Introduction
Ahab, as was told by Elijah, went up to Mount Carmel. There he summoned the Prophets of Baal 450 in number and ordered them to pray to Baal and prove to the people that Baal is the true God. The prophets of Baal sacrificed and prayed all day long asking their god to send fire , but to no avail. From morning to night they were praying and saying “Hear us ,O Baal, hear us. And there was no voice” (I Kings 18:20-29). Then came the time for Prophet Elias to do his part. Elias took twelve stones one for each of the twelve sons of Jacob to whom the Lord had given the name Israel. With these stones he rebuilt the altar for the worship of the Lord. He then prayed saying: “O Lord, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, prove that our God is the God of Israel. I m your servant and I have done all these at your command” (I Kings 18.30-39). Immediately the Lord sends fire down and burned up the sacrifice. And the people immediately shouted “The Lord is God; The Lord alone is God” (I Kings 18:39).
Ahab having no other choice ordered according to the word of Prophet Elias the prophets of Baal to be slaughtered. Immediately clouds appeared in the sky and the heavens opened and rain came down and the drought ended.
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 1 Kings 18:17-39
When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is it you, you disturber of Israel?” He answered, “It is not I who disturb Israel, but you and your father’s house, by forsaking the commands of the LORD and you by following the Baals. Now summon all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, as well as the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.” So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and had the prophets gather on Mount Carmel. Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you straddle the issue? If the LORD is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him. So Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the LORD, and there are four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. Give us two young bulls. Let them choose one, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood, but start no fire. I shall prepare the other and place it on the wood, but shall start no fire. You shall call upon the name of your gods, and I will call upon the name of the LORD. The God who answers with fire is God.” All the people answered, “We agree!” Elijah then said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one young bull and prepare it first, for there are more of you. Call upon your gods, but do not start the fire.” Taking the young bull that was turned over to them, they prepared it and called upon Baal from morning to noon, saying, “Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one answering. And they hopped around the altar they had prepared. When it was noon, Elijah taunted them: “Call louder, for he is a god; he may be busy doing his business, or may be on a journey. Perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” They called out louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears according to their ritual until blood gushed over them. Noon passed and they remained in a prophetic state until the time for offering sacrifice. But there was no sound, no one answering, no one listening.
Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” When they drew near to him, he repaired the altar of the LORD which had been destroyed. He took twelve stones, for the number of tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the LORD had said: Israel shall be your name. He built the stones into an altar to the name of the LORD, and made a trench around the altar large enough for two measures of grain. When he had arranged the wood, he cut up the young bull and laid it on the wood. He said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it over the burnt offering and over the wood.” “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he said, and they did it a third time. The water flowed around the altar; even the trench was filled with the water. At the time for offering sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came forward and said, “LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, LORD! Answer me, that this people may know that you, LORD, are God and that you have turned their hearts back to you.” The LORD’s fire came down and devoured the burnt offering, wood, stones, and dust, and lapped up the water in the trench.
Seeing this, all the people fell prostrate and said, “The LORD is God! The LORD is God!”
The Word of the Lord.
(Please take a moment for silent prayer)
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.