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| “St. John of the Cross” by Cesare Gennari, c. 1680’s |
Reading 1: Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11
In those days,
like a fire there appeared the prophet Elijah
whose words were as a flaming furnace.
Their staff of bread he shattered,
in his zeal he reduced them to straits;
By the Lord’s word he shut up the heavens
and three times brought down fire.
How awesome are you, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!
Whose glory is equal to yours?
You were taken aloft in a whirlwind of fire,
in a chariot with fiery horses.
You were destined, it is written, in time to come
to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD,
To turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons,
and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob.
Blessed is he who shall have seen you
and who falls asleep in your friendship.
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Commentary on Sir 48:1-4, 9-11
The final nine chapters of Sirach are devoted to praise of the glory of God. The first of these chapters is focused on God in nature; the final chapters to great prophets and leaders of Israel. In this selection, we hear of the Prophet Elijah who came with a fiery message. Reference is made to Elijah’s passing (2 Kings 2:1ff). The image of Elijah is the precursor to St. John the Baptist during Advent, and echoes his prophetic work.
This passage gives specific praise to the Prophet Elijah who clearly chastised the Hebrew people, trying to bring them back to the faith. He is one of the great prophets whose miracles attempted to provide proofs that God was with him and to influence the people to repent and return to faithfully following the Law of Moses.
CCC: Sir 48:1 696
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 80:2ac and 3b, 15-16, 18-19
R. (4) Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel
From your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Rouse your power.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
Take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
May your help be with the man of your right hand,
with the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
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Commentary on Ps 80:2ac and 3b, 15-16, 18-19
The call to the “Shepherd of Israel” is David’s plea for God to hear. This same “Good Shepherd” image is later applied to God’s Only Begotten Son. While this psalm is a lament, or plea for God’s help in time of distress for King David’s armies, we see in the language an indication of the Messiah to come: “May your help be with the man of your right hand, with the son of man whom you yourself made strong.” The psalmist prays for God’s intervention and help, and in return promises faithfulness. He implores the Lord to send the Messiah: “Rouse your power, and come to save us.” This will be the gift that fulfills all hopes: “Then we will no more withdraw from you; give us new life, and we will call upon your name.”
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Gospel: Matthew 17:9a, 10-13
As they were coming down from the mountain,
the disciples asked Jesus,
“Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
He said in reply, “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.
So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.”
Then the disciples understood
that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
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Commentary on Mt 17:9a, 10-13
This Gospel passage is the epilogue to the story of the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8). The disciples ask Jesus: “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" To which the Lord replies: “but I tell you Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him.” Here the Lord is referring to St. John the Baptist, who came fulfilling the mission of Elijah. Jesus, titling himself as “Son of Man” indicating his human nature, then indicates that he would also not be recognized as the Messiah, and would suffer at their hands as well.
Jesus is helping the disciples understand the prediction from scripture that before the messiah comes, Elijah must return to prepare the Hebrews. This prophecy is fulfilled by John the Baptist, the new Elijah (cf. Malachi 3:23-24 [4] ).
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.
“Jesus words finally make the apostles understand that ‘Elijah had already come’ in the sense that John the Baptist was the last receptacle of Elijah’s mission and as such, the last and most vital link between the perennial prophetic mission calling Israel to conversion and the Passion and glorification of the Son of man.” [5]
CCC: Mt 17:10-13 718
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Reflection:
The message for us in scripture today carries the weight of ancient prophecy behind it. Yeshua [Jesus son of Sirach], recalls the prophetic mission of Elijah in the first reading. It is a mission thought by the Sadducees of Jesus' [the Son of God’s] time to be completed in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. When his disciples asked the Lord if the Sadducees were correct, he told them, yes, Elijah must come again before the messiah will complete his mission. But he had come, and they did not recognize him. Here he referred to John the Baptist, described in scripture as the very image of Elijah. Also like Elijah, the Baptist was vociferous in dealing with those who violated the tenets of the faith. The Sadducees did not make the connection.
Then the disciples saw. They also knew the fate of John the Baptist, executed and beheaded by King Herod in a fit of drunken lust. There would be no chariot of fire for the herald of the Son of God, just as there would be no exalted end for Christ himself. The fireworks are reserved for his return in glory. The Lord alludes to this as well as he tells his friends: “So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.”
What message are we given beyond a powerful reminder of how God’s plan from before time was to send his Only Begotten Son so that we might have salvation through him? Clearly one message is expressed by the cliché: “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” But perhaps that is too passive. A better understanding would be that we, the modern-day disciples of the Lord, need to be looking carefully for God’s presence in our lives. We cannot afford to miss the signs that God sends for us. The big message is this, that we must use a spiritual power of perception to view the world about us. We must see it with awe and wonder, as God’s salvation is at once part of what he created for us.
As our Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, says in Spe Salvi: “Faith draws the future into the present, so that it is no longer simply a “not yet”. The fact that this future exists changes the present; the present is touched by the future reality, and thus the things of the future spill over into those of the present and those of the present into those of the future.”[6]
Our faith, shaped by the past, sees the present, and its future hope redeems us now.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “St. John of the Cross” by Cesare Gennari, c. 1680’s.
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] Note: in many Protestant Bible translations, this citation is Malachi 4:1-5.
[5] Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume II, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 2003 p. 572.
[6] Spe Salvi 7.
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