Thiên Chúa đã ban những điều lạ (dấu hiệu) mà Ngài sắp làm cho dân Do Thái. Thánh Gioan Tẩy Giả là một trong những dấu hiệu đó, Thánh Gioan là người đã chỉ cho mọi người biết Chúa Giêsu và dọn đường cho Ngài đến với họ những người dân riêng của Chúa. Thánh Gioan đến để hoàn tất nhiệm vụ quan trọng của tất cả các tiên tri (ngôn sứ) đã đi trước ông, Ông là ngón tay chỉ vào Chúa Giêsu Kitô. Ông là vị tiên tri cuối cùng và lớn nhất của vương quốc cũ, của giao ước cũ.
Người Do Thái mong đợi khi Đấng Cứu Thế sẽ đến, Tiên tri Ê-lia sẽ xuất hiện để thông báo sự hiện diện của Ngài. Ông Gioan nắm giữ tất cả các vai trò của tiên tri Ê-lia và chuẩn bị dọn đường cho sự xuấn hiện của Chúa Giêsu Kitô bằng cách rao giảng phép rửa, thống hối và canh tân cuộc sống.
Là người đầy tớ trung thành, thận trọng và trung tín, chúng ta cũng phải biết chuẩn bị cho sự trở lại của Chúa đến với loàn người chúng ta một lần nữa bằng cách sửa đổi cuộc sống, từ bỏ tội lỗi và từ bỏ tất cả mọi thứ mà đã ngăn cản chúng ta theo đuổi và làm ý muốn của Ngài.
Chúng ta có mong muốn làm theo ý của Thiên Chúa và chúng ta đã chuẩn bị sẵn sàng để gặp Chúa Jesus, khi Ngài trở lại trong vinh quang?
"Lạy Chúa Giêsu, xin Chúa khuấy động lòng nhiệt tình của chúng con cho sự công chính và cho Nước Trời của Chúa. Xin Chúa Giải thoát chúng con tthoát khỏi mọi sự tự mãn và thoát khỏi những ảnh hưởng xấu trong đường lối của tội lỗi và thế gian vật chất để chúng con có thể hướng trọn tâm hồn của chúng con cho bạn và cho Nước Ttrười của mình Chúa."
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."
“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. Matthew 17:12–13
The last of the Old Testament Prophets was Malachi. He concluded his ministry about 400 years prior to the coming of Christ. Malachi prophesied that a “messenger” would come before the Messiah so as to prepare the way before Him. Malachi goes on further to say that “Elijah the Prophet” will come before the day of the Lord (See Malachi 3:1–24).
Jesus clarified to the disciples that the “messenger,” who was to be the new Elijah, had already come in the person of John the Baptist. Thus, in clarifying this, Jesus also clarified that the scribes were not accurate in their attempt to interpret the Scriptures and were actively misleading the people on account of their errors.
One thing this tells us is that we must approach the word of God with humility. The pride of the scribes led them to believe that they had some sort of extraordinary wisdom that they did not. Thus, they acted as poor spiritual teachers of the people of God.
Humility before the Word of God is essential if we are to properly understand not only the Old Testament prophecies but also the very words of Jesus Himself. Without humility before the Word of God, we can all easily misinterpret the beautiful and holy words spoken by our Lord.
Everything in the Scriptures is profound, deep and true. And by this holy Word of God we come to meet God Himself. But if we allow pride to seep in, we may find ourselves imitating the scribes and misunderstanding God’s Word. The result will be a skewed image of God which will become an impediment to our personal encounter with our loving Lord. But if we can always remain humble before all that God has revealed to us, then we will more easily be open to those deepest and most beautiful truths God wants to speak to our hearts.
Reflect, today, anyway that you have found yourself confused by the Word of God. Try to humbly open your heart more fully to that which our Lord wants to speak to you. Listen with an open mind and heart and allow the pure gift of faith to become your guide so that you will be led to those deepest truths of our faith.
My mysterious and beautiful Lord, You have revealed to us the deepest and most profound mysteries of life through Your written Word. May I always approach Your Word with humility and openness so that I will come to know You more fully. Jesus, I trust in You.
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).
`Will we recognize the Lord, when we see him? The Jewish people didn't. They missed all the signs that manifested his presence among them! The irony of it was they had longed and were still longing for the Messiah, for centuries. Why then did they miss seeing him? Perhaps they had their own criteria what the Messiah should be, should do. In fact they were so wrapped up in their perception that they dared to pick up stones to hurl at him, and finally did eventually crucify him; and before him his messenger, John the Baptist (the second Elijah) was killed; though his life was a witness to what he had been sent to do!
We too can become spiritually blind when we cling to our own opinions, beliefs, without leaving room for change or transformation of our mindset! God comes to us in different guises into our lifes, which makes us search for him everywhere — not necessarily in places of worship!
Jesus, often told his listeners: “the Kingdom of God is among you/within you.” We cannot capture God and keep him all to ourselves. R.S Thomas, a Welsh poet once said of God: “He is such a fast God...leaving even as we arrive.” Lord make us turn to You. Let us see your face, and we shall be saved.
Opening Prayer: Dear Jesus, open my heart to your inspirations in this moment of prayer. I believe that you have something you wish to say to me, and I want to be ready to hear you. Good Jesus, increase my trust in you and teach me to love you more and more.
Jesus Is Always Open: Jesus must have welcomed this question from his disciples. They seem to be sincerely trying to understand why or how things were unfolding so differently from what they had expected. How good Jesus is that he never despises or shames us, even in our slowness to understand his ways. Perhaps in this time of prayer, we can sit with our questions and let our hearts be open before him, knowing that he is “the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6).
God gives signs to show what He is about to do. Unfortunately, most of the time people refuse to see and believe it. This passage explains how the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first before the Son of Man. That being said, John the Baptist was the spirit and power of Elijah, but they rejected the idea.
John, very much like the role of Elijah, prepares the way for the coming of Christ by preaching about repentance. Nothing stopped John from doing what God told him to do. As servants of God, we too must get rid of every doubt and must be willing to listen to Him and to obey Him. It's easy to doubt and be skeptical. We get so used to being in a desperate situation that we learn to accept that reality. But, we are constantly being challenged to change. We must be willing to adapt to something better and painfully leave behind what has become familiar.
We need to open our hearts more to the Lord's message for us. If not, we might just miss out on what God really wants for us. Let us continue to pray for guidance in all that we do in order to participate fully in God's wish to build his kingdom in our midst.
You are destined … to put an end to wrath before the day of the Lord. (Sirach 48:10)
Fiery destruction and judgment are strong themes in the first part of today’s reading. Elijah is revered as the prophet who called down fire to consume his sacrifice and wipe out his enemies. This is the great prophet who was swept up to heaven in a flaming chariot and whose dramatic return the people awaited with a mixture of expectation and fear: expectation because of the hope that his return would rid the earth of all evil and injustice, and fear because everyone knew they harbored some degree of evil in their own hearts in the form of sin.
Through the gift of inspired hindsight, we know that Elijah did return—in the person of John the Baptist. But John didn’t come to unleash the judgment of a wrathful God. Rather, he came “to put an end to wrath” in preparation for the Lord’s coming (Sirach 48:10). He came to proclaim the way out of human anger, which divides us from one another and estranges us from God. He came to call us to repentance so that we could soften our hearts. So yes, he did come to burn away evil, but with the fire of love, not vengeance or anger.
We may sometimes think of God as a punitive judge, but that’s not who our heavenly Father really is. His one constant goal is to bring us life in all its fullness (John 10:10). If he comes to destroy anything at all, it’s those forces that block us from receiving this precious gift.
So don’t give in to fear. Don’t think that Jesus is coming with harsh judgment and quick condemnation. God is inviting you to steep yourself in his love today. Is there something that makes it hard for you to receive that love? The pain of a wounded relationship or the false belief that you have to go it alone? Don’t let it get the upper hand! In your prayer today, surrender it to the Lord. Imagine the flames of his love consuming your fears and wounds. Let him warm your heart as he sets you free!
“Father of mercy, come and burn away every obstacle in my heart!”
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