Elijah's departure from this earth was very dramatic, complete with chariots of fire and heavenly hosts. We can only imagine Elisha's anxiety and grief, knowing that he would be separated from his teacher and guide. He asked for a double portion of Elijah's power, and his request was granted. The mantle of Elijah fell upon him. In John's gospel, Jesus promised that those who followed his path would not only do the great things he had done, but even greater. Let us not be afraid to ask for God's gifts if they are for service to others.

Sometimes people do the right thing for the wrong reasons. When we give alms to others or fast, the love of God should be our only motivation. But because we are human beings, the ego often gets involved. We want to be respected by others and to be considered holy and spiritual. When that is our motivation, our words and deeds have little spiritual value. We are inflating our opinion of ourselves. We are told not to let our right hand know what our left is doing. That means we should not have to think about the good we do - it should become second nature, part of who we are. It takes a while to reach this point, so we begin wherever we are in the journey, asking God to purify our intentions. Let us pray that we do acts of kindness continually, but without praise and glory. All glory belongs to God.