Today, June 14, is the memorial of Saint Elisha the Prophet.
Carmelite and prophet.
“Elisha came to Elijah, who threw his cloak over him and he abandoned the oxen, followed Elijah and became his servant” (1 K 19, 19. 21).
As Elijah was taken up by a fiery chariot, Elisha asked to inherit “a double-portion” of Elijah’s spirit.
Among the many outstanding prodigies, Elisha cured Naaman from leprosy and raised a boy from the dead. He lived among the sons of prophets and was frequently present, in the name of God, in the events of the People of Israel.
In 2 Kings 13:21, there is the account of a dead man coming back to life after coming in contact with Elisha’s relics: “Once some people were burying a man, when suddenly they spied such a raiding band. So they cast the dead man into grave of Elisha, and everyone went off. But when the man came in contact with the bones of Elisha, he came back to life and rose to his feet.” It is the first known miracle attributed to a relic.
The Carmelite Order, mindful of its origin on Mount Carmel, with the liturgical celebration of the great Prophets Elijah and Elisha, intends to perpetuate the memory of their presence and of their works.
This is why in the year 1399, the Carmelite General Chapter decreed the celebration of the feast of Saint Elisha. In our time the Prophet gives effective witness of the prophetic charism by means of fidelity to the true God and the service to his people.