MAKE FRIENDS QUICKLY…

1 Kings 18:41-46 
41 And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of the rushing of rain.”42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees.
43 And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” And he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go again seven times.”44 And at the seventh time he said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising out of the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.'”
45 And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.46 And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

Matthew 5:20-26 

20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
21 “You have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.’
22 But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be liable to the hell of fire.
23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,
24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
25 Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison;26 truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny.

MEDITATION

THE FIRST READING: Elijah had a unholy relationship with Ahab, because he married Jezebel a Baal worshipper which caused Elijah to invoke Yahweh to bring about a drought to punish Ahab. With this in mind, Elijah now inform Ahab that he will pray to God to send rain as a sign of His blessing.

Whilst Elijah was praying on bended knee on Mount Carmel, his servant observed a supernatural cloud formation that occured in the sea below the mountain.This sign confirmed that rain was coming which led Elijah to outrun Ahab so he may arrive before him in Jezreel, to gird himself to “eat and drink” (v41) and make the Sacrificial offering, because their friendship were restored and they had made peace.

THE GOSPEL READING: Our Lord adress the matter of virtue, a human disposition that all of us are called to master to be a righteous people! Whilst murder is the most heinous crime under the sun that can ban us to hell if we remain unrepented, our Lord include insults—demeaning name calling such as ‘idiot’ or ‘imbecile’ as being equally abhorent.Unless or untill we visit the confessional and or sincerely apologize to those whom we have greiveously hurt, we should not receive holy communion! 

Purgatory—is a term that denote an after death state of extreme suffering that shall lead to the purification of the soul of those who died in an imperfect state of grace. To be sure, we should not wish for purgatory but should aim for heaven. We are put on notice that our “accuser” the Holy Spirit who has and is still witnessing our lives, shall give testimony of our behavior. Jn 16:8 Unless or untill we pay the last penny, and reconcile with those whom we have injured we shall not enter heaven. It stands to reason that we make friends quickly whilst we are in the living! 

LET US PRAY:Psalms 65:10-13
10 Thou waterest its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.
11 Thou crownest the year with thy bounty; the tracks of thy chariot drip with fatness.
12 The pastures of the wilderness drip, the hills gird themselves with joy,13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.

Commentary. Henry R SYLVESTER Note: The daily scripture readings are taken from the Roman Missal which the Catholic Church use in the daily Celebration of the Holy Eucharist throughout the world.Some weekly readings may differ because of the celebration of local feast days.