THE WORLD WAITS
16 December 2006
Mt 17:10-13
The Jews believe that Elijah did not die. The Old Testament Scripture says that the Prophet was taken by a fiery chariot into the heavens. Elisha, his protégée, witnessed this miraculous event.
Because Elijah did not die, the Jews expect him to arrive ahead of the Messiah. But there was no literal re-appearance of the Great Prophet. There was, however, his symbolic re-appearance in John the Baptist.
In the Gospel today, Jesus did not explicitly refer to the Baptizer as the fulfillment of the Elijah homecoming. He simply confirmed that Elijah already came but was not recognized. It was Matthew who concluded that the disciples understood that Jesus was speaking of John the Baptist.
Before the Lord Jesus comes again at the end of the world, we believe that He is already with us. He is with us in the sacraments, in the Scriptures, and in one another, most especially the poor with whom He so intimately identifies Himself. Come to think of it, the Lord’s coming at the end of time is, therefore, not really an arrival. It is not as if He is not yet here. He is here! The coming of the Lord at the end of the world is an appearance of the Lord, an appearance that will be totally and undoubtedly recognizable for you and me. We will not only see Him; we shall likewise recognize Him as He is.
But for now, do we see Him? Do we see Him in the poor and the suffering? Do we see Him in one another? Do we welcome Him in the sacraments and hear Him in the Scriptures? And do others see Him in us?
It is useless to wait for the re-appearance of Elijah. He already did, the Lord said. He was John the Baptist, the disciples believed. It is now the time to see the Lord. He is already here.
As we end today the first part of our Advent preparation, let us remember that we shall recognize the Lord when He comes at the end of the world if and only if we see Him now. Christmas is not seeing the Lord for the first time. Christmas is making the Lord seen in us and through us always.
The world today does not wait for Elijah. It waits for your love.
Mt 17:10-13
The Jews believe that Elijah did not die. The Old Testament Scripture says that the Prophet was taken by a fiery chariot into the heavens. Elisha, his protégée, witnessed this miraculous event.
Because Elijah did not die, the Jews expect him to arrive ahead of the Messiah. But there was no literal re-appearance of the Great Prophet. There was, however, his symbolic re-appearance in John the Baptist.
In the Gospel today, Jesus did not explicitly refer to the Baptizer as the fulfillment of the Elijah homecoming. He simply confirmed that Elijah already came but was not recognized. It was Matthew who concluded that the disciples understood that Jesus was speaking of John the Baptist.
Before the Lord Jesus comes again at the end of the world, we believe that He is already with us. He is with us in the sacraments, in the Scriptures, and in one another, most especially the poor with whom He so intimately identifies Himself. Come to think of it, the Lord’s coming at the end of time is, therefore, not really an arrival. It is not as if He is not yet here. He is here! The coming of the Lord at the end of the world is an appearance of the Lord, an appearance that will be totally and undoubtedly recognizable for you and me. We will not only see Him; we shall likewise recognize Him as He is.
But for now, do we see Him? Do we see Him in the poor and the suffering? Do we see Him in one another? Do we welcome Him in the sacraments and hear Him in the Scriptures? And do others see Him in us?
It is useless to wait for the re-appearance of Elijah. He already did, the Lord said. He was John the Baptist, the disciples believed. It is now the time to see the Lord. He is already here.
As we end today the first part of our Advent preparation, let us remember that we shall recognize the Lord when He comes at the end of the world if and only if we see Him now. Christmas is not seeing the Lord for the first time. Christmas is making the Lord seen in us and through us always.
The world today does not wait for Elijah. It waits for your love.
posted by Fr. Bobby @ 4:00 PM
1 Comments
1 Comments:
Lord Jesus, we would like to feel your presence in our daily lives but most of all, in this season of Christmas, we want that the needy would feel your presence in us.
God bless po.
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