The Holy Prophet Elias

Elias is the most significant of the prophets of the Old Testament. It was Elias who showed up along with Moses at the Transfiguration and it is Elias who is prophesied to announce the second coming of Christ. It was the character of Elias which St. John the Baptist carried with him as he preached the Gospel announcing Christ's first coming. St. John was not literally Elias though so the prophesy of Elias's announcement of the Messiah's coming is only partially fulfilled by John in the incarnation. It will be wholly pronounced at the very end of the world. Elias vigorously combatted the apostasy of Israel and denounced the wicked king Ahab who governed like a tyrant.

Elias had prayed to God to bring a drought to Israel. Being the only faithful when Ahab had ruled, his life was in constant danger from the king but God had granted him His full protection. The drought in Israel lasted for three and a half years, during which time, Elias lived with a widow in Zarephath who had only one son. She had only a small amount of meal in a jar and oil in a jug but Elias announced to her that this would not dry up until the Lord would send rain to the earth once again. And each day, she would use the oil and meal to make bread and it would not dry up. It continued to last as Elias had prophesied it would. The widow of Zarephath is remembered for her hospitality to the Holy Prophet. It also came about that her son died while Elias was with her. She started blaming Elias and accusing God until Elias raised her son from the dead, foreshadowing Christ's resurrection of the only son of the widow of Nain and the resurrection of Christ himself. Seeing Elias raise her son, she realized Elias was truly a man of God.

Elias would return one last time to Israel as the drought was ending and would put the prophets of Baal to the test. They would see whose God could bring fire. The prophets of Baal gathered the driest of sticks hoping this would set a fire as the prayed. Elias, seeing their god fail to light the fire mocked their idol and their moronic faith in such a Pachamama character like that. Elias gathered around moist sticks and branches, placed water around his pile of sticks, and prayed God light the fire. The fire ignited and the prophets of Baal were dumbstruck yet refused to believe in the God of Elias. Elias then slashed their throats. Knowing the king had him on the run, he would flee into the wilderness.

There we see Elias in a much different state. For many of us, we see the Church in crisis just as it was in the days of Elias. We cry out to God and we wonder if we are the only one with the true faith. This was Elias before his final reward. On his way to Horeb, he was strengthened by an angel and as he dwelt in a cave, food was brought to him by the ravens showing that even the most rapturous of birds must submit and obey the will of God. He cried out, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the Israelites have forsaken the covenant, I am the only one left, and now they seek to take away my life." Elias begged for death. Then, standing before the mountain, he observed the great wind which broke the mountains. But the Lord was not in the wind. Then there was an earthquake. But the Lord was not in the earthquake. Then there was a fire. But the Lord was not in the fire. Finally, there was silence. It was in the silence that Elias heard the voice of God calling out to him. It is not in the noisiness of the world that we find God but when we rest our hearts to the point of silence. This is when we confront our own thoughts and when God calls our thoughts to Himself.

Elias was commanded to appoint Elisha as his successor and he was taken up in the wind, with Elisha following him, in a cloud of fire on a chariot. Elisha received the mantle of the Holy Prophet and Elisha carried with him the charism of his elder. Elias did not die a natural death. According to tradition, when the Two Witnesses at the end of time announce the coming of Christ and expose the works of the Antichrist, they will be put to death by his ministers. These Two Witnesses are reckoned to be Enoch and Elias for neither Enoch nor Elias have died. Thus, although Elias has not died as of current, it is inevitable that he will be slaughtered by the Antichrist. Holy Prophet Elias, pray for us as we find ourselves alone against those who ought to be our brothers!