Homily for the 19th Sunday in Ordinal Time, August 13, 2023
Today’s readings should help us avoid crossing over from Christian self-confidence into narcissism and rampant self-importance. For a long time, Elijah had such a high degree of self-confidence that, empowered by God, he could singlehandedly hold his ground against Ahab, the King of Israel and his most influential wife, Queen Jezebel. Against all odds, Elijah had foiled their evil schemes and served Yahweh God most faithfully. But when Jezebel swore that she would not rest until she had slit his throat just as he had done to her 450 false prophets of Baal, Elijah