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From: 1 Kings 19:19-21
The call of Elisha
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Commentary:
19-21. Elishas response to Elijahs call is quite exemplary: he leaves everything
behind and puts himself at the disposal of the prophet. That will be how the apos-
tles respond to Christ (cf. Mt 4:20, 22; etc.), and it should be how anyone responds
when the Lord calls him or her to a mission which involves leaving everything. But
the call issued by Jesus is more pressing than Elijahs, as can be seen from the
Gospel passage where Jesus, in response to someone who says, I will follow
you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home, replies, No one who
puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God (Lk 9:61-
62). Obedience to a call involves a radical self-surrender: Detach yourself from
people and things until you are stripped of them. For, says Pope St. Gregory, the
devil has nothing of his own in this world, and naked he comes to battle. If you go
clothed to fight him, you will soon be pulled to the ground: for he will have some-
thing to catch you by (St. J. Escriva, The Way, 149).
The name Elisha means My God saves and it epitomizes this prophet, just as
the name Elijah catches the essence of that prophets message: My God is the
Lord.
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.