TURNING BACK TO THE LORD AND PREPARING TO RECEIVE HIM

20151212 TURNING BACK TO THE LORD AND PREPARING TO RECEIVE HIM

Readings at Mass

First reading

Ecclesiasticus 48:1-4,9-12 ©

The prophet Elijah arose like a fire,

  his word flaring like a torch.

It was he who brought famine on the people,

  and who decimated them in his zeal.

By the word of the Lord, he shut up the heavens,

  he also, three times, brought down fire.

How glorious you were in your miracles, Elijah!

  Has anyone reason to boast as you have?

Taken up in the whirlwind of fire,

  in a chariot with fiery horses;

designated in the prophecies of doom

  to allay God’s wrath before the fury breaks,

to turn the hearts of fathers towards their children,

  and to restore the tribes of Jacob,

Happy shall they be who see you,

  and those who have fallen asleep in love.

Psalm

Psalm 79:2-3,15-16,18-19 ©

Lord of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

O shepherd of Israel, hear us,

  shine forth from your cherubim throne.

O Lord, rouse up your might,

  O Lord, come to our help.

Lord of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

God of hosts, turn again, we implore,

  look down from heaven and see.

Visit this vine and protect it,

  the vine your right hand has planted.

Lord of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

May your hand be on the man you have chosen,

  the man you have given your strength.

And we shall never forsake you again;

  give us life that we may call upon your name.

Lord of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

The day of the Lord is near;

Look, he comes to save us.

Alleluia!

Or

Lk3:4,6

Alleluia, alleluia!

Prepare a way for the Lord,

make his paths straight,

and all mankind shall see the salvation of God.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 17:10-13 ©

As they came down from the mountain the disciples put this question to Jesus, ‘Why do the scribes say then that Elijah has to come first?’ ‘True;’ he replied ‘Elijah is to come to see that everything is once more as it should be; however, I tell you that Elijah has come already and they did not recognise him but treated him as they pleased; and the Son of Man will suffer similarly at their hands.’ The disciples understood then that he had been speaking of John the Baptist.

TURNING BACK TO THE LORD AND PREPARING TO RECEIVE HIM

SCRIPTURE READINGS: ECCELSIASTICUS 48:1-4, 9-11; MT 17:10-13

To appreciate today’s gospel reading, we must first appreciate the person of the prophet Elijah.  He is one of the two greatest prophets of the Old Testament, the other being Moses.   The latter was seen more as a symbol of the Law since it was through him that God gave the Law to Israel.  Elijah was considered to be the unparalleled prophet Israel had ever seen.  Appropriately, just before the death of Jesus, both Moses and Elijah, one representing the Law and the other the Prophets, appeared in the transfiguration scene with the transfigured Jesus in His glory.  They were seen talking to Him.

As the prophet of all times, he was remembered as the one who was zealous for the purity of the faith of Israel. He was fearless in preserving the pristine faith of Israel, even if it meant going against the King of Israel.  Indeed, he was sent “to turn the hearts of fathers towards their children, and to restore the tribes of Jacob.”  So much so, he was persecuted by Queen Jezebel who was a pagan queen and responsible for introducing pagan practices in the kingdom.  His prayers were efficacious and through him, miracles were wrought.   The author of the book of Sirach recounts him as one who “arose like a fire”, his word flaring like a torch.  It was he who brought famine on them, and who decimated them in his zeal. “By the word of the Lord, he shut up the heavens. He also, three times, brought down fire. How glorious you were in your miracles, Elijah! Has anyone reason to boast as you have?” Finally, he ended his magnificent career with a glorious ending when he was “taken up in the whirlwind of fire, in a chariot with fiery horses.”

It was within this context that the Jews believed that before the Messiah comes, Elijah will come again.  That is why after having witnessed the Transfiguration and on coming down from the mountain, the disciples asked Jesus, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah has to come first?”  The reply of Jesus implied that He was the Messiah that they were expecting when He said, “True, Elijah is to come to see that everything is once more as it should be; however, I tell you that Elijah has come already and they did not recognise him but treated him as they pleased; and the Son of Man will suffer similarly at their hands.”   And we have the footnote supplied by the evangelist when he wrote, “the disciples understood then that he had been speaking of John the Baptist.”

As we come to the end of the second week of Advent and as Christmas draws nearer, John the Baptist becomes more prominent, for he is seen as the precursor of the Lord.  As a true and distinguished prophet like Elijah, he preached salvation through repentance to his people.  Like Elijah, he had no fear of man, not even King Herod and his wife, Herodias.  He spoke the truth and did not mince his words.  Sanctified at birth in the womb of Elizabeth by Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, he was intimately one with the Lord.  He lived in the desert in total dependence on the Lord, surviving on locusts and wild honey.  He knew his mission as a messenger of the Lord.  Regardless of what others thought of him, even as the Messiah, he declared in no uncertain terms that he was only the voice of the Lord crying out in the desert, not the Word of God.  His mission was to prepare the way for the Lord.  He was the bride waiting for the bridegroom.  Once the Messiah came, he faded away from the scene, for his job was done since his master must increase and he must decrease.  Truly, at his preaching, many repented for fear of the punishment waiting for them.

Unfortunately, many did not take heed, especially the Jewish leaders.  It was not that they could not recognize Christ as the Messiah; they were simply not ready to accept Christ for fear of losing their status quo.  Their pride and self-righteousness hindered them from hearing the call to repentance.  They repeated the same mistake of their forefathers who murdered the prophets.   Hence, when Jesus came, they rejected Him.  They were hostile to Jesus and sought to destroy Him as He was becoming too popular.  Most of all, Jesus was upsetting their status quo and challenging the institutions of the day, especially the customs that kept the people poor and marginalized.

Christ our Messiah is coming soon.  Have we paved the way to receive our Lord and Saviour?  Are we any better than the Israelites and the Jews?  Do we treat the messengers of God any better than the Israelites and the Jews?  Have we also turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the messengers of God calling us to repentance and conversion?

Who are these messengers of God that He has sent along our way to invite us to true repentance of heart so that the Lord can come into our lives?  They could be our priests who preach the Word to us and counsel us.  They could be our friends or even family members and colleagues.  Are we receptive to their advice?  Sometimes, God’s Word comes through a sharing or an email or even when we read the newspaper.  So what is preventing us from listening to them?  Why are we so blind that we do not see and so deaf that we do not hear?

Is it pride or fear? More often than not, regardless of whether we consider ourselves active in the Church ministry or even good Catholics, we tend to fall into the sin of pride, like the Pharisees and the Scribes.  Many of us think too highly of ourselves.  We do not see our blindness, like the Jewish leaders.  We tend to perceive ourselves as holy and devout Catholics, and that others are sinners.  The very fact that we tend to condemn others and pass judgement on them shows our spiritual pride.  Most of all, we cannot bear to hear that we need conversion or that we do not know about God or that our spiritual life is weak and inadequate.  Indeed, those of us who are holding Church positions often fall into the same trap of the Pharisees and the Scribes.  This explains why Jesus reserved all the harsh criticisms for the Jewish leaders but demonstrated compassion and gentleness to sinners.

Of course, there are many of us who are still too attached to the world.  We are engrossed with the pleasures of life, our ambition, and our pursuits.  We do not resist the temptation of the Evil One, the Flesh and the World.  We fail to realize that the Devil is tempting us to sin and to turn away from the Lord.  Because we lack discernment, we cannot tell the difference between right and wrong.  At any rate, we prefer to listen to the Evil One who tempts us to commit sins of the flesh and follow the pursuit of the world, striving for glory, power, status and wealth.

Finally, if we are not receptive to the prophets of God, most likely, it is because our ignorance causes us to resist changing our comfortable status quo for fear that we lose power and control over others and compromise our self-interests.  Many of us are afraid to give up our sins for fear that we might lose our friends or the little joys we have.  We prefer to remain where we are in spite of the fact that we are not really happy either.  It is just like those living in irregular relationships.  They are caught in a bind.  They are afraid to let go on one hand but on the other hand, they are not at peace either.

So we must pray for the grace of conversion and repentance.  Like the psalmist, we pray for wisdom, enlightenment and strength.  We too must cry like the psalmist, “O shepherd of Israel, hear us, shine forth from your cherubim throne. O Lord, rouse up your might, O Lord, come to our help.  God of hosts, turn again, we implore, look down from heaven and see. Visit this vine and protect it, the vine your right hand has planted.  Lord of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.”    As Penitential services will be held soon in most parishes, let us prepare ourselves well for a meaningful celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation by making time for prayer, entering into ourselves so that we can surrender those areas of sin and wounds for the Lord to heal us.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore

© All Rights Reserved