This week’s first reading tells of the prophet Elijah coming to a city where he meets a poor widow. She and her son have only one meal left to share, as the food supplies will have totally been used. Elijah’s comment to that hopeless story is one of hope. The poor woman and her son heard from this prophet: “Do not be afraid.” How often are we afraid when our lives sometimes seem to be on a hopeless path? The woman was told to go and prepare food, for the flour was to be replenished as well as the oil. Indeed, it was! The woman acknowledged the Lord’s existence during that initial encounter. My thought is that she must have exhausted every available option through prayer and whatever else was at her disposal. The Lord heard the cry of this poor woman. As we sing “The Cry of the Poor,” let us not be afraid, nor give into despair, for the Lord our God is always but a prayer away. -Deb Kaiser, cantor and Adult choir member