Today’s first reading is the conclusion of one of the more interesting events in the ministry of the prophet Elijah.  Elijah had posed a challenge to the prophets of the pagan god Baal who were favored by the Israelite King Ahab and his gentile wife Jezebel.  Elijah called upon the One, True God who shamed the false prophets and their false god.  Predictably, Ahab and Jezebel were angered by Elijah’s success and sent soldiers to chase Elijah and kill him. 

Our reading today narrates Elijah seeking refuge in a cave, according to God’s instructions.  Hiding in the cave, Elijah despaired of his life, but God reassured him of unfailing protection.  Then, God told Elijah to stand at the mouth of the cave and wait for a revelation of God’s power and presence. 

The reading says that a terrifying storm came up, followed by an earthquake, and a volcanic eruption.  When these natural wonders subsided, Elijah heard God speaking through “a tiny whispering sound.” (1 Kgs 19:12)  The Hebrew phrase translated as “a tiny whispering sound” is more appropriately translated as “an echo.”  The voice that Elijah heard wasn’t small or inaudible; rather, it was a disembodied voice in the sense that it appeared to come from no particular person or place (indicating that it was voice from heaven).  In the Scriptures, voices that emanate from no identifiable place are always signs that God is speaking. 

The mistranslation of this Hebrew phrase does, however, provide a helpful perspective on the meaning of the story.  Elijah witnessed common, but frightening events.  Tornadoes, earthquakes, and volcanoes don’t occur often, but they do occur often enough to pose significant threats to human life.  They are, in that sense, common experiences; they’re loud and unmistakable, as well.  In contrast to those conspicuous, noisy natural disasters, God’s voice was audible but not overwhelming, distressing, or threatening. 

This event, and the mistranslation, provide instruction about how to recognize and attend to God’s voice.  The Scriptures tell us that God’s voice is audible, even in the din of the worst moments of life.  One of the characteristics that help us distinguish God’s voice from the many voices that vie for our attention is that God’s voice is distinct and recognizable but not overpowering or frightening. 

Although the mistranslation obscures that fact that the voice Elijah heard was not a faint noise but a recognizable revelation of God’s presence, the contrast between the raucousness of the storm, earthquake, and volcano, on the one hand, and the calm reassurance of a voice from heaven, on the other, is instruction about where to focus one’s attention in order to encounter God’s presence. 

This contrast also points to some implications associated with the desire, or lack of desire, to hear God speak.  The loud, demanding voices in the world cannot be ignored any more than natural disasters can be ignored, but those loud insistent voices are like natural disasters in that they rarely bring good into one’s life.  While burdensome demands and attention-getting cannot be ignored, they can be dismissed.  Elijah’s encounter with God tells us that the loud, demanding voices that incite jealousy, anger, and dishonesty are to be resisted, but the calm, inner voice that calls for honesty and fairness is to be heeded. 

Furthermore, when God speaks, God does not threaten or coerce; God encourages and forgives.  The obvious implication is that we are to do likewise; those who love God truly are obliged to use the gift of language only as a means to express God’s mercy and fidelity.  When we speak, we are to give witness to Jesus’ resurrection; any other form of speech is falsehood. 

The second reading echoes this sentiment above.  Paul wrote, “I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie; my conscience joins with the Holy Spirit in bearing me witness.” (Rm 9:1)  It is not an exaggeration to say that human conscience is analogous to the calm voice from heaven that Elijah heard at the mouth of the cave.  Conscience does not shout, threaten, or cajole; conscience is that place where each person stands in God’s presence and hears God’s voice. (Gaudium et Spes, 16) 

This event in Elijah’s life directs our attention to the effects that speech and language have on speakers and hearers alike.  Those who give their attention to dishonest, coercive, or threatening speech are prevented from hearing God’s voice because their attention is wrongly directed.  Those who use dishonest, coercive, or threatening language suffer the same consequences. 

In addition to these observations above, there is a less obvious message communicated by Elijah’s encounter with God.  If insistent, violent, or manipulative speech is so corrosive, one might ask why anyone listens to, or engages in, such speech.  Sadly, the answer is that such speech is a convenient and effective way to drown out both the voice of God and the voice of conscience that would lead one to repentance.  Because Elijah was willing to stand at the mouth of the cave unmoved by the threats of disaster, he learned a deeper and more subtle truth about God’s providence, namely, that God speaks only words of consolation, guidance, and loving kindness, and that those who love God attend only to those words.