December 11, Saturday of the Second Week of Advent
Daily Readings: Sirach 48: 1-4, 9-11 & Matthew 17:9a, 10-13
The first reading tells us something about the story of the prophet Elijah. A fiery chariot took him up in a whirlwind. His office of prophet was passed onto the disciple Elisha.
Many of the scribes and ordinary people believed that Elijah did not die, but he was waiting until God would send him back to prepare for the day of the Lord in which the Messiah would establish the Kingdom. Some people say that Jesus was Elijah (Luke 9:18-22).
In today's Gospel, we see that the prophet Elijah is mentioned. Right after the Transfiguration, the disciples – Peter, James, and John – have received a glimpse of Jesus as the glorious Son of God the Father. They saw Moses as representing the Law, and Elijah, representing the prophetic tradition. They were speaking with Jesus and approving the mission of Jesus as Messiah. Jesus told them about His suffering, death and resurrection. The prophecy was a cause of upset for the disciples.
As they descended from the mountain, the disciples asked Jesus," Why do the scribes say that Elijah as to come first? Jesus told them that Elijah had come already and they did not recognize him, but they treated him as they liked. Jesus confirms that Elijah will come again. Jesus was too not recognized and he was mistreated as well. The disciples at once realized that Jesus was speaking about John the Baptist as the returned Elijah.
The role of John the Baptist or the returned Elijah is to prepare the way for the coming Messiah and he fulfilled it exactly.
This Advent Season invites us to see ourselves in the role of the prophets, especially John the Baptist and accept the responsibility to prepare the way of Jesus to come into the lives of the people. Let us ask the courage to face challenges, opposition and hardships as John the Baptist had faced courageously. With this, we will follow in the footsteps of our master, our Teacher and Lord.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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