December 15, 2012 Saturday of the Second Week of Advent

[이안드레아]

2012년 12월 15일 대림 제2주간 토요일

제1독서

집회서. 48,1-4.9-11
그 무렵 1 엘리야 예언자가 불처럼 일어섰는데, 그의 말은 횃불처럼 타올랐다. 2 엘리야는 그들에게 굶주림을 불러들였고, 자신의 열정으로 그들의 수를 감소시켰다.
3 주님의 말씀에 따라 그는 하늘을 닫아 버리고, 세 번씩이나 불을 내려 보냈다. 4 엘리야여, 당신은 놀라운 일들로 얼마나 큰 영광을 받았습니까? 누가 당신처럼 자랑스러울 수 있겠습니까?
9 당신은 불 소용돌이 속에서, 불 마차에 태워 들어 올려졌습니다. 10 당신은 정해진 때를 대비하여, 주님의 분노가 터지기 전에 그것을 진정시키고, 아버지의 마음을 자식에게 되돌리며, 야곱의 지파들을 재건하리라고 기록되어 있습니다.
11 당신을 본 사람들과, 사랑 안에서 잠든 사람들은 행복합니다. 우리도 반드시 살아날 것입니다.

복음

마태오. 17,10-13
예수님께서 제자들과 함께 산에서 내려오시는 길에 10 제자들이 예수님께, “율법 학자들은 어찌하여 엘리야가 먼저 와야 한다고 말합니까?” 하고 물었다.
11 그러자 예수님께서 대답하셨다. “과연 엘리야가 와서 모든 것을 바로잡을 것이다. 12 내가 너희에게 말한다. 엘리야는 이미 왔지만, 사람들은 그를 알아보지 못하고 제멋대로 다루었다. 그처럼 사람의 아들도 그들에게 고난을 받을 것이다.”
13 그제야 제자들은 그것이 세례자 요한을 두고 하신 말씀인 줄을 깨달았다.

December 15, 2012 Saturday of the Second Week of Advent

Reading 1
Sir 48:1-4, 9-11

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.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 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 <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region></st1:place>, 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.

Gospel
Mt 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.

Commentary

John's martyrdom by King Herod pre-figures our Lord suffering and being condemned to death at the hand of Pontius Pilate. The powers of this world are threatened by the message of the Gospel and will go to great lengths to stop its spread.

Following the Lord is counter-cultural. It goes against the grain of our contemporary world. As the Lord suffered, so do His disciples. The season of Advent is a fitting time for us to be mindful of the consequences of following Jesus, and to take comfort in the fact that He is always at our side.

http://www.staygreat.com/

Jesus' greatest pain

In the same way they will also
mistreat the Son of Man.
Matthew 17:12

Winter's Light is a film by the
famed director Ingmar Bergman.
One of the characters in the film
is a crippled janitor of a church.
He suffers from constant pain in
his back and his bones. Then,
one day, he begins to suffer a
mental pain caused by his
meditations on Jesus' crucifixion

These meditations led him to
conclude that Jesus' greatest
pain was mental. In spite of
having loved so much, healed
so many, and given himself so
totally, many people rejected
him and refused to follow his
teaching.

What message might people's
treatment of Jesus hold for me?

Jesus said, "Do not be afraid
of those who kill the body but
cannot kill the soul." Matthew 10:28

http://www.franciscanretreats.net/

Today’s Gospel selection is a little difficult to understand. In response to the disciples’ question about the expected return of the prophet Elijah, Jesus interprets the mission of John the Baptist as having already fulfilled that expectation. But that was not suspected by those who opposed John and finally killed him. And Jesus then predicts a similar fate for himself.

Jesus is telling us that he must suffer just as John the Baptist suffered. And so must we! Jesus suffered to accomplish the Father’s will for him, and so it is with us. We all suffer in one　　 way or another. Our suffering may be physical, emotional or spiritual. No one　　 likes to suffer and we all wonder why this is necessary, knowing that we are not going to have the answer for all of life’s riddles. Personally, I try to take the sufferings I have had and try to grow from them, learn from them. But I, too, manage to complain about the suffering I must endure.

I think all of us realize that suffering is a part of life over which we are powerless. Let us pray during this Advent that we may be able to accept God’s ways for us and thereby grow closer to him and be stronger in his service to others.

Fr. Howard

http://www.evangeli.net/gospel/gospel.html

≪Elijah has already come and they did not recognize him, but treated him as they pleased≫

Today, we see Jesus talking with his disciples as they are coming down from the mountain, where they have just lived the Transfiguration. Our Lord hasn't taken up Peter's suggestion that they stay, and is answering the questions of the disciples as they descend. Those, who have just partaken momentarily in the glory of God, are surprised and don't understand how the Messiah could have come without the prophet Elijah coming first to prepare everything.

It turns out that the preparation has already been done. ≪But I tell you, Elijah has already come≫ (Mt 17:12). John the Baptist has prepared the way. But the men of the world don't recognize the men of God, nor do the prophets of the world recognize the prophets of God, nor do the arrogant of the world recognize the divinity of Jesus Christ.

A new way of looking and new heart are necessary if the ways of God are to be recognized, and if we are to respond with cheerfulness and generosity to the demanding calls of those He has sent. Not everybody is willing to understand it, let alone live it. What's more the way we live our lives and our plans might be in opposition to God's will. An opposition that could turn into a struggle against, and a rejection of, Our Father in Heaven.

We need to discover the intense love that informs God's plans for us and, if we are to be consistent with the faith and morality that Jesus reveals to us, we can't be surprised by the bad treatment, the slander and the persecutions. Being on the right track doesn't stop there being difficulties in life and He, despite the suffering, teaches us to keep on going.

We ask the Mother of Jesus, Queen of the Apostles, to intercede so that no one will be lacking a friend who, like the prophets, will bring them the Good News of salvation that is brought to us through the birth of Jesus Christ. We have the mission, you and me, to make sure that this Christmas be experienced in a more Christian way by those people who cross their path with ours.

http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

Face to Face

Have you ever noticed the human tendency to look away from someone who is speaking to us when their message is uncomfortable, embarrassing or challenging? We think of children who don’t want to look their parents “in the face” when they are admitting to something they’ve done wrong. We think of ourselves when we receive a compliment or even a word of love that we are hesitant to receive. There’s something about being “face to face” that captures the intimacy required for genuine communication, genuine communion.

And so with our relationship with God. We flee the face of God in many and various ways. This is the story of our fallen humanity, turning away from the loving gaze of God in the garden and choosing to go one’s own way. The story of salvation is one　of God’s steadfast attempts to remain “in our face.” God reveals again and again, in various ways, his nearness.

The coming of Jesus represents one “final attempt” to help us see the face of God. But will humanity respond? Jesus’ words in Matthew’s gospel speak of his forerunner, John the Baptist as well as himself: “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.” The face of God will be rejected once again.

Where are we running from the face of God today? Perhaps we judge the loving gaze of God for us as “too good to be true” and so we turn away. Perhaps that same loving gaze convicts us of some things that need changing and we hide. Our prayer today is that of the psalm: “Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.”

http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/

"Elijah does come, and he is to restore all things"

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 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 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, 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."

Psalm 80:2-3, 15-19

2 Stir up thy might, and come to save us!
3 Restore us, O God; let thy face shine, that we may be saved!
15 the stock which thy right hand planted.
16 They have burned it with fire, they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance!
17 But let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, the son of man whom thou hast made strong for thyself!
18 Then we will never turn back from thee; give us life, and we will call on thy name!
19 Restore us, O LORD God of hosts! let thy face shine, that we may be saved!

http://www.daily-meditations.org/index2.html

So will the Son of Man suffer at their hands. (Matthew 17:13)

The theme of today's readings is "reconciliation," restoring a friendship, settling a dispute or coming to an understanding of another's viewpoint.

This theme actually underlies all of Scripture which gives us a universal and unchanging standard for establishing a loving relationship with God and our fellow humans. Such was the difficult task of God's prophets, such as Elijah, who were called to point out people's sins and restore their obedience to God's law.

John the Baptist was sent to prepare His people to receive Christ by revealing their sins and need for repentance in the hope of opening their hearts to receive the Messiah. For now God, in His compassion and mercy, had sent them His Living Word to deliver the Israelites from spiritual death and offer them new life in obedience to His love and truth as seen in Christ's human flesh.

Our gospel reveals how selfishness, self-will and refusal to change render man blind to his being mired in sin. Onl　　y those with more humble and receptive hearts recognize their need for improvement. History loudly proclaims that generally humanity rebels against anything that interferes with their "wants."

Public hostility toward moral reforms and reformers usually springs from people who are aware that their own behavior is anomalous and harmful to societal order, but selfish pride places God's truth beyond their range of vision.

Those claiming to be Christian must not be silenced by their fear of censure, for neglecting to defend the truth (in a loving and gently persuasive manner) makes them equally guilty of sin by appearing to support harmful, immoral behavior.

O God of love and truth,
keep us ever faithful to Your Holy Word
and so help us to build a society
that brings the greatest good to the largest number.
Amen.

- Marie Bocko, OCDS

http://www.contemplative.com/weekday_readings.htm

The disciples descend from the mountain of TransfigurationBut their thoughts are racing about. They are not in their hearts where the Glory of Christ sought to penetrate. Their thoughts are caught up on the surface events of Scripture and when will the Kingdom arrive, thinking in time-lines as the world calculates time. Jesus gently enters into the matter of their inquiry. Yes, Elijah has come; yes, the Kingdom is coming. But not in the ways you would want. The Kingdom is coming through the Cross and the humility of the poor in spirit. So, John the Baptist has already announced the Kingdom in his blood and apparent defeat. Jesus follows after John even though He was before him. Elijah and Moses have seen it all in the glory of Christ. We await the Kingdom of Christ’s glory that will come as God has decreed it to come. In the meantime, we are people of hope with absolute abandonment to God's wisdom and power and His time-line hidden in the fulfillment of Christ’s coming, known only to the Father.

http://goodnews.ie/calendar.php

Illusions are soft comfortable things usually. They are cushions against reality. Whoever thinks that faith is a flight from reality must never have read the psalms or the New Testament. What we see there is an overwhelming realism. There are few of us, probably, who wouldn’t describe ourselves as realists; but you could have realism coupled with self-indulgence, or with heroic pessimism, or with cynicism…. In the Scriptures realism is coupled with faith in God. “They will make the Son of Man suffer.”

Jesus predicted his suffering, to prepare his disciples for the shock. But otherwise he never talked or complained about it. When you talk about your suffering you are creating a distance between it and you; you are not ‘suffering’ your suffering (‘to suffer’ originally meant ‘to allow’). It cannot work its chemistry in you if you don’t let it come near ? in fact, nearer than near: you have to become one　　 with it. When you are one　　 with it, there is no distance and therefore no talk.

When you talk about your suffering, people are usually too polite to change the subject. How boring a subject it is! People have too much suffering of their own, they don’t know what to do with yours. If you said you had a leaking roof they could offer to fix it for you, but what can they do about your suffering if all you can do about it yourself is talk? And behind the talk they can often sense a plea for pity and sympathy; they sense that you are trying to make capital out of it. Instead we have to make a life out of it.

http://www.presentationministries.com/

ESCAPING THE WRATH (see Mt 23:33)

"You are destined, it is written, in time to come to put an end to wrath before the day of the Lord." 뾖irach 48:10

The day of the Lord mentioned in the above verse is "a day of wrath...a day of anguish and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of thick black clouds" (Zep 1:15), the final Judgment Day. It is "a day of wrath" (Zep 1:15), the pouring out of God's blazing wrath which is spoken of more than two hundred times in the Old Testament.

There is still "time...to put an end to wrath before" it is too late (Sir 48:10). We can continue the prophet Elijah's ministry of turning away God's wrath by turning people to God and away from sin. Like Elijah, we can work to heal and restore families, especially by helping fathers to turn their hearts to their children (Sir 48:10). We can spread God's word in prophecy and teaching. Those to whom we speak may even repent, like the wicked Ninevites, and cry out: "Who knows, God may relent and forgive, and withhold his blazing wrath, so that we shall not perish" (Jon 3:9). Whoever disobeys Jesus must endure the wrath of God (Jn 3:36). We can put an end to wrath by leading people to obedient faith (Rm 1:5).

We can intercede and pray, as Elijah did. "Elijah was only a man like us, yet he prayed earnestly" and his prayers were heeded (Jas 5:17-18). "The fervent petition of a holy man is powerful indeed" (Jas 5:16). Interceding for others, we ask God for them: "In Your wrath remember compassion!" (Hab 3:2) Our love for them can cover a multitude of sins (1 Pt 4:8) and draw them to Jesus. Then we will hear the Lord say: "I will heal their defection, I will love them freely; for my wrath is turned away from them" (Hos 14:5).

Prayer: Father, may I help lead others to a reverent fear of You.

Promise: "Give us new life, and we will call upon Your name." 뾒s 80:19

Praise: Though she experienced the wrath of the unholy, St. Lucy persevered in purity and received the crown of martyrdom.

http://virtualretreat.blogspot.com/

From today’s readings: “You were destined, it is written, in time to come to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD.... Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.... I tell you that Elijah has already come....”

Baptist Basics

NB: The first reading book of Sirach is also sometimes titled “Ben Sira” or “Ecclesiasticus,” and can be found in your Bible right before the book of the prophet Isaiah (but not included in most protestant translations).

In Mark 1:6, John the Baptist is described as “dressed in camel hair and wearing a leather belt around his waist,” which, not coincidentally, closely mirrors the prophet Elijah’s clothing as described in 2Kings 1:8. In today’s Gospel verses, re-affirming Matthew 11:14, Jesus explicitly states that John the Baptist is indeed the fulfillment of the prophecy of the return of Elijah (today’s first reading and Malachi 4:5).

Are you starting to appreciate the importance of John the Baptist and his mission? And have you reflected on his significance not just in the past, but for our advent meditations and preparations in our own day? (Cf. last Sunday’s meditation).

http://www.judeop.org/dailyhomilette.htm

From 1994 to 1998, I served as the pastor of a parish on the edge of the downtown area of San AntonioThe parish was founded in 1912 and was considered to be out in the country. It served a German and Irish Catholic population. Now it is considered "inner city" and serves an almost completely Hispanic population. This was clearly demonstrated each year in December when I would celebrate Mass on the feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8), a holy day of obligation, for a church about one quarter to one third full. Four days later, on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is not a holy day of obligation, I would celebrate Mass for a full church. It is the same woman, wearing different costume, with a different message, but one learns the true meaning of the possessive pronoun: OUR Lady of Guadalupe. (The Immaculate Conception is basically the OUR Lady of Lourdes, where she used that title of herself, according to St. Bernadette Soubirou.)

Everywhere in this country (and certainly in Mexico) on this feast day, Mexicans and folks of Mexican descent will gather at the crack of dawn to sing "Las Mananitas," a song of praise to the Blessed Virgin. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe will be surrounded by masses of flowers and carried in procession. Mind you, that image appears all over the place year round in cities like San AntonioI don't have to go to a church to see it, as I would for the popular image of the Immaculate Conception! The importance of this feast tends to dwarf the celebration of Advent. It is difficult to imagine that glorious image sitting on a donkey headed for Bethlehem, even if she does appear in the image as a pregnant woman!

The feast has an extremely important message about the care of the Virgin Mary for the poor and oppressed Hispanic peoples of the AmericasIt is an emotional and visceral thing that defies a lot of analysis. (Ash Wednesday may be the only day that compares with it.) Nevertheless, the fact that Mary appears as a pregnant woman reminds us that Advent is still with us and that she (and we) have important work ahead! AMEN

http://www.judeop.org/daily_bread.htm

Lucy, virgin and martyr

… and they did not recognize him. If we see the face of Christ in the world today, how do we respond? Do we imitate his love and compassion? During the holidays we’re bombarded with requests to help the needy. We cannot help but become acutely aware of the deprivation around us. We can prepare for Christ’s coming by looking for his face in each plea. The semblance of Christ is everywhere ? in each bell ringer, care package, giving-tree ornament or food drive. May we be Christ for one　another, we pray. PR