JULY 20th – Prophet Elijah & Maria Skobtsova

July 20th has always been one of the most popular feast days of the summer months. This is the day on which we commemorate the great prophet Elijah (Elias in the languages of the Orthodox Church). Then, in 2004, the Ecumenical Patriarchate announced the canonization of Maria Skobtsova, together with her co-workers: her son Yuri, Fr. Dimitri Klepinin, and Ilya Fondaminsky. All four were Russian Orthodox activists in France who worked to save Jews from the Nazi atrocities. All four died in German concentration camps. Maria was arrested in February, 1943, and was sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany. For two years, she raised the spirits of her fellow prisoners, helping them remember their human dignity. She led discussion groups on literature, history, and theology, despite her weakening health. On March 31, 1945, a short time before the camp was rescued, Saint Maria was taken to the gas chambers; some prisoners say she took the place of a fellow Jewish prisoner.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate declared that the newly canonized martyr saints would be commemorated on July 20th, the same day as the traditional feast day of the Prophet Elijah. And certainly it was appropriate to unite these new saints to the great prophet of ancient Israel. Like Elijah, Maria and her fellow martyr saints fought against evil. Like Elijah they stood for justice, for the poor, for the persecuted. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese website includes a short sketch of Maria’s life. A longer biographical article can be read on the website of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA).

The story of Elijah’s ministry in ancient Israel is recounted in the books 1 & 2 Kings in the Bible. Highlights include the incident with the poor widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17; the spectacular confrontations with political and religious power in 1 Kings 18 – prompting the memorable words of King Ahab: “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” If only Christians of today became troublers of the political order instead of cheerleaders! Chapter 19 of 1 Kings describes Elijah’s encounter with God in “the still small voice.” In Chapter 21 we read of another incident where Elijah confronts the king and his wife Jezebel because of another injustice they committed. Elijah’s earthly life came to an end with his ascent to heaven in a fiery chariot in 2 Kings 2. At the same time, Elisha receives a double portion of Elijah’s spirit in order to continue the work of Elijah. While most Christians think prophets were primarily concerned with future events, the careers of Elijah and Elisha show that prophets were more concerned with pronouncing God’s judgment on human injustice and cruelty. The prophets of ancient Israel were never cheerleaders of the political and religious orders. They were always critics, sometimes violently so.

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Whenever a new saint is proclaimed, it is customary for liturgical texts to be composed. Such liturgical texts for Saint Maria Skobtsova don’t seem to be available and perhaps have not been composed yet. One can only hope that hymns and liturgical texts will soon be available for this remarkable saint. But the liturgical texts for the Prophet Elijah provide opportunities for our own meditation and contemplation of divine realities. Here are some samples.

Elijah, blessed of God,
you beheld the presence of God that enlightened you,
not in an earthquake, but in a still small voice.
You ascended to heaven in a wondrous manner,
sitting upon a chariot drawn by four horses,
O God-inspired one.

Come, all Orthodox people,
let us assemble in the holy place:
the temple in honor of the two prophets inspired by God!
Let us sing together, giving glory to Christ our God!
Let us raise our voices and say joyfully:
“Rejoice, Elijah of great renown,
earthly Angel, and heavenly man!
Rejoice, O most honored Elisha,
for you received double grace from God!
Rejoice, pillars, champions and physicians of the Christian people!
Deliver from every obstacle and tribulation
those who celebrate your all-glorious feast in faith!”

You subjected the flesh to the governing mind, O divine Prophet Elijah,
diligently ascending in your heart as by steps.
Therefore, you denounced the unrighteous king
and pronounced the ban of the wrath of God.
With a knife you destroyed the shameful, unrighteous priests.
You clearly taught all to cry out:
“Indeed there is one God: the God Whom Elijah has preached!”

These three hymns from Vespers remind us of key events in Elijah’s ministry. But they also inspire us to seek the “presence of God.” Elijah fled from the wrath of an evil king and found refuge on a mountain where he complained to God. And it was there, in his moment of depression and feeling abandoned that God spoke to Elijah and allowed him to experience the presence of God in the “still small voice.” In our own moments of abandonment we turn to prayer. And it doesn’t have to be prayer full of pious words. Pious words can be false words if they don’t reflect what we are feeling. If you feel angry or abandoned, let your prayer reflect that, don’t hide behind pious, second-hand words! And don’t look for spectacular answers from God. Sometimes he does answer in powerful unmistakable ways. But more often than not, God answers prayers the way he did with Elijah, in “a still small voice.” God is the quiet presence in your life.

The last hymn quoted above reflects the violence of Elijah’s confrontation with the priests of the pagan god Baal on Mount Carmel. The confrontation concluded with the mass slaughter of the priests! Not exactly an example of tolerance. Quite the contrary. And let’s be honest with our own tradition: The concluding line of the hymn – “Indeed there is one God” – sounds like the words Moslem jihadis shout before their acts of terror. There is violent history in all religions. The slaughter of the priests of Baal was a traumatic experience, even for Elijah himself, if we read between the lines of his encounter with God on Mount Carmel. Perhaps it was easier to justify violence in ancient times. But violence is never the answer today. Jesus himself told us that, as he blessed peacemakers rather than warmakers.

A final hymn shows the other side of Elijah – the healing side, which then carried into Elisha’s ministry after he received the double portion of Elijah’s spirit. There is even an ecological echo in the purification of the polluted waters. While the Mount Carmel confrontation and the ascent in a fiery chariot were spectacular events, the real importance of Elijah and Elisha was their defense of the poor and the earth against the unjust and destructive actions of kings and queens. They were real “troublers of Israel” – real troublemakers against the social and political order, as all prophets and all Christians should be.

Two lights have shone in the universe:
the bright stars of Elijah and Elisha.
With  a divine word, the one stopped the rain from the heavens,
thus convicting the kings,
and he ascended into heaven upon a fiery chariot. 
The other received a double portion of grace:
he purified the polluted water and parted the stream of the Jordan.
Now they rejoice with the Angels and pray for the salvation of our souls.

Tags: Elijah Elisha Maria Skobtsova