Friday, December 12, 2014
Saturday 2nd Week of Advent
December 13, 2014
Saturday 2nd Week of Advent
[Memorial, St. Lucy]
Sir 48: 1-4, 9-11/ Ps 80: 2ac and 3b, 15-16, 18-19/ Mt 17: 9a, 10-13
Reading: Sir 48: 1-4, 9-11
Then came the prophet Elijah like a fire, his words a burning torch. He brought a famine on the people and in his zealous love had them reduced in number. Speaking in the name of the Lord he closed the heavens, and on three occasions called down fire. How marvelous you were, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds! Who could ever boast of being your equal? You were taken up by a whirlwind of flames in a chariot drawn by fiery horses. It was written that you should be the one to calm God's anger in the future before it broke out in fury, to turn the hearts of fathers to their sons and to restore the tribes of Jacob. Happy are those who will see you and those who die in love, for we too shall live.
Gospel: Matthew 17:9a, 10-13
And as they came down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone what they had just seen. The disciples then asked him, "Why do the teachers of the Law say that Elijah must come first?" And Jesus answered, "So it is: first comes Elijah to set everything as it has to be. But I tell you, Elijah has already come and they did not recognize him, but treated him as they pleased. And they will also make the Son of Man suffer." Then the disciples understood that Jesus was referring to John the Baptist.
Reflection:
God gives signs to show what He is about to do. Unfortunately, most of the time people refuse to see and believe it. This passage explains how the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first before the Son of Man. That being said, John the Baptist was the spirit and power of Elijah, but they rejected the idea.
John, very much like the role of Elijah, prepares the way for the coming of Christ by preaching about repentance. Nothing stopped John from doing what God told him to do. As servants of God, we too must get rid of every doubt and must be willing to listen to Him and to obey Him. It's easy to doubt and be skeptical. We get so used to being in a desperate situation that we learn to accept that reality. But, we are constantly being challenged to change. We must be willing to adapt to something better and painfully leave behind what has become familiar.
We need to open our hearts more to the Lord's message for us. If not, we might just miss out on what God really wants for us. Let us continue to pray for guidance in all that we do in order to participate fully in God's wish to build his kingdom in our midst.
Prayer Requests:
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary
… for families who are in need of healing
… 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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# posted by F O O D F O R T H O U G H T @ 3:18 AM 
