His successor

THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
June 26, 2022

God told Elijah to anoint Elisha as his successor, so when he saw Elisha he threw his cloak over him. The Hebrew word translated here as “cloak” is often translated as “mantle.” Therefore, Elisha literally assumed the mantle of prophet. The mantle became a visible sign of his authority as he went on to speak in the LORD’s name. We received a mantle   ourselves in baptism: the mantle of the Holy Spirit, who cloaks us with God’s protection and guidance as we live out our faith in the world. In the Gospel, James and John reference the time when Elijah called down fire from heaven to consume two regiments of King Ahaziah’s. You see, the unfaithful Ahaziah ruled Israel from Samaria, so this event naturally came to mind when, centuries hence, the Samaritan village turned them away. Not only did Jesus call for mercy today, later on his way to Jerusalem, he tells the parable of the good Samaritan. The kingdom of God is open to all, from those who are willing to follow the Lord at once to those who initially refuse to welcome him. It’s easy to be sidetracked. We know we should be weeding the   garden or planning that presentation, but we get distracted by conversations online or the game on TV. Before you know it, we’ve wasted an hour or two. Our commitment to following the Lord can get similarly sidetracked. Perhaps we need a reminder like the one Paul gave the Galatians—love your neighbor—in order to focus on our collective goal, God’s kingdom. When we volunteer to help those in need or take the time to speak out against injustice, we strengthen our commitment as Christ’s disciples. Amen. (Casey, Most Reverend Robert G. Pastoral Patterns. World Library Publication, 2022)