1 Kings 19:9, 11-16 / Matthew 5:27-32
Natural calamities or natural disasters happen everyday, and they in a particular sense they are termed as "acts of God".
An act of God is a legal term for events outside human control, such as sudden floods or other natural disasters, for which no one can be held responsible.
So there are other natural disasters like storms, earthquakes and volcano eruptions which come under such a category.
In the face of such natural disasters, as much as they are termed "acts of God", more often than not, God seems totally absent when that is the time when we need Him to be present to save us from the devastation of such calamities.
In the 1st reading, as the prophet Elijah faced the mighty wind that tore the mountains and the earthquake and the fire, he did not perceive the presence of God in all these.
That seemed to be story of his life at that moment. He was zealous for the Lord but now he was running away from his enemies and the persecutions had driven him into hiding.
But when he heard the sound of the gentle breeze, he immediately knew it was the Lord, and he got instructions to go back to where he was running away from. And he was going back with a new mission.
We too have faced our natural disasters. We too have faced personal tragedies, illnesses and death of our loved ones. We might have blamed God for doing this to us. In our minds, it is an act of God.
But when the storm has blown over, when the fires have burnt out, and as we pick up the pieces, let us listen for that sound of the gentle breeze.
And just as Elijah went back with a renewed courage, we too will have the renewed faith to look at our situation.
From seeing tragedies as an act of God, may we receive strength to act with God to bring about hope in seemingly hopeless situations.