INTRODUCTION
The prophet Elijah appears in Scripture as a man of God who lived always in his presence and fought zealously for the worship of the one true God. He defended God’s law in a solemn contest on Mount Carmel, and afterwards was given on Mount Horeb an intimate experience of the living God. The inspiration that was found in him from the very beginnings of the Order so pervades its whole history that the prophet may deservedly be called the founder of the Carmelite ideal. (From the Carmelite Proper).
OPENING PRAYER
O glorious St. Elijah, ever a mirror of sanctity and justice, while living in this valley of tears, obtain for us of God the grace to be your followers on earth, that we may one day be partakers with you in the everlasting glory in heaven.
O great Patriarch of the Order of Mount Carmel, teacher of God’s people and the defender of their Faith, disperse, we entreat you, the darkness of our intellect, obscured by our evil passions, and preserve in our hearts the Faith which is kept living by works of charity.
O holy Patriarch of the Most high, taken into heaven in a chariot of fire, and who shall be the precursor of Christ, when He shall come in the splendor of his infinite majesty to judge the living and the dead, pray for us, that loving Him and sincerely serving Him on earth, we may have the great happiness of loving Him for all eternity in the blessed kingdom of heaven.
Amen.
READING
2 KINGS 2:1-12
When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, he and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, please. The LORD has sent me on to Bethel.” Elisha replied, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. The guild prophets who were in Bethel went out to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that today the LORD will take your master from you?” He replied, “Yes, I know that. Be still.” Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, please. The LORD has sent me on to Jericho.” Elisha replied, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. The guild prophets who were in Jericho approached Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that today the LORD will take your master from you?” He replied, “Yes, I know that. Be still.” Elijah said to him, “Stay here, please. The LORD has sent me on to the Jordan.” Elisha replied, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two went on together. Fifty of the guild prophets followed and stood facing them at a distance, while the two of them stood next to the Jordan.
Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up and struck the water: it divided, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground. When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Request whatever I might do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha answered, “May I receive a double portion of your spirit.”He replied, “You have asked something that is not easy. Still, if you see me taken up from you, your wish will be granted; otherwise not.” As they walked on still conversing, a fiery chariot and fiery horses came between the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind,and Elisha saw it happen. He cried out, “My father! my father!Israel’s chariot and steeds!” Then he saw him no longer.
The Word of the Lord.
(Please take a moment for silent prayer)
Responsory
Leave this place and go eastward, said the Lord to Elijah.
—And he went and did as the Lord had said.
Hide yourself by the brook Cherith, and there drink from the stream;
and I have commanded ravens to feed you there.
—And he went and did as the Lord had said.
READING
EXERCISE OF LIVING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD
(Excerpt from the talk of Bl. Titus Brandsma on “In the Spirit and Strength of Elijah”
compiled in the book, “Carmelite Mysticism: Historical Sketches”)
To what degree of contemplation Elias was raised on Horeb, is an academic question. There are some who say he saw the Lord face to face as we hope to see Him in Heaven. All spiritual writers number Elias among the most favoured mystic seers. His experience on Horeb was a reflection of what he was to witness on Thabor, when the Saviour was transfigured and Moses and Elias were seen associated in His blinding glory. The Holy Scriptures say of Moses that when he descended from Sinai after his conversation with God, on his face was spread the brightness and glory of divine light, so that the Jews dared not look at his face. The same is not said of Elias, but we see him coming to the Jews, as if from another world, from the courts of Heaven, and declaring at his appearance, Vivit Deus, in culus conspectu sto. This is the foundation of his life of prayer.
This living in the presence of God, this placing himself before the face of God, is a characteristic which the children of Carmel have inherited from the great Prophet: Conversatio nostra in coelis est “Our conversation is in heaven.” Elias was not taken up to heaven, but here on earth lived in heaven and stood with a pious heart before God’s throne: “God lives, I am standing before His face.” The words of the Archangel Raphael spoken to Tobias are reminiscent of the words of Elias. After he had accompanied Tobias under the name of Azarias and brought him safely on his journey, he revealed himself as an Angel of God. “One of the seven who stood before God.” “I seemed indeed to eat and drink with you, but I use an invisible meat and drink which cannot be seen by men.” This realisation of the presence of God is of the very greatest significance in the religious life.
We need not say that this practice of the presence of God is not confined entirely to the Order of Carmel. It is at the root of all spiritual life and though methods may differ, all spiritual writers lay it down as an essential element in religious development. But in Carmel it takes a special place. It is significant that one of the most widely known works on the practice of the presence of God was written by a simple lay brother of the Parisian Carmel. He was born in 1866 and died at the age of twenty-five. The book is a slight work containing four dialogues and sixteen letters of great importance. It was published a year after his death and soon afterwards translated into English. It has since been translated into nearly every language, including Esperanto.
In our own times Little Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face is the great example of this exercise of the presence of God, expressing itself in her devotion to the Holy Face. This devotion was also always characteristic of her sister, St. Teresa of Avila. In many of our old churches we may yet see traces of this Carmelite devotion to the Holy Face. The picture is painted on the big keystone of the gable of the sanctuary of our old churches at Mainz and Frankfort-on-the-Main, looking down on the choir and surrounded by appropriate texts, reminding those in prayer that the eyes of God are always upon them and that they must look upwards to the Holy Face.
(Please take a moment for silent prayer)
Responsory
The word of the Lord came to Elijah:
—Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord.
And he went out and stood at the mouth of the cave,
and the Lord passed by in the murmur of a gentle breeze.
—Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord.
LET US PRAY
O Holy Elijah, you appeared, a prophet of fire with words like a flaming torch; you shut up the sky and three times called down fire.
O Glorious Elijah, the wonder-worker who has done such marvelous deeds, the word of God carried you to the desert where you shared bread with all God’s creatures, you raised a child from death, you fed the poor and hungry in time of famine, and spoke the word of the most high.
You sought the presence of God in the silence of a cave and listened more deeply than either whirlwind or earthquake to find the Living One in the murmur of the heart.
You were raised up to heaven in a chariot of fire, and let your mantle fall upon Elisha and all the children of the prophets we humbly beseech you to share your spirit with us, and intercede with God for our well-being and peace, especially in the following matter:
(Mention your request.)
O Holy Father Elijah, strengthen us to hear the murmuring voice of God in the still caves of our hearts.
Amen.