HANDOVER OF LEADERSHIP - C: 13th Sun in OrdTime

First Reading: 1 Kgs 19:16, 19-21 (26 July 2022)

“Elijah passed near to him and threw his cloak over him…. He then rose, and followed Elijah and became his servant” (1 Kgs 19:19, 21).

Our first reading is part of the series of anointing that Elijah had done at the twilight of his prophetic ministry. It was the Lord who directly ordered him to choose and consecrate several people to public service as he steps down. Accordingly, the Lord instructed him: “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place” (v. 16).

Elijah followed this command and wholeheartedly accepted the end of his tenure as a prophet of the Lord.

Actually, the idea of stepping down came from Elijah himself. After successfully defeating the prophets of Baal in Mt. Carmel and shaming King Ahab for his insolence against Yahweh (1 Kgs 18:40-41, 45-46), Elijah began to be persecuted by Queen Jezebel. In retaliation for annihilating the prophets of Baal, she just launched a large-scale manhunt and execution of all the prophets of the Lord (2 Kgs 19:2). To this purging, “Elijah was afraid and ran for his life” (v. 3). In Beersheba, he sighed in exasperation, “I have had enough, Lord … Take my life.” (v. 4). He was momentarily resuscitated by an angel of the Lord (vv. 5-7), but when he arrived in Mt. Horeb (v. 8), he still bore the same lingering grief and uttered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away” (v. 10). He repeated the same plea (v. 14) after the Lord had just made his presence felt in the form of a gentle whisper (v. 12). Hearing Elijah’s resolute decision to retire, God instructed him to anoint Elisha as his replacement (v. 16)

Soon, Elijah would be taken up to heaven (2 Kgs 2:11-12), leaving Elisha his cloak as well as his prophetic spirit (vv. 13-15).

Stepping down or resigning does not necessarily mean surrendering and giving up the fight. In the biblical narrative, Elijah realized that there were only a few things that he was capable of doing based on his skills, disposition, and readiness. Despite showing earlier great courage against the prophets of Baal, he lacked the energy, youthfulness, resilience, and even resources (since the Yahwistic prophetic guild had just been purged) to sustain an even larger resistance against the queen and her army. Nonetheless, he was willing to pass the baton of leadership to a younger and more energetic farmer in the person of Elisha, who true enough would sustain his passion in promoting Yahweh and his commands in the face of a corrupt and evil monarchy.

June 30, 2022 marks the end of the Duterte administration and the beginning of the Marcos (Jr.) regime. We hope and pray that the transition will be smooth and the greater interest of the public will be served. For the next six years, we face the unknown on how the son of a former dictator can turn around the Philippine economy and bring about moral ascendancy and good governance. We pray for its success…. June 30 also marks the end of the term of VP Robredo. Amid her graceful exit from office, the battle for what is good and right has just begun.

We, who received her cloak of simplicity, vigilance, patriotism, decency, and statesmanship, must be the ones who will pursue the prophetic mission to stand for justice, peace, and righteousness.

- Rex Fortes, CM