to shed his blood (cf. v. 22).

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Today, on the sixteenth day of our “Lenten retreat,” the prophet Jeremiah reminds us unequivocally in whom we should trust and in whom we should not: “Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm, whose heart turns away from the Lord.’” (Jer 17:5). This is a similar exhortation to that found in another valuable saying from the Psalms: “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no help.” (Ps 148:3).

Indeed, it is foolish to seek in people the security that only God can give us. It is a sign that faith has not yet taken root deeply enough in us. That is why we continue to seek false securities that ultimately place a heavy burden on our lives and, in a way, keep us captive. The prophet Jeremiah expresses this reality in strong terms and goes so far as to say that the man who acts in this way is “cursed,” since he turns his heart away from the Lord. In fact, it can become a kind of curse, because, on the one hand, we will never obtain the security we seek in people, and on the other hand, we do not turn to the Lord and thus deprive ourselves of His help in overcoming threatening situations. It will remain so as long as we do not recognize it and set out on the path to God.

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On the fifteenth day of our Lenten journey, I find myself in Jerusalem writing this meditation under the shadow of military action between the United States, Israel, and Iran. On the morning of February 28, 2026, a bombing campaign against Iran began under the name “Operation Roaring Lion.” Iran responded with missile launches announced by sirens throughout much of Israel, including Jerusalem.

Today’s reading, taken from the Book of Esther (13:8–11, 15–17), attests to God’s omnipotence, and the Gospel (Matthew 20:17–28) speaks of Christ’s reign.

The context of the reading is that the Persian king Ahasuerus, influenced by Haman, his second‑in‑command, was about to carry out the extermination of all the Jews in his kingdom. In his great distress, Mordecai, an illustrious Jew who served in the palace, raised this plea to God:

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In today’s reading (1 Kings 17:8–16), we again meet the prophet Elijah, whom God sends to Zarephath, where He had commanded a widow to feed him (v. 9). When Elijah finds her gathering wood at the city gate, he asks her to bring him water and a morsel of bread. The poor widow replies: “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a cruse; and now, I am gathering a couple of sticks, that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die” (v. 12).

Nevertheless, Elijah encourages her to do as he has told her: first bring him a small loaf of bread, and then make one for herself and her son (v. 13). He assures her: “thus says the Lord the God of Israel, ‘The jar of meal shall not be spent, and the cruse of oil shall not fail, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth” (v. 14).

The widow does as Elijah tells her, believing his words, and what he predicted comes true to the letter. To listen to a true prophet such as Elijah is to listen to the voice of God. That is what the widow did, and as a reward, God ensured that she had enough food to keep herself and her son alive. She obeyed Elijah’s request even though her situation was desperate. From a human point of view, it would have been understandable if she had refused his request in order to preserve the little she had for herself and her son.

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