DAILY- HOMILY

December 15, 2018 – SATURDAY, 2nd Week of Advent

Violet.

Sir 48: 1 - 4, 9 - 11 / Mt 17: 9 – 13

FROM THE 1ST READING:             Sir 48: 1, 9 -11

Then came the prophet Elijah like a fire, his words a burning torch....

You were taken up by a whirlwind of flames in a chariot borne 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 READING:           Mt 17: 9- 13

And as they came down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone what they had just seen, until the Son of Man be raised from the dead. The disciples then asked him, "Why do 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

Advent is a time of waiting. We seem to be always waiting for something or somebody.. We wait at traffic lights; we wait at doctors' offices; we wait for our rides. We seem to wait for everything. Waiting seems to be part and parcel of human living.

In the Church Advent is a time of waiting to remember and celebrate the coming of God as a Child to save us. It is also a time to prepare for the after-life and the second and final coming of the Son of Man.

In the first reading we see the prophet taken up to the heavens in a fiery chariot: will he ever come back to earth?

In the Gospel reading, which follows the extraordinary happening of the glorious transfiguration of Jesus, witnessed by Peter, James and John, and attested to by the voice from heaven, Jesus tells the disciples that indeed Elijah had already returned in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah: "Elijah has already come and they did not recognize him, but treated him as they pleased." "Then the disciples understood that Jesus was referring to John the Baptist."

We believe that the Messiah has come in the person of the Lord Jesus. We await his second coming in glory. May he find us ready when he comes, ready in that we would have faithfully done our share in the spread of his kingdom both in ourselves and in those around us. May he bless us and be with us in our work and lifetime.

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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