He journeyed into the stronghold of that region for forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb. He entered a cave and resided there, and behold, the word of the Lord came to him (1 Kings 19:8-9). In many congregations, as here, the commemoration of the Holy Prophet Elijah is observed according to a unique ecclesiastical tradition. Those who are earnest gather at the primary church of the locality, and with the offering of sacred symbols of faith, along with the singing of spiritual hymns, they proceed to another church specifically dedicated to the Prophet’s memory, where a solemn Divine Service is already in progress. What purpose did our wise Fathers have in establishing this practice, which is not found for many other Saints or even for numerous feasts of the Lord? To respond to this with clarity, let us consider the general principle of the Holy Church: to provide visible representations and likenesses of what is spiritually commemorated or contemplated in her feasts. So, honoring the Baptism of the Lord, she brings you to the river and prays over the water; celebrating the Resurrection of Christ, she awakens you at midnight, and with the abundant light of lamps in the temple, she symbolizes the eternal life in the heavenly Jerusalem, where the Lamb is the light, where the sun is unnecessary, where there is no night. By this principle, we can infer that our procession on the day of the Prophet Elijah serves as a visual representation of many of his spiritually significant journeys, which are genuinely arduous and deeply connected to his deeds and trials for the sake of God and holiness, particularly mirroring his extraordinary and miraculous journey to Mount Horeb, where he witnessed the glorious manifestation of the Godhead.
And so, with reverent attention, we remember the journey of the Prophet Elijah to the stream of Horeb during a time of drought and famine, where he experienced miraculous provisions by the ministry of ravens; his trip to Sarepta, where he witnessed the miracle of the inexhaustible handful of flour, the unceasing oil, and the resurrection of the widow's son; his return to Israel, marked by the miracles of rain upon the land and the heavenly fire consuming the sacrifice; fleeing from Ahab to Jezreel perhaps out of a desire to convert the wicked Jezebel through the divine wonders enacted; and retreating back for his own soul's sake, not because this faithful servant of heaven clung to earthly life, but because he wished to avoid granting victory to evil against piety. Lastly, the significant journey, as I mentioned, for which the angel nourished the Prophet twice in succession was undoubtedly to strengthen him for the arduous fast of forty days and nights. This remarkable journey, without physical sustenance, was immensely rewarded by his intimate conversation with God and an indescribable sense of blessedness: ‘the Lord is there’ (1 Kings 19:12).
I will not dwell upon the Prophet's final pilgrimage from Gilgal to Bethel, from Bethel to Jericho, and from Jericho beyond the Jordan, during which Elijah sought to conceal both himself and the glory of his ascension from Elisha. With our earthly minds and hearts, we find it challenging to comprehend the traveler hastening toward heaven. Particularly intriguing is the question regarding the Prophet's trek to Horeb, akin to the inquiry about our current procession: what was the intention behind sending him on such a long and peculiar journey? If one were to ask why he was directed to the stream during a season of parched conditions; the answer is clear: there still remained at least one source of sustenance, water. Why go to Sarepta? – Because Khoraf had no water, but Sarepta had a faithful woman worthy of miraculous preservation from famine, and who served to sustain the man of God. Yet, what was the rationale behind his trip to Horeb? To converse with God? To witness an appearance of God? Did God not communicate with Elijah both at Horeb and Sarepta? Is it not equally possible for the Almighty to reveal Himself in the deserts of Judea or Arabia? Please do not misinterpret my inquiry as curiosity or insolence. Indeed, God can speak to the believer wherever; He can reveal Himself to those pure in heart at any place. However, this does not imply that Elijah's journey to Horeb was without purpose; for God commanded him to go there, and He does not require any superfluous or fruitless actions.
Divine communion is always available to man from God; yet man is not always prepared for communion with God and may need varying degrees of preparation depending on their spiritual condition. ‘Cleanse me this day and this morning: and let the garments be blotted out: and let them be ready on the third day’ (Ex. 19:10-11). By this command, God was evidently preparing the Hebrews for the great revelation at Mount Sinai. ‘Prepare thyself, and be not troubled, to keep Thy commandments’ (Psalm 118:60), says the Psalmist to God, highlighting the necessity of preparation for the fulfillment of God's commands, and even more so for the reception of His gracious communications and spiritual insights. The more significant the communion to which God called the Prophet Elijah, the greater preparation was needed for it, exemplified by his forty-day journey of sacrifice.
Elijah's journey was in the world, but directed from the world to God; in the flesh, yet progressing from the flesh to the spirit; on earth, while ascending towards heaven. His walk embraced the earthly realm: for moment by moment, he distanced himself from Ahab's madness, Jezebel's relentless evil, the abominations of false prophets, and the tragic blindness of the Israelites. Like the moon emerging from mist and clouds, the Prophet's soul became liberated from the dark, sorrowful, and impure recollections of worldly vanities, ascending in lightness, tranquility, and purity, increasingly transformed. Elijah's journey was from flesh to spirit: For even though he had previously stood before God in spirit, to enter into a deeper and more manifest communion with God, a profound purification of his outward self was essential, allowing this perishable vessel to endure the encounter with the highest spiritual reality. An unwell eye cannot bear the ordinary light that delights a healthy eye; gazing upon the sun requires a vision as keen as that of an eagle. Similarly, a carnal, sin-bound individual cannot withstand even the faintest grace, but to gaze openly upon the glory of God or even to approach it veiled requires one who has been cleansed from filth and attained communion with the spirit. Therefore, as Moses’ encounter with God at Sinai followed a fast of forty days, so too did Elijah’s experience at Horeb precede his forty-day journey, during which he was sustained solely by thoughts of God and prayer.
Elijah's pilgrimage led him to heaven and to God: For although he may not have known in advance what awaited him at Horeb; going to this mountain, which is adjacent and part of Sinai, recognized as ‘the mountain of God,’ he must have recalled the glorious Epiphany of Sinai. Through this sacred remembrance, he not only approached the tangible aspects of that mountain, the ignited fire, the clouds, the gloom, the storm, the trumpet's sound, and the voice from heaven, but he also, as a contemplative, drew nearer to the very Speaker of heaven, ‘His voice then shook the earth’ (Heb. 12:18-19). Thus, while Elijah's feet remained on earth, his spirit ascended towards heaven, preparing for profound communion with God.
Such, dear brethren, is the grandeur of Elijah’s pilgrimage; such is his holy feast, where he neither indulged in worldly concerns nor occupied himself with earthly matters, but instead honored God alone. As you partake in the holy procession, moving from one sacred site to another for extended prayer and solemn divine service, remember that they seek to prepare you for communion with God, pure and close as possible. If you are attentive, approach every journey from your home to the temple of the Lord as an active preparation for communion with God. Better still, let your entire life, following the example of the Saints, be but a continuous procession, led, guided, and protected by the Cross of Christ, moving from flesh to spirit, from earth to heaven, from the world to God. Let your feast not merely signify a break from labor but serve primarily as liberation from indulgence in earthly pursuits, vanities, and distractions. Guard your mind, heart, and senses from anything that distracts or disturbs, so that you may receive God in your thoughts, in your heart, and through your inner experiences: through contemplation, desire, emotion, spiritual teaching, sincere prayer, and righteous deeds.
What can we say about those who approach the feasts of the Church without reverence, thought, or attention, treating sacred spaces as venues for earthly entertainment? May God protect them from becoming partakers in the feasts of Ahab and Jezebel; however, to claim they participate in the feast of the Prophet Elijah would certainly not be accurate. Generous giver of spiritual gifts, who did not deny Elisha’s humble request for a double portion, do not turn away from us, who audaciously ask: intercede before our God and yours for the increase of grace for those who diligently celebrate your day with prayer and abstinence, or with the widow who sheltered you, through acts of kindness and charity. Let not your blessing fall as a consuming fire of wrath upon those who do not yet understand the purity and sanctity of your feast; rather, may it bestow upon them from heaven the enlightening light of grace, so they may one day walk the path of truth and righteousness into the holy mountain of God and abide there forever. Amen.
