St. Elias

Today we're going to learn about one of the greatest prophets in our faith - Saint Elias, or مار الياس! Saint Elias was a very special man who loved God with all his heart and wasn't afraid to stand up for what was right. Long ago, there was a wicked king named Ahab who stopped worshipping the true God and started praying to a false god called Baal. This made God very sad. So God chose Elias to be His messenger. Elias was very brave! He told King Ahab that because the people had turned away from God, there would be no rain for three whole years. Can anyone imagine what happened when there was no rain for so long? That's right - everything became very dry! The rivers dried up, the plants couldn't grow, and people were very hungry and thirsty. But God took care of His faithful servant Elias. He sent ravens - big black birds - to bring Elias bread and meat every morning and evening! And when the stream dried up, God led Elias to a kind widow who shared her last bit of food with him. Because of her kindness, God made sure her jar of flour and bottle of oil never ran empty! After three years, Elias challenged the priests of Baal to a contest on Mount Carmel to show everyone who the real God was. When Elias prayed, God sent fire from heaven! All the people saw God's power and returned to worshipping Him. What do you think this teaches us about trusting God? Saint Elias shows us that when we trust in God and do what's right, He will always take care of us, just like He took care of Elias with the ravens and the widow. In our Maronite tradition, we especially honor Saint Elias, and many of our churches and monasteries are named after him. Let's always remember to be brave like Saint Elias and trust in God's love!