Saturday, 16th DECEMBER. .

Saturday, 16th DECEMBER
Mt 17:9a, 10-13

And as they were coming down the mountain, the disciples asked him, "Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?" 

He replied, "Elijah does come, and he is to restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of man will suffer at their hands." 

Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

It's astonishing the short-sightedness of some people. They can have a prophet right in front of their faces and fail to recognise him. 

On one occasion Elijah gently brought a dead boy back to life for the sake of the widowed mother (1 Kgs 17:22) but they persecuted him all the same. 

St John the Baptist was famous, even King Herod heard him. But the people of Israel didn't recognise him either.

There was a famous tennis player who won a grand slam. Journalists and fans went to the airport to receive him on his arrival. But the loudspeakers at the airport announced that there would be an hour's delay due to bad weather. To keep the waiting crowd entertained, the airport staff projected the recorded championship final on a big screen. 

The problem came when the plane landed twenty minutes ahead of schedule in another terminal where no one was actually expecting it to. Everyone was so absorbed in the tennis match that they missed the celebrity's arrival!

The people of Israel were awaiting the Messiah for centuries, imploring God to send Him soon and preparing themselves for that coming. And when He eventually came...they also failed to recognise Him. 

Still today, people are expecting Christmas… but not Christ; like celebrating a wedding and leaving the bride outside. They expect gifts… but not 'The Gift', the Son of God made man. They will celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ… without Jesus Christ. To avoid this happening again, we have Advent. 

"Advent is here. What a marvellous time in which to renew your desire, your nostalgia, your real longing for Christ to come - for him to come every day to your soul in the Eucharist. The Church encourages us: Ecce veniet! - He is about to arrive!" (St Josemaría).

Mary, Mother of God, help me to get ready for your Son's arrival.

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Commentary of the day :

Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
Sermons on the Gospel of Saint John, no.4

"He will go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Lk 1:17)

"Why do the scribes (that is to say, the Doctors of the Law) say that Elijah has to come first?" 

The Lord answers them: "Elijah has already come and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased, and if you wish to understand, he is John the Baptist." 

In this way our Lord Jesus Christ expressly said: "Elijah has already come" and that this refers to John the Baptist. However, when John was questioned, he admitted that he was no more Elijah than he was the Messiah (Jn 1:20f.)... 

Now why did he admit: "I am not Elijah" whereas the Lord said to his disciples that he was Elijah? Our Lord wanted to speak in symbols of his future coming and say that John had come in the spirit of Elijah. What John was for the first coming, Elijah will be for the second. There are two comings for the Judge; there are also two precursors. The Judge is the same in both comings but there are two precursors... The Judge must come first of all to be judged. But he sent a first precursor before him and called him Elijah because Elijah will become for the second coming what John was for the first.

Consider, beloved brethren, how well this explanation is founded on truth. When John was conceived... the Holy Spirit made this prophecy which would be fulfilled in him: "He will go before the Most High in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Lk 1:17)... Who can understand these things? The person who has imitated the precursor's humility and has known the majesty of the Judge. No one has been humbler than this holy precursor. This humility of John's constitutes his greatest merit. So great were his grace and virtue that he could have deceived people, passed himself off as the Messiah, been thought of as the Messiah. And yet he openly declared: "I am not the Messiah. - Are you Elijah?... - I am not Elijah."

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