ALL SAINTS: 12 June 2024 - Daily Mass Readings

Wednesday 12 June 2024
Wednesday of week 10 in Ordinary Time
Liturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II)

Readings at Mass

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First reading

1 Kings 18:20-39

Let it be known this day that you, Lord, are God.

Ahab sent to all the children of Israel and had the prophets assemble on Mount Carmel.

Elijah appealed to all the people and said, “How long will you straddle the issue? If the LORD is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him.” The people, however, did not answer him. So Elijah said to the people, “I am the only surviving 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 on your gods, and I will call on the LORD. The God who answers with fire is God.” All the people answered, “Agreed!”

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 on Baal from morning to noon, saying, “Answer us, Baal!” 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 and may be meditating, or may have retired, 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, as was their custom, until blood gushed over them. Noon passed and they remained in a prophetic state until the time for offering sacrifice. But there was not a sound; no one answered, and no one was listening.

Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” When the people had done so, he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been destroyed. He took twelve stones, for the number of tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the LORD had said, “Your name shall be Israel.” He built an altar in honor of the LORD with the stones, 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. “Fill four jars with water,” he said, “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, and the trench was filled with the water.

At the time for offering sacrifice, the prophet Elijah 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 by your command. Answer me, LORD! Answer me, that this people may know that you, LORD, are God and that you have brought them back to their senses.” The LORD’s fire came down and consumed the burnt offering, wood, stones, and dust, and it lapped up the water in the trench. Seeing this, all the people fell prostrate and said, “The LORD is God! The LORD is God!”

Commentary

1 Kings 18:20-39 recounts the dramatic showdown between the prophet Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, showcasing the power and sovereignty of the one true God.

Elijah's Challenge: Elijah confronts the people of Israel, urging them to choose between the Lord and Baal, setting the stage for a decisive test of divine power.
Baal's Failure: Despite the prophets of Baal's fervent prayers and rituals, their deity remains silent, highlighting the emptiness of idol worship.
Elijah's Prayer: Elijah prays to God, who responds with consuming fire from heaven, affirming His supremacy and answering Elijah's faith.
Divine Manifestation: The miraculous display of fire demonstrates God's power over creation, affirming His identity as the one true God.
People's Response: Witnessing this demonstration, the people of Israel repent and acknowledge the Lord as God, turning away from idolatry.

1 Kings 18:20-39 vividly portrays God's supremacy over false gods through Elijah's challenge and the miraculous display of fire, leading the people to repentance and reaffirmation of faith in the one true God.

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 16:1b-2ab, 4, 5ab and 8, 11