Saturday of the Second Week of Advent
Readings for Saturday of the 2nd Week of Advent
Commentary:
Reading 1 Sir 48:1-4, 9-11
This passage from Sirach gives praise to the Prophet Elijah who clearly chastised the Hebrew people trying to bring them back to the faith. A predecessor of John the Baptist and of Jesus, he is one of the great Prophets whose miracles attempted to provide proofs that God was with him and to bring the people back.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 80:2ac and 3b, 15-16, 18-19
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
The psalmist prays for God’s intervention and help and in return promises faithfulness.
Gospel Mt 17:9a, 10-13
In this important passage, Jesus is telling the disciples that the prophecy that before the Messiah comes, Elijah must return to prepare the Hebrews is fulfilled by John the Baptist – the new Elijah (“Elijah will indeed come and restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased.). The way the passage ends can be confusing – Jesus predicts his passion and it is then that the disciples understand that John, fulfilling the role of Elijah prepares the way for the Messiah – Christ.
Reflection:
Our scripture today speaks pointedly teaches us that the predictions of the Prophets were fulfilled, in detail, by Jesus who came for that purpose. For the skeptic who believes that God has demonstrated his presence to the Hebrews, this proof should be sufficient to bring them to faith in Christ as the Messiah. If the skeptic does not believe the signs and predictions – then God’s outstretched had must suffice.
Faith is a funny thing. It is given, we are told, as a gift from the one who created all things, including ourselves. It (faith) begins as a flame on the Easter Candle at our Baptism. It is small, that flame, on a very big candle. It is, by proxy, given to the parents of the child, to be protected and nourished. If they are successful in nurturing it with their example and their teaching, the child (even though we may not think our attempts to raise the child in the faith have worked) has that faith, belief, and trust grow so it can stand against the mature temptation of the world we live in.
Faith is an organic and dynamic characteristic of each person. It grows and shrinks according to how we feed it and nourish it. It can dominate our lives and actions if we allow it to do so and it can be suppressed, shoved so far down our conscience cannot remember it. While there may be external forces at work to push us in one direction or another, in almost all cases, that choice is ours. We choose to open our hearts, to become vulnerable to the compassionate impulses driven by faith in a God of mercy and justice. We can choose to place an armored shield around ourselves denying those impulses and embracing hedonism and self importance.
It is those choices of faith that we now examine in this time of expectation. We seek the noble impulses that faith and God push at us and we pray that we discern those baser feelings that can lead us away from the Lord who now comes fulfilling once more the Law and the Prophets of the Old Testament. Let us do so with all our hearts.
Readings for Saturday of the 2nd Week of Advent
Commentary:
Reading 1 Sir 48:1-4, 9-11
This passage from Sirach gives praise to the Prophet Elijah who clearly chastised the Hebrew people trying to bring them back to the faith. A predecessor of John the Baptist and of Jesus, he is one of the great Prophets whose miracles attempted to provide proofs that God was with him and to bring the people back.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 80:2ac and 3b, 15-16, 18-19
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
The psalmist prays for God’s intervention and help and in return promises faithfulness.
Gospel Mt 17:9a, 10-13
In this important passage, Jesus is telling the disciples that the prophecy that before the Messiah comes, Elijah must return to prepare the Hebrews is fulfilled by John the Baptist – the new Elijah (“Elijah will indeed come and restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased.). The way the passage ends can be confusing – Jesus predicts his passion and it is then that the disciples understand that John, fulfilling the role of Elijah prepares the way for the Messiah – Christ.
Reflection:
Our scripture today speaks pointedly teaches us that the predictions of the Prophets were fulfilled, in detail, by Jesus who came for that purpose. For the skeptic who believes that God has demonstrated his presence to the Hebrews, this proof should be sufficient to bring them to faith in Christ as the Messiah. If the skeptic does not believe the signs and predictions – then God’s outstretched had must suffice.
Faith is a funny thing. It is given, we are told, as a gift from the one who created all things, including ourselves. It (faith) begins as a flame on the Easter Candle at our Baptism. It is small, that flame, on a very big candle. It is, by proxy, given to the parents of the child, to be protected and nourished. If they are successful in nurturing it with their example and their teaching, the child (even though we may not think our attempts to raise the child in the faith have worked) has that faith, belief, and trust grow so it can stand against the mature temptation of the world we live in.
Faith is an organic and dynamic characteristic of each person. It grows and shrinks according to how we feed it and nourish it. It can dominate our lives and actions if we allow it to do so and it can be suppressed, shoved so far down our conscience cannot remember it. While there may be external forces at work to push us in one direction or another, in almost all cases, that choice is ours. We choose to open our hearts, to become vulnerable to the compassionate impulses driven by faith in a God of mercy and justice. We can choose to place an armored shield around ourselves denying those impulses and embracing hedonism and self importance.
It is those choices of faith that we now examine in this time of expectation. We seek the noble impulses that faith and God push at us and we pray that we discern those baser feelings that can lead us away from the Lord who now comes fulfilling once more the Law and the Prophets of the Old Testament. Let us do so with all our hearts.
Pax
No comments:
Post a Comment