From the Grace of God comes a miracle found in hope

From the Grace of God comes a miracle found in Hope

A comparison to Real Presence article

The prophet Elijah became an enemy to Ahab because of his wife Jezebel who ultimately would hunt for him.  God was preparing Elijah for a ministry only to become fruitful soon after.  

Elijah was sent to hide in the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan.  Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning.  He drank from the stream, but after a time the stream ran dry

The Lord told him to go to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there.  “I have designated a widow there to provide for you.  He left and went to Zarephath .  As he arrived at the entrance of the city, a widow was gathering sticks there; he called out to her “Please bring me a small cupful of water to drink.”  She left to get it, and called out after her, “Please bring along a bit of bread.”  (1 Kings 17: ff).  Here we see the needs of poor people in need of the blessings found only with the grace of God’s mercy.

After the widow relating to her poverty and telling Elijah she was about to make a small cake and after eating it she and her son would die.  “But Elijah told her to first make him a little cake, bring it to him, then you can prepare something for herself and her son.”  (1 Kings 17:13).

“For the Lord , the God of Israel, says, “The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth.”  (1 Kings 17: 14 16).

A pre-example of the answer to a hope for poverty stricken people will be fed, even to the thousands found in Jn. chapter 6.  “Jesus told Philip, Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?”  Referring to the multitudes who had followed Jesus and his disciples.  Andrew said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what good are these for so many.”  (Jn. 6: 5 ff).  

Like the flour in the container and jug of oil of the widow at Zarephath neither the flour nor oil ran out.  A certain sign that with God nothing is impossible, and his presence always provides for the poor who believe in him.  

This of course brings us to the miracle that occurs at every Mass when the words “This is my Body, and similarly this is the Chalice of my Blood are proclaimed and the earthly elements of bread (the bread for the widow’s cake) and the wine (the oil in the widow’s jug) did not go dry, through the holy spirit become the living Body and Blood of Christ.        

After the people were fed, there remained twelve baskets filled with what was left.  After holy communion the remaining hosts, the real presence of Christ in each wafer, is taken to the tabernacle and remain intact as the real presence of Christ.  There is no expiration since Christ is always with us.  However, this dogma is to be believed by those who accept this teaching.  The apparent problem that exists is too many who receive the host do not believe in the real presence of Christ.  

Our widow of Zarephath believed in the power of God to keep the bread and oil consistently present.  Most of the 5,000 + people who had their fill on the mountain were in awe and came to believe in Jesus as the Messiah.  Where is the true belief of so many who question the real presence of Christ who died-rose for the forgiveness of our sins?

Ralph B. Hathaway