Saturday of the Second Week of Advent
Lectionary: 186
Lectionary: 186
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.
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.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 80:2AC AND 3B, 15-16, 18-19
R. (4) Lord,
make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hearken,
From your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Rouse your power.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
Take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
May your help be with the man of your right hand,
with the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hearken,
From your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Rouse your power.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
Take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
May your help be with the man of your right hand,
with the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
AlleluiaLK 3:4, 6
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths:
All flesh shall see the salvation of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths:
All flesh shall see the salvation of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 17:9A, 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.
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.
Meditation: "Elijah
must first come"
God gives signs to show what he is about to do. John
the Baptist is one such sign who pointed to Jesus and prepared the way for his
coming. John fulfilled the essential task of all the prophets: to be fingers
pointing to Jesus Christ. John is the last and greatest prophet of the old
kingdom, the old covenant. The Jews expected that when the Messiah would come,
Elijah would appear to announce his presence. John fills the role of Elijah and
prepares the way for the coming of Jesus Christ by preaching a baptism of
repentance and renewal.
As watchful servants, we, too must prepare for the
Lord's coming again by turning away from sin and from everything that would
keep us from pursuing his will. Are you eager to do God's will and are you
prepared to meet the Lord Jesus when he returns in glory?
"Lord Jesus, 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."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: John fulfills Elijah's prophetic ministry,
by John Chrysostom, 547-407 A.D.
"They did not know this from
the Scriptures, but the scribes used to tell them, and this saying was reported
among the ignorant crowd, as also about Christ. Therefore the Samaritan woman
also said, 'The Messiah is coming; when he comes, he will show us all things'
(John 4:25). And they themselves asked John, 'Are you Elijah or the prophet?'
(John 1:21). For this opinion was strong, as I said, both the one about Christ
and the one about Elijah, but they did not interpret it as it should have been.
For the Scriptures speak of two comings of Christ, both this one that has taken
place and the future one. Paul spoke of these when he said, 'For the grace of
God has appeared for the salvation of men, training us to renounce irreligion
and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright and godly lives in this world'
(Titus 2:11-12).
"Behold the first advent, and listen to how he declares the coming advent: 'Awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ' (Titus 2:13). The prophets also mention both advents; of the one that is second they say that Elijah will be the forerunner; John was forerunner of the first, John whom Christ also called by the name Elijah, not because he was Elijah but because he was fulfilling Elijah's ministry. For just as Elijah will be the forerunner of the second advent, so John was of the first. But the scribes, confusing these things and perverting the people, mentioned that coming alone, the second one, to the people, and said, 'If this is the Christ, Elijah ought to have come first.' That is why the disciples also say, 'Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?'" (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 57.1)
"Behold the first advent, and listen to how he declares the coming advent: 'Awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ' (Titus 2:13). The prophets also mention both advents; of the one that is second they say that Elijah will be the forerunner; John was forerunner of the first, John whom Christ also called by the name Elijah, not because he was Elijah but because he was fulfilling Elijah's ministry. For just as Elijah will be the forerunner of the second advent, so John was of the first. But the scribes, confusing these things and perverting the people, mentioned that coming alone, the second one, to the people, and said, 'If this is the Christ, Elijah ought to have come first.' That is why the disciples also say, 'Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?'" (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 57.1)
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, MATTHEW
17:9a, 10-13
Advent Weekday
(Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11; Psalm 80)
Advent Weekday
(Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11; Psalm 80)
KEY VERSE: "Elijah will indeed come and restore all things" (v 11).
TO KNOW: In Matthew's account of the Transfiguration, Jesus summoned his disciples "to the mountain" to reveal himself as the one who had full authority "in heaven and on earth" (Mt 28:16-18). The mountain was a unique place of God's revelation. Moses had received the law on Mount Sinai (Ex 20:1-17), and Elijah, defended the supremacy of Gods' covenant against the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kgs 18:19-39). On the Mount of the Transfiguration, both Elijah and Moses appeared alongside Jesus revealing that he was the new prophet and liberator. As Jesus came down the mountain after the vision, his disciples asked him about the belief that Elijah would return before the coming of the Messiah (Mal 3:1, 23). Jesus answered that John the Baptist had already come in the prophetic tradition of Elijah. John's preaching against those who perverted the moral teaching of God had fulfilled the expectation of Elijah's return.
TO LOVE: What is the moral corruption in my community that I must oppose?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, turn my heart to the truth that you teach.
DECEMBER 16- 24
“Simbang Gabi” (Mass at Dawn) is a Filipino tradition where the faithful attend dawn Masses on the nine consecutive days leading to Christmas. In the Philippines, the Masses began as early-morning liturgies to accommodate the working hours of farmers and fishermen. Now in urban cities Simbang Gabi is held in the evenings for the convenience of working people. Filipino families enact Panuluyan, a form of the Mexican Posada, in anticipation of the coming birth of Jesus Christ. The oldest Philippine symbol is the belen(nativity set) which was introduced from the tradition started by St. Francis of Assisi in 1223. The belen is found mostly in churches and affluent homes, while the parol (lantern) is found everywhere Filipinos celebrate Christmas. The parol represents the star of Bethlehem, which symbolically guides the Messiah to the house and announces that here is a family that has accepted the Messiah. The novena ends on Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) with a midnight mass called Misa De Aguinaldo, "the night of light and joy."
Saturday 16
December 2017
Advent Season of Creation
Ecclesiasticus 48:1-4, 9-11. Psalm 79(80):2-3, 15-16, 18-19.
Matthew 17:10-13
Lord, make us turn to you, let us see your face and we shall be
saved – Psalm 79(80):2-3, 15-16, 18-19.
Lord, make us turn to you, let us see your face and we shall be
saved.
Jesus seems to have thought a great deal about his ancestry. We
can all share the same interest. There have been programs on TV about
celebrities discovering unusual things about their forebears. Even if the
forebears have been dead for a long time, their stories still make people think
about where they have come from. Most people enjoy climbing through the
branches of their family tree. They remind us that we belong to more than just
the here and now.
Jesus had a special connection with the Prophet Elijah, a
wonderful figure whose story, like that of Abraham and Moses, has been a source
of inspiration and energy for Jews, Christians and Moslems alike. During the
transfiguration, Jesus appears in the present moment with Moses and Elijah. In
today’s Gospel, Jesus and his followers are coming down from the mountain,
getting ready to face a challenging future. In order to face that future, Jesus
thinks about the lessons of the past. Elijah was treated badly. Jesus doesn’t
expect any better.
Like all the prophets, Elijah had a powerful relationship with
the natural environment. He appears as an ordinary man who was prepared to
stand up against King Ahab and his wife Jezebel. Elijah’s main concern was that
Ahab and his unpleasant wife were trying to re-introduce old superstitions into
the kingdom of Israel and return to the worship of the Baals; they wanted a
religion they could own and control.
Jezebel is determined to kill Elijah in revenge so he shows a
clean pair of heels; after a day on the run he is exhausted. Elijah is a person
whose most intense encounters with God take place at the edge of what he can
cope with. He reaches Beersheba, lies down under a furze bush and prays to God
to let him die. We’ve all had days like this. We may not pray to die but we may
well feel that we can hardly keep going. It is at that moment that God helps
him find strength.
Elijah then walks forty days and forty nights and finally
reaches Mt Horeb, the place where Moses had received the law on tablets. It is
a central place in the story that sustains Elijah: he is a figure who calls
empire builders back to the simple vision of a life built around God. Elijah’s
vision on Mt Horeb is the counterpiece of the one Moses received. Moses was
enlightened by a vision which embraced the entirety of human life. It had lots
of fine print and it was nothing if not dramatic. In the same place,
Elijah waits in a dark cave. A mighty wind passes by, then an earthquake and
then a fire. God was not in any of these. Finally he experiences a gentle breeze
and that’s where he recognises God. He is frightened and weary; God’s presence
is a caress.
ST. ADELAIDE
Born in 931 in Burgundy, France as the daughter of King Rudolph II
of Burgundy, Adelaide was promised in marriage when she was only two years
old, to a man named Lothaire, the son and heir of his enemy, Hugh of
Provence.
Lothaire was killed when still young, and Adelaide was to have a tumultuous life that paralleled the struggle for political power of the times, something she had come to symbolize.
Having been sought after by various kings and nobles after Lothaire’s death, she was finally married by Otho the Great of Germany, who had invaded Italy.
When Adelaide and Otho’s son, the Emperor Otho II died, his son Otho III, only a child at the time, became emperor. In 991, Adelaide was invested as the Regent of the Empire, and she used her power as the effective empress to increase evangelization efforts, especially in northern Europe, and built many monasteries and churches, and also gave much aid the poor.
Lothaire was killed when still young, and Adelaide was to have a tumultuous life that paralleled the struggle for political power of the times, something she had come to symbolize.
Having been sought after by various kings and nobles after Lothaire’s death, she was finally married by Otho the Great of Germany, who had invaded Italy.
When Adelaide and Otho’s son, the Emperor Otho II died, his son Otho III, only a child at the time, became emperor. In 991, Adelaide was invested as the Regent of the Empire, and she used her power as the effective empress to increase evangelization efforts, especially in northern Europe, and built many monasteries and churches, and also gave much aid the poor.
She
died in 999 at the monastery of Seltz, Alsace, and was canonized in 1097
by Pope Urban II.
LECTIO DIVINA: MATTHEW 17,10-13
Lectio Divina:
Saturday, December 16, 2017
2nd Week
of Advent
1) Opening prayer
Lord
our God,
let us never become indifferent
to the ardent message
which your Son speaks to us in the gospel.
When we have become inattentive and uninvolved,
send us again prophets to wake us up
and make us attentive again,
so that Your kingdom of love
and justice becomes a reality.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
let us never become indifferent
to the ardent message
which your Son speaks to us in the gospel.
When we have become inattentive and uninvolved,
send us again prophets to wake us up
and make us attentive again,
so that Your kingdom of love
and justice becomes a reality.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 17:10-13
The
disciples put this question to him; ”Why then do the scribes say that Elijah
must come first?”
He replied “Elijah is indeed coming, and he will set everything right again; 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.”
Then the disciples understood that He was speaking of John the Baptist.
He replied “Elijah is indeed coming, and he will set everything right again; 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.”
Then the disciples understood that He was speaking of John the Baptist.
3) Reflection
•
The disciples have just seen Moses and Elijah with Jesus during His Transfiguration
(Mt 17:3). In general, people believed Elijah had to return in order to prepare
for the coming of the Kingdom. The prophet Malachi said “Look, I shall send you
the prophet Elijah before the great and awesome Day of the Lord. He will reconcile
parents to their children and children to their parents, to forestall my
putting the country under the curse of destruction!” (Mal 3:23-24, cf. Eccl.
48:10). The disciples want to know what do the doctors of the Law mean when
they say that Elijah has to come before. Because Jesus, the Messiah, had
already arrived seemingly before the expected return of Elijah.
• Jesus answers “Elijah has already come and they have not recognized him; rather, they have treated him as they have wanted. In the same way, they will also make the Son of Man suffer”. Then the Disciples understood that Jesus was speaking of John the Baptist.
• Under Roman domination family and clan life disintegrated. People expected that Elijah would return and reconstruct the community reconciling parents to children and children to parents. This was the great hope of the people. Today, the communism is a system that disintegrates families and destroys life.
• To reconstruct and remake the social fabric can often be dangerous when it undermines an oppressive political system. This is why John the Baptist was killed. He had a mission to reform the way humans lived together (cf. Lk 3:7-14). He carried out the mission of Elijah (Lk 1:17). As a result, he was killed.
• Jesus continues the mission of John to reconstruct life in community. Because God is Father, we are all brothers and sisters. Jesus joins together two loves: love toward God and love toward neighbour, making both visible in the way people live together. This is why, like John, He was put to death.
• Jesus answers “Elijah has already come and they have not recognized him; rather, they have treated him as they have wanted. In the same way, they will also make the Son of Man suffer”. Then the Disciples understood that Jesus was speaking of John the Baptist.
• Under Roman domination family and clan life disintegrated. People expected that Elijah would return and reconstruct the community reconciling parents to children and children to parents. This was the great hope of the people. Today, the communism is a system that disintegrates families and destroys life.
• To reconstruct and remake the social fabric can often be dangerous when it undermines an oppressive political system. This is why John the Baptist was killed. He had a mission to reform the way humans lived together (cf. Lk 3:7-14). He carried out the mission of Elijah (Lk 1:17). As a result, he was killed.
• Jesus continues the mission of John to reconstruct life in community. Because God is Father, we are all brothers and sisters. Jesus joins together two loves: love toward God and love toward neighbour, making both visible in the way people live together. This is why, like John, He was put to death.
4) Personal questions
•
Placing myself in the position of the disciples: does consumerism have power
over me?
• Placing myself in the position of Jesus: Do I have the desire and determination to create a new human way of living together?
• Placing myself in the position of Jesus: Do I have the desire and determination to create a new human way of living together?
5) Concluding Prayer
May
Your help be with the man of Your right hand,
with the Son of Man whom You Yourself made strong.
Then we will no more withdraw from You;
give us new life, and we will call upon Your name. (Ps 80)
with the Son of Man whom You Yourself made strong.
Then we will no more withdraw from You;
give us new life, and we will call upon Your name. (Ps 80)
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