Each of us experiences the world as both sinner and the sinned against. When we act in a way or even refuse to work against a condition that violates our relationship with God, other people, or the natural world, we are sinners. When we experience the painful result of a sinful world, whether it be a disease, poverty, a tragic accident, prejudice, or the violence of war or crime, we are the sinned against. Most often we are both sinners and the sinned against. At different times we are more one than the other.

When we are the sinner, the gospel is clear that we must repent or turn our lives around and stop sinning. The story of Elijah is helpful in knowing how to respond when we are the sinned against.

The first thing that you note in the story is that God cares for the faithful. When El…