Following is the text of the homily  delivered by Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan Bishop Giovanni Pietro Dal Toso during the solemn Mass marking the feast of Prophet Elijah on July 20, 2024:

Dear brothers and sisters,

I’m very glad to celebrate today with you this Holy Mass, where we celebrate the Prophet Elijah, who was born here. I greet every one of you, on my own behalf, but also on behalf of our Holy Father Pope Francis. Thank you for your presence today and thanks to the offices of the Ministry which allowed the participation of many of you.

Who was the Prophet Elijah? The Old Testament refers much about his life. He was born here, but was wandering all around the Holy Land, bringing the voice of the Lord to his people, because this is the very duty of the prophet: to speak on behalf of God to his people. As a prophet, he had to suffer a lot: living in the lowliness in the desert, fighting against the king, against the prophets of pagan divinities, even against the people who did not understand him. He is dear to us not only because he was born in the now Jordan, but here he also left the earth in a miraculous way, on a chariot of fire, down in the Jordan valley, near the place where Jesus was baptized. Elijah is so important that in the Gospel, at the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus on the Mount Tabor, just the other side of the Jordan, Elijah appears representing all the prophets of the Old Testament. We have heard about it today in the Gospel.

Here in Jordan, we have the possibility not just to read about him in the Old Testament, not just to hear his message, but we can also walk his path, see the places where he lived and announced the word of God. In the first reading, we find this sentence: “Blessed are those who saw you”. We do not see him, but his places. And this brings his message nearer to us. The fact of being here in Jordan, which is Holy Land, the fact of having so many places described in the Bible, the fact of living in the same area where Jesus and the first Church were born, this helps us to understand and live better our Christian faith.

And this is also the meaning of celebrating a prophet like Elijah and to come to this place where he was born: to hear again his voice, his message, in order to turn the Lord. In fact, the very message of the prophet is to turn to the Lord, to look at him, to consider his presence in our lives. Not to live just for ourselves. The Lord is not far away, he is present, and he was physically present in our country, in order to help us believe in Him. Let me quote a very simple word of a saint of our days. His name is Carlo Acutis, he was a young boy from a wealthy family in Italy, and he died of cancer at age 15. Even so young, he led a life like a saint, and indeed he will be proclaimed saint next year. He said: “What does conversion mean? It means to turn our eyes from the Earth to the Heaven.” It is very simple, and very important.

So, the Lord is also sending prophets to this world today, so that we can hear his voice and look up to Him, so that, we do not forget about the presence of God. In our daily life, especially in our sufferings and in the sufferings of our brothers and sisters, let us discover the presence and the voice of the Lord. Let us lift up our eyes to heaven, there, where the Lord is and where he is looking down upon us. Let us lift up our eyes to him, in order to receive hope and to feel his love.

One last thing let me mention about the prophet Elijah. According to the Scripture, he did not really die, but was lifted up to heaven in a chariot of fire. Looking at this marvelous miracle, his disciple Elisha asked to have a part of his spirit. And it was granted to him. Let us also have a bit of the spirit of the prophet Elijah like his disciple Elisha. We need this spirit in order to make God known, to spread his message, and to convince people of the love of God. We also need the spirit of Elijah today, to not be afraid, but to be free and worship the true God, and not the pagan divinities of this world. Let us pray to have this spirit, so that we too are in fire for the Lord and can put this fire into the lives of our brothers and sisters, who need to know the love of God. May God grant us the spirit of Elijah, through the intercession of Elijah. Amen.