In Times of Drought

November 10, 2024; 1 Kgs 17:10-16; 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

The widow has given up. Her city Zarephath is in a drought. No rain. No crops. No food. Without a family to support her, it is up to the widow to provide for herself and her young son. And she has tried. She has worked. She has begged. She has saved. But it is not enough. All that she has left is one handful of flour and a little oil. Once they are gone, she and her son will starve. We encounter this widow in today’s First Reading as she is picking up sticks to build a small fire and bake her last piece of bread. Then she will eat it and die. She has done her best. But now she is convinced that there is nothing left to hope for.

The prophet Elijah, who meets the widow picking up sticks, points her to another possibility. He reminds her that God is a part of her life and that God’s presence can make a difference. He tells her to do what she had planned to do—to take her last flour and oil and bake bread for today, and then leave it to God to provide tomorrow’s bread. In effect, Elijah is telling the widow that she needs to narrow her focus, to concentrate on what is necessary for survival today and leave the rest to God. She does this, and the story ends by telling us that she and her son found food to live another year until the rains came and the drought was over.

There are times when you and I find ourselves in drought, times when we question whether we have what is necessary to survive. That drought can come from the loss of a loved one in death, a spouse, a parent, a friend. That drought can arise because of a threatening illness that is pressing upon us. That drought can be ours when our carefully laid plans for the future, that seemed so positive and lifegiving collapse, and we find ourselves without direction or hope. In such times of drought, Elijah’s advice to the widow applies to us. We should find the little flour and oil that is still ours, use it to bake bread for today, and leave the rest to God.

Yes, it might be that someone you have lost has created an emptiness that you cannot begin to fill. But today your sister invites you to lunch. Although her love for you cannot take away the emptiness, her love is real. It can give you the nourishment to live through this day. Yes, you can be discouraged by an upcoming test for cancer, but today your body is still strong, and you can use it with thankfulness. Yes, your plans for the future have collapsed and you are unsure of the next step you should take. But if you can find even a bit of generosity and kindness and share it with another person, that action can give you strength to live today.

In times of drought, we need to limit our focus. We need to find whatever oil and flour still belongs to us and bake today’s bread—always trusting that God will provide bread for tomorrow.