Matthew 17:9a, 10-13

Sirach 48:1-4, 9:11

Psalm 80:2ac and 3b, 15-16, 18-19

Matthew 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.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, your ways are mysterious. You have ordained to bring about your plan of salvation in stages, one stage prefiguring the next. You sent Elijah to your people to call them to conversion. Centuries later, you sent John, the New Elijah, to your people to prepare them for the advent of your Son. Today, you call me to hear their witness and turn to you with all my heart.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Elijah the Prophet: This week’s Advent liturgy invites us to contemplate the figure of John the Baptist. Today, we are asked to see John the Baptist as the New Elijah. In the Old Testament, the Book of Sirach contains a summary reflection on the great figures of salvation history. When it summarizes the life of Elijah, the prophet, it highlights the power of his prophetic words, how he combatted those who worshipped Baal, how he brought down fire from heaven, and how he was taken up into heaven in a chariot of fiery horses. Sirach recalls Malachi’s prophecy that foretells that one like Elijah will appear before the day of the Lord. This prophet will work toward the conversion of the people of Israel and the reestablishment of the tribes of Israel. In the Gospel of Luke, the angel Gabriel indicates to Zechariah that his son, John, will be the new Elijah promised by Malachi: “[Your son] will go before [the Lord] in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord” (Luke 1:17).

2. The Advent of the New Elijah: In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus points out that John the Baptist is the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy about the return or coming (advent) of Elijah. The apostles have just witnessed the appearance of Elijah with the transfigured Jesus, and so they ask about Malachi’s prophecy about Elijah’s advent before the advent of Messiah. John the Baptist is not the reincarnation of Elijah, but in the words of his father, Zechariah, is one who goes before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah. How did John imitate the great Elijah? First, his prophetic words were fiery, like those of Elijah. Second, Elijah called down fire from heaven on the prophets of Baal, while John warned the Pharisees to repent from their sin to avoid the eternal fire. Third, Elijah shut up the heavens, stopped the rains, and brought down fire from heaven. John, when he baptized the Messiah, saw the heavens rip open and beheld the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Fire of God, upon Jesus. Just as Elijah called the people of Israel to repent before the day of judgment, we hear John call us to repent from our sins this advent to be ready to meet our Lord and Savior.

3. John of the Cross: Today, we celebrate the memorial of John of the Cross. Like Elijah and John the Baptist, John of the Cross undertook the work of a prophetic reformer. He worked tirelessly and zealously with Teresa of Jesus to reform the Carmelite Order. He was a pilgrim in this world who left everything behind and experienced the dark night of the soul. He aimed toward spiritual marriage and the transforming union with Christ, his Beloved. Two of his books, Ascent of Mount Carmel and Dark Night of the Soul, delve into the process of Christian transformation needed for a soul to begin mystical union with God. The spiritual life is thus seen by John of the Cross as a journey that every soul must undertake through divine grace. The annual celebration of Advent, with its call to be ready to meet Christ, is part of our spiritual journey.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I want to scale the heights of mystical union with you. Do not let me be afraid to deny myself and be detached from the things of this passing world. I will set out once again on the path to holiness.

Living the Word of God: Am I deaf to the call to conversion? Or does it cut me to the heart? If I could change one thing in my life, what would it be? How does God’s grace factor into this conversion?