May the Lord bless you with grace, peace, and health in the Holy Spirit.
It is 11th December 2021. We celebrate the memorial of St Damasus I, pope.
We reflect on Ecclesiasticus 48:1-4, 9-11 and Matthew 17:10-13.
The first reading portrays through lyrical praise of the greatest legacy of Elijah as he attempted to re-establish unity within the families and tribes of Israel. The power of his word and his final ascend are so much in the mind of people whether it was a prophecy of a prolonged drought, the famous competition between the priests of Baal and him, he prepared them for the Messiah. The people of Israel believed since the prophet Elijah was taken from the earth by a whirlwind of fire in a chariot with fiery horses, so he would return. Through his prophecies and miracles, he brought the people from infidelity to the Lord to fidelity.
Today’s passage in the Gospel immediately followed the story of the Transfiguration in which Elijah appears with Moses talking with Jesus. Whether the prophet Elijah has returned? is the question in the Gospel. Jesus strongly implies that the prophet has come already in the person of John the Baptist. “He has come already, and they did not recognise him.” Jesus identified John the Baptist with Elijah. As they were humiliated, ill-treated and not ready to recognise John the Baptist, so the people would do the same to Jesus. With all the challenges we face in practising our faith, we need to prepare the way of the Lord.
We may be distracted to go after spectacular things and miss the specifics of life. Advent is the time to encounter God in simple and ordinary things of life. God’s enormous gift to the entire humanity is the person of Jesus. It is time to expose our life to Jesus so that we can share God’s gift to others.
God constantly attempts to meet us through one person or the event. To experience the presence of God amidst us, we need to have openness to receive Him.
As the Psalmist prays, “Lord, make us turn to you, let us see your face and we shall be saved.” (Ps. 80:3). May God bless you.