Saturday, December 10, 2005
SATURDAY 2ND WEEK OF ADVENT
DECEMBER 10, 2005
SATURDAY 2ND WEEK OF ADVENT - YEAR I
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.
MATTHEW 17:9, 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.
REFLECTION
Elijah, the man of God in whom both Bible readings today find unity,
mysteriously foreshadowed John the Baptist in many ways. The return
of Elijah was discussed in ancient Jewish tradition. Today's first
reading from the book of Sirach, also known as Ecclesiasticus, which
was written about 200 years before the first Christmas, speaks about
this tradition in magnificent poetic statement.
In saying that Elijah has returned, Jesus is referring to John the
Baptist. John's first public appearance was in the desert near the
Jordan, the very place venerated by the memory of Elijah. John the
Baptist was the censor, the terror, and the warning to people, yet
he won people over by his utter simplicity. He told them plainly the
truth about themselves and forced them to own that he was right. He
did not draw them by soft inducements but by the harsh lash of his
words and by the solemn threat of doom that awaited those who would
not listen to his words. In his exhortations he distinguished true
heart conversion from the false conversion of conformity.
John the Baptist was, to put it bluntly, a fiery whirlwind in his
life style, vividly recalling Elijah's ascension into heaven a
whirlwind, carried away in a flaming chariot drawn by flaming
horses. Our ascension heavenward must reflect, at least to a degree
and according to our capacity, the same kind of holy urgency, in
other words, zealous anticipation of the Messiah's advent.
But John is not only a symbol. He is a dynamic model. He teaches us
discipline, mortification and repentance. There is to be no more
hiding behind excuses for our weak spiritual life. John warns us
with stark and unremitting directness. He exclaims: "Even now the ax
is laid to the root of the tree." And he does this not only by his
dramatic words but by his very life style, that of a herald's voice,
a voice that was silenced only by martyrdom, the offering of his
life for the faith that he proclaimed.
As we recall John the Baptist, not only his message but also the man
himself helps us considerably during our annual pre-Christmas
pilgrimage of grace. If we sincerely open up our hearts to his words
and his memory, we heighten our awareness of what Christ's coming
can mean for us, namely the beginning of a new life of grace. In a
sense, each Advent, this Advent, can constitute a renewal of
Baptism, through which our souls were first opened to the coming of
the Savior. Christ does not come empty-handed. He brings us divine
life. Christ is, after all, the supreme Gift-giver.
PRAYER
"Lord, stir my zeal for your righteousness and for your kingdom.
Free me from complacency and from compromising with the ways of sin
and worldliness that I may be wholeheartedly devoted to you and to
your kingdom."
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
- for the continued and complete recovery of Mike Torres.
- for the personal intentions of the Santos Family.
- for the eternal repose of the soul of Crispin Gonzales. Eternal
rest grant unto him and may perpetual light shine upon him. May he
rest in peace.
- for the personal intentions, forgiveness, peace and harmony of
Charles Conrad H. C and Cheryl P.C.
- for the good health for baby Luke.
- healings for Paula, Debbie, Cindy R, Peggy O, Rich M.
- In thanksgiving: Maria Alyssa Martina.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Anya Celin T. Chu
- for world peace and reconciliation.
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our
prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
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