19th Sunday of Ordinary Time

 Get up! Don’t give up!  1Kings 19:4-8

In every great fight scene,

There comes a time when the hero looks beaten  

On his back unable to get up. 

And then the theme to Rocky starts to play

And out of nowhere,

The hero rises from the ashes like a phoenix 

And wipes the sweat off his brow

And comes back from near defeat to victory. 

This is Elijah. 

Feeling worn out and exhausted after battling 450 false prophets on Mount Carmel

He Is now fleeing for his life,

As Jezebel promises to have him dead before sundown tomorrow. 

And exhausted, flat on his back, he prays to God to let him die. 

But God does not. 

Instead, God sends an angel to him,

To strengthen him with a cake and a jug of water. 

For It’s time to get up; not give up. 

The journey is not over. 

He must walk to mount Horeb where he will meet God. 

Live long enough and you will find yourself flat on your back;

Knocked down by cancer, money problems, loss of a loved one,

Being let go at work; rejection, whatever. 

And you just want to give up and tell the Lord like Elijah,

Just let me die!

It is at that time that God sends us not angel with a cake and jug of water,

But His only Son with the Bread of Life,

For whoever eats it will not die but live forever. 

And when we receive the Bread of Life,

The theme to Rocky is not played,

Rather the choir of angels start to sing,

And the saints stand on their feet and start to cheer us on 

to get up and not give up. 

For the journey is not over. 

And with the Bread of Life come down from heaven

To strengthen us;

Nothing on this earth came defeat us.