The day had come when Elijah, the prophet of God, and King Ahab, who with his wife, Jezebel, was the protector of the prophets of Baal, would face one another. It was a confrontation to decide as to who is the real "trouble-maker of Israel", and more importantly, as to who is the true God of Israel. At the gathering, Elijah steps forward to begin the 'battle'. He puts forth an ultimatum to the people: "If the Lord is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him." It is a time for decision. There is no room for "compromise" or "fence-sitting". As the first reading goes, it is the one man, Elijah who emerges victorious against the 450 prophets of Baal - with the help of the power of God.

Jesus puts forth an ultimatum to his disciples: obey God's laws and teach to do the same or face the consequences. In the Kingdom, the least of places will be for those who "compromise" or use "double-standards" when it comes to the laws of God. For those who think otherwise, let them heed the words of the saint of the day, Anthony of Padua: "Men will surrender to the spirit of the age. They will say that if they had lived in our day, faith would be simple and easy. But in their day, they will say, things are complex; the Church must be brought up to date and made meaningful to the day's problems." Jesus has made God's law complete and they remain complete even to this day. May we walk in His truth!