“Where is God?” “What is God doing?” I am sure that some of us have asked these questions as we face what seems to be one tragedy after another in our world and in our county. Or perhaps we have exclaimed in exasperation, “Why doesn’t God do something!” Another way to put these questions is to ask: “Can you hear the voice of God?” This is the question that the prophet Elijah faced in our 1st reading today.
Elijah took shelter in a cave on Mount Horeb, that is, Mount Sinai. He came questioning God, where are you and why don’t you do something? Elijah declares that although he has been “most zealous for the Lord” he has been left alone and now they are seeking his life. Elijah looks for God in the “usual places” such as a strong and heavy wind rending the mountains, or in an earthquake or in fire. God was in none of these places. Where was God? God was in the silence, “a sound of sheer silence” (New Revised Standard Version) or “a tiny whispering sound” (New American Bible).
“After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, “Elijah, why are you here?”
Why doesn’t God do something? Where is God today? God is indeed present and alive but at times speaks in silence and whispers, so we need to listen carefully. This past Pentecost Sunday God spoke to us. God told us that each of us has received the gift of the holy Spirit through our baptism. God reminds us that “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7). God is doing something! He is empowering us with the Spirit to work for the common good. We may manifest this Spirit in different ways. God is doing something as he gives some a prophetic Spirit to challenge our nation to “beat their swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks” (Isaiah 2:4). God gives others a Spirit of reconciliation to help polarized sides to listen to one another with respect and to stop demonizing one another. Maybe in the “spirit” of St. Francis, the holy Spirit is calling us to be peacemakers. God calls us to not only pray the Peace Prayer, “Where there is hatred let us sow love” but live and put the Peace Prayer into action.