July 20 Saint Elijah Prophet and Our Father Solemnity

 

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. 

Evening Prayer I

Hymn

Let the sun, rising, hear your praise, Elijah, Earth, sky and water, hear our jubilation To the sun’s setting, glory of your people,   Strength of our Order. O light of heaven’s radiant beauty glowing,  Mighty in wonders, blessed in your merits, Many times witness of his greatest marvels   By the Lord chosen.

Fiery the chariot, drawn by fiery horses,  Upwards in triumph, swiftly angels bear you Blazing in glory beyond earthly beauty   Shining from  heaven.  You were the witness, Moses your companion, To the bright glory of the sole-Begotten, As the apostles gazed and fell in wonder   High on Mount Tabor.

Stay with us now and shield us with your favor. We are your children; trustingly we ask you Stretch out your hand and grant us your protection   Guarding us always. Praise to the Father, to the sole-Begotten, Praise to their Holy Coeternal Spirit, Kingdom and Power, glory and dominion, Now and Forever. Amen.

1.11, 11.5 Audiat miras oriens cadensque, Mary Paula, OCD

Ant 1

Elijah arose like a fire, and his word burned like a torch. 

Psalm 111

I will thank the Lord with all my heart * in the meeting of the just and their assembly.  Great are the works of the Lord, * to be pondered by all who love them. Majestic and glorious his work, * his justice stands firm for ever. He makes us remember his wonders, * The Lord is compassion and love.

He gives food to those who fear him;  keeps his covenant ever in mind. He has shown his might to his people * by giving them the lands of the nations. His works are justice and truth: * His precepts are all of them sure, standing firm for ever and ever: * they are made in uprightness and truth.

He has sent deliverance to his people and established his covenant for ever. * Holy his name, to be feared. To fear the Lord is the first stage of wisdom; all who do so prove themselves wise. * His praise shall last for ever!

 

Ant 1 

Elijah arose like a fire, and his word burned like a torch. 

Ant 2

How long will you limp between two sides? If the Lord is God follow him. 

Psalm 115

Not to us, Lord, not to us, * but to your name give the glory for the sake of your love and your truth, * lest the heathen say: ‘Where is their God?’ But our God is in the heavens; * he does whatever he wills. Their idols are silve and gold, the work of Human hands.  They have mouths but they cannot speak; * they have eyes but they cannot see; they have ears but the cannot hear,  they have nostrils but they cannot smell.

With their hands they cannot feel; with their feet they cannot walk. * No sound comes from their throats. Their makers will come to be like them * and so will all who trust in them.  Sons of Israel, trust in the Lord; * he is their help and their shield. Sons of Aaron, trust in the lord; he is their help and their shield. Your who fear him, trust in the Lord;  he is their help and their shield.  He remembers us, and he will bless us; he will bless the sons of Israel, * He will bless the sons of Aaron.

The Lord will bless those who fear him, * the little no less than the great: to you may the Lord grant increase, * to you and all your children.  May you be blessed by the Lord, * the maker of heaven and earth. The heavens belong to the Lord * but the earth he has given to men.  The dead shall not praise the Lord, * nor those who go down into the silence. But we who live bless the Lord * now and for ever. Amen.

Ant 2

How long will you limp between two sides? If the Lord is God follow him. 

Ant 3

The Lord will reward his servants the prophets. 

Canticle: Rev 11:17-18; 12:10b-12a

We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, * who are and who were, that you have taken your great power * and begun to reign.  The nations raged, * but your wrath came,  and the time for the dead to be judged, * for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, * both small and great.

Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God * and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down,  who accuses them day and night before our God.  And they have conquered him * by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.  Rejoice, then, O heaven, * and you that dwell therein.

 

Ant 3

The Lord will reward his servants the prophets. 

Reading

James 5:16c-18

The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects. Elijah was a man like nature with ourselves and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again and the heaven gave: rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit. 

Responsory

Blessed are they who see you
-- Blessed are they who see you
And are honored with your friendship 
-- who see you
Glory to the Father…
-- Blessed are they who see you

Magnificat

In the former days God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us through his Son, whom he has appointed the heir of all things.

Intercessions

Let us give joyful praise to the living and true God, who chose the prophet Elijah to proclaim his power and mercy; let us say to him: 
          Lord, make us witnesses of your love.
Lord, you accepted the sacrifice of Elijah and consumed it with fire from heaven;
-- accept our evening sacrifice which we offer for the good of the Church.
When Elijah prayed on the mountain you sent saving rain form heaven;
-- fill us who have been called to Carmel with a spirit of prayer, so that we may draw a shower of grace to the world. 
You gave to the prophet Elijah the ministry of reconciling parents and children’
-- make us workers for peace, so that the peace of Christ may reign in the world. 
You made Elijah the defender of your honor and true worship;
-- increase our concern for justice, so that by giving you all that is your due, we may serve our brothers and sisters in the spirit of the Gospel. 
Your took the propbhet Elijah to yourself in a whirlwind of fire; 
-- graciously admit our departed brothers and sisters into the embrace of your glory. 

Our Father… 

Prayer as at Morning Prayer. 

Invitatory

Ant. Come let us adore the living God, who speaks to us through the prophets. 

Invitatory psalm, as in the Ordinary, v.3, p. 649. 

Office of Readings

HYMN 

Praises to the great Elijah! Let our songs to heaven rise.  His grace to hear God’s whisper Where all earthly music dies.  Clad in skins he made his dwelling On Mount Carmel, finding there That austere and lonely wisdom Hidden in a life of prayer.

Yet he went forth at God’s bidding, Flashed God’s word and law abroad Till the idols fell around him And his people turned to God.  May we, too, make war on falsehood, Burn with zeal for God’s command Till we follow our true Master In whose sight we always stand.

Now we pray our Prophet-father That our lives obtain this grace: An outpouring of God’s Spirit Over every time and place.  Praise and honor to the Father,  To the Son and Spirit praise. Theirs be all our love and worship Now and through eternal days.

 

Ant. 1 Lord, I have had enough: take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors. 

Psalm 11

In the Lord I have taken my refuge.  How can you say to my soul: “Fly like a bird to its mountain.  See the wicked bracing their bow; they are fixing their arrows on the string to shoot upright men in the dark. Foundations once destroyed,  what can the just do?”

The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord, whose throne is in heaven.  His eyes look down on the world;  his gaze tests mortal men.  The Lord tests the just and the wicked: the lover of violence he hates. He sends fire and brimstone on the wicked;  he sends a scorching wind as their lot.

The Lord is just and loves justice:  the upright shall see his face.

Ant. Lord, I have had enough: take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.

 

Ant. 2 An angel of the Lord said to him: Get up and eat, for there is a great journey before you. 

Psalm 28

To you, O Lord, I call, my rock, hear me. If you do not heed I shall become like  those in the grave.  Hear the voice of my pleading  as I call for help, as I lift up my hands in prayer  to your holy place.

Do not drag me away with the wicked, with the evil-doers, who speak words of peace to their neighbors  but with evil in their hearts.  Blessed be the Lord for he has heard my cry, my appeal. The Lord is my strength and my shield;  in him my heart trusts.  I was helped, my heart rejoices  and I praise him with my song.

The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress where his anointed find salvation.  Save your people; bless Israel your heritage.  Be their shepherd and carry them forever.

Ant. An angel of the Lord said to him: Get up and eat, for there is a great journey before you.

Ant. 3 Elijah ate and drank, and in strength of that food he walked to the mountain of God. 

Psalm 30

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me  and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.  O Lord, I cried to you for help and you, my God, have healed me. O Lord, you have raised my soul from the dead,  restored me to life from those who sink into the grave.  Sing psalms to the Lord, you who love him, give thanks to his holy name. His anger lasts a moment; his favor through life.  At night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn.  I said to myself in my good fortune: “Nothing will ever disturb me.” Your favor had set me on a mountain fastness,  then you hid your face and I was put to confusion.

To you, Lord, I cried, to my God I made appeal: “What profit would my death be, my going to the grave?  Can dust give you praise or proclaim your truth?”  The Lord listened and had pity. The Lord came to my help. For me you have changed my mourning into dancing,  you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.  So my soul sings psalms to you unceasingly. O Lord my God, I will thank you forever.

Ant. Elijah ate and drank, and strengthened by that food walked all the way to the mountain of God. 

You are a man of God.
—And the word of God in your mouth is true. 

 

FIRST READING
From the book of Sirach 48:1-11

How glorious is Elijah in his wondrous deeds!

The prophet Elijah arose like a fire, his word flaring like a torch. It was he who brought famin on them, and who decimated them in his zeal. By the word of the Lord, he shut up the heavens, he also, three time, brought down fire. How glorious you were in your miracles, Elijah! Has anyone reason to boast as you have? – rousing corpse from death, from Sheol by the word of the Most High; dragging kinds down to destruction, and high dignitaries from their beds; hearing reproof on Sinai, and decrees of punishment on Horeb; anointing kings as avengers, and prophets to succeed you; taken up in the whirlwind of fire, in a chariot with fiery horses; designated in the prophecies of doom to allay God’s wrath before the fury breaks, to turn the hearts of fathers toward their children, and to restore the tribes of Jacob.

Happy shall they be who see you, and those who have fallen asleep in love; for we too will have life. 

RESPONSORY 1 Kings 17:3-4 

The Lord said to Elijah, ‘Leave this place and go towards the east.’ 
 -- And he went and did as the Lord had said. 

‘Hide yourself in the wadi Karith; there you can drink of the stream, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.’ 
 -- And he went and did as the Lord had said. 

 

SECOND READING

From a homily on Ezekiel by Saint Gregory the Great, pope 

(L. 2, h. 1, no. 17: PL 76, 947-48) 

The mystical contemplation of God

In divine contemplation the spirit is often abstracted to such a degree that it is already granted the joy of partaking a little, in image as it were, of that eternal freedom which eye has not seen nor ear heard, but then, hampered by the weight of its own mortality, it falls back into the depths and is held captive in penalty for its sins. It has glimpsed the delights of true freedom and longs to escape from its captivity but, since it cannot, it keeps its gaze fixed upon the imprisoning doors. This is why, when the Jews had been freed from slavery to Egypt, each of them stood adoring in the doorway of his tent when God spoke and the pillar of cloud was visible. 

Wherever we direct our mental gaze, there we may be said to stand. That is why Elijah said: The Lord lives, in whose sight I stand. He did indeed stand before God, for his heart was intent on God. That the Jews gazed at the pillar of cloud and stood at the doors of their tents in adoration has this meaning: when the human mind perceives these high and heavenly things—albeit in image— the elevation of its thought has already lifted it free from the limits of its bodily habitation, and although it is denied sight of the divine substance, it humbly adores him whose power it can already see by spiritual illumination. 

This is why Elijah is described as standing at the mouth of his cave and veiling his face when he heard the voice of the Lord speaking to him; for as soon as the voice of heavenly understanding enters the mind through the grace of contemplation, the whole person is no longer within the cave, for the soul is no longer taken up with matters of the flesh: intent on leaving the bounds of mortality; one stands at the cave’s mouth. 

But if a man stands at the mouth of the cave and hears the word of God with the heart’s ear, he must veil his face. For when heavenly grace leads us to the understanding of higher things, the rarer the heights to which we are raised, the more we should abase ourselves in our own estimation by humility: we must not try to know more than is fitting; we must know as it befits us to know. Otherwise, through over-familiarity with the invisible, we risk going astray, and we might perhaps look for material light in what is immaterial. For to cover the face while listening with the ear means hearing with our mind the voice of him who is within us, yet averting the eyes of the heart from every bodily appearance. If we do this there will be no risk of our spirit interpreting as something corporeal that which is everywhere in its entirety and everywhere uncircumscribed. 

Beloved brothers, we have already learned through our Redeemer’s death, resurrection and ascension into heaven what joys of eternity mean, and we know that our fellow-citizens, his angels, have appeared bearing witness to his divinity. Let us therefore long for our King, and for those fellow-citizens we have known. While our feet stand within the walls of his holy Church, let us keep our eyes turned toward the door; let us mentally turn our backs on the corruption of this temporal life, let us keep our hearts facing toward the freedom of our heavenly homeland. We are still encumbered, it is true, by the many cares of this corruptible life. If then we cannot leave the cave completely, let us at least stand at its mouth, and go out whenever we are granted the favor of doing so by the grace of our Redeemer, who lives and reigns with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen. 

RESPONSORY See 1 Kings 19:9, 11, 13, 12 

The word of the Lord came to Elijah:
 — Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord. 

He went out and stood at the entrance of the cave,
and the Lord passed by in the whisper of a gentle breeze.
 — Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord. 

HYMN, Te Deum.

Prayer, as in Morning Prayer. 

Morning Prayer 

HYMN 

This is the day when, joyfully and gladly, We fly in spirit to the heights of Carmel To tell the praises of the great Elijah,   Our holy prophet.  From him we take a heritage and pattern, The first inspirer of our holy Order Whose favored sons proclaim salvation’s message   In every quarter.

When lasting famine came upon his county The raven fed him, and the widow’s portion Of meal and oil, proved always just sufficient   Until the rain fell. Earnestly praying by a weeping mother He brought the dead child, by the mighty power Of a devout soul’s holy supplication,   Back to the living.

Clouds, at his bidding, filled the sky or vanished. He summoned rain to end three years of shortage: At once the heavens opened and parched acres   Grew soft with showers.  All glory, honor, and power be to the Father, And to the Son, begotten from all ages, And Holy Spirit, equal and eternal   Bond that unites them.

11.11.11.5. John Leonard Davies, OCD

Ant. 1 God lives; I am standing in his presence. 

Psalms and canticle from Sunday, Week I, v. 3, p. 688 (CP., p. 707). 

Ant. 2 Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is passing by. 

Ant. 3 With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of Hosts. 

READING 2 Peter 1:19-21 

We have confirmation of what was said in prophecies; and you will be right to depend on prophecy and take it as a lamp for lighting a way through the dark until the dawn comes and the morning star rises in your minds. At the same time, we must be careful to remember that the interpretation of scriptural prophecy is never a matter for the individual. Why? Because no prophecy ever came from man’s iniititative. When men spoke for God it was the Holy Spirit that moved them.  

RESPONSORY 

I shall be satisfied, Lord, when your glory appears. 

• I shall be content, Lord, when your glory appears. 
  And in righteousness I willll see your face, 
  when your glory appears. 

Glory … 
I shall be content, Lord, when your glory appears. 

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

Ant. Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, give proof this day 

that you are God of Israel, and I am your servant, and that all I have said is at your command.

INTERCESSIONS 

God our Father spoke in former days through the prophets, but today he speaks to us in his Son, through whom he wishes the whole world to be joined to him. Let us humbly pray: 

         Lord, draw us to yourself. 

Lord, you revealed yourself to the prophet Elijah in silence and solitude; 
 --  help us to put aside all that prevents us from hearing your voice, so that we may seek and find you. 
When he was thirsty, you gave Elijah refreshing water at the torrent of Karith; 
 --  may we drink at the living springs of love and contemplation. 
As he walked to Mount Horeb, you filled Elijah with strength; 
 -- may we who are strengthened by the Body and Blood of Christ press on unwearied in our journey to you. 
Lord, you revealed yourself to Elijah in the whisper of a gentle breeze; 
 -- in attentive silence and with an obedient spirit may we receive every inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 
Lord, you raised up Elijah like a fire and made him zealous for your glory; 
 -- may we too burn with the fire of your love, to serve the Church and our brethren in all our work. 

Our Father... 

PRAYER 

Almighty, ever-living God,
your prophet Elijah, our Father,
lived always in your presence
and was zealous for the honor due to your name. 

May we, your servants, always seek your face
and bear witness to your love. 

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. 

Daytime Prayer 

Psalms from the current weekday. 

Midmorning
Ant. Elijah called out to the Lord, and the Lord heard his voice.

 READING Rev 11:3, 4, 6, 11-12 

I will grant my two witnesses power to prophesy. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands which stand before the Lord of the earth. They have power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood. A breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and a great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up hither!” And in the sight of their foes they went up to heaven in a cloud. 

Because of his zeal for the law,

• Elijah was taken up into heaven. 

Midday 

Ant. The words of the Lored were fulfilled; he did what he had promised his prophet Elijah

READING Lk 4:4-26 

I tell you solemnly, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country. There were many widows in Israel, I can assure you in Elijah’s day, when heaven remained shut for three years and six months and a great famine raged throughout the land, but Elijah was not sent to any one of these: he was sent to a widow at Zarephath, a Sidonian town. 

Elijah said to the widow: Give your son to me.

• He cried out to the Lord and the boy revived. 

Midafternoon 

Ant. The fire of the Lord fell and consumed Elijah’s burnt offering. 

READING 1 Kgs 18:30-32a

Elijah said to all the people, ‘Come near to me’ and all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down; Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, ‘Israel shall be your name;’ and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. 

All the people fell on their faces. 
 -- and they cried: ‘The Lord is God, the Lord is God.’

Prayer, as in Morning Prayer. 

Evening Prayer II 

HYMN 

Today to Saint Elijah We lift our hearts’ appeal For graces of his worship And courage of his zeal Upon the slopes of Carmel In solitary prayer He heard God’s message whispered Upon the gentle air.  In deeps of contemplation He learned God’s holy will  And then went forth with ardor His mission to fulfill.

He pleaded with his people To place in God their trust, Denounced the wicked rulers, The faithless, the unjust.  May we in other ages,  God’s sacred laws avow, And listening to His Spirit Fulfill our missions now.  To love our great Creator, His Son and Spirit heed. And so to love each other  And live our Christian creed.

May we in other ages,  God’s sacred laws avow, And listening to His Spirit Fulfill our missions now.  To love our great Creator, His Son and Spirit heed. And so to love each other  And live our Christian creed.

76.76. unknown

Ant. 1 

Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of God in your mouth is true.

Psalm 15 

Lord, who shall be admitted to your tent 
and dwell on your holy mountain? 

He who walks without fault; 
he who acts with justice 
and speaks the truth from his heart;
he who does not slander with his tongue;
He who does no wrong to his brother,
who casts no slur on his neighbor,
who holds the godless in disdain,
but honors those who fear the Lord;

He who keeps his pledge, come what may;
who takes no interest on a loan
and accepts no bribes against the innocent. 
Such a man will stand firm for ever.

Ant. Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of God in your mouth is true.

Ant. 2 The Lord said to Elijah: Go and present yourself to Ahab; I will send rain upon the earth. 

Psalm 112

Happy the man who fears the Lord, who takes delight in all his commands.  His sons will be powerful on earth; the children of the upright are blessed. Riches and wealth are in his house; his justice stands firm for ever. He is a light in the darkness for the upright: he is generous, merciful and just.  The good man takes pity and lends, he conducts his affairs with honor. The just man will never waver: he will be remembered for ever.

He has no fear of evil news; with a firm hearts he trust in the Lord. With a steadfast heart he will not fear; he will see the downfall of his foes. Open-handed, he give to the poor; his justice stands firm for ever. His head will be raised in glory. The wicked man sees and is angry,  grinds his teeth and fades away, the desire of the wicked leads to doom.

 Ant. The Lord said to Elijah: Go and present yourself to Ahab; I will send rain upon the earth. 

Ant. 3 Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind, and Elisha saw him no more. 

Canticle: Revelation 15:3-4

Great and wonderful are your deeds, 
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the ages!

Who shall not fear and glorify your name, O Lord?
For you alone are holy.
All nations shall come and worship you, 
for your judgments have been revealed.

Ant. Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind, and Elisha saw him no more. 

READING 2 Kgs 2:11-12 

As they still went on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it and he cried, ‘My father, my father! the chariot of Israel and its horseman!” And he saw him no more.

RESPONSORY 

Elisha lifted the cloak of Elijah: he struck the waters and they divided
 -- Elisha lifted the cloak of Elijah: he struck the waters and they divided

Because the spirit of Elijah rested on Elisha: 
 -- He struck the waters and they divided.

Glory… 
 -- Elisha lifted the cloak of Elijah: he struck the waters and they divided

CANTICLE OF MARY 

Ant. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the day of the Lord comes, that great and terrible day. He will turn the hearts of fathers to their sons and the hearts of sons to their fathers. 

INTERCESSIONS 

as at Evening Prayer I

PRAYER 

as at Morning Prayer