"Elijah has come already and they did not recognize him"
Gospel 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.
His Coming
by Br. Mark Vertido Palafox, OFM
As a liturgical season, Advent coincides with the latter part of autumn when the northern hemisphere experiences the changing colors of nature and the falling of the leaves of trees. The evenings fall into a deeper dark everyday as the breeze becomes cooler. The gloominess of the atmosphere at this period of the year makes you want to hope that the dark will soon end and brighter days will come again. Effectively, the seasonal cycle is deeply related to our lives and to our faith.
During Advent, the hope for the Kingdom and the Parousia, that is, the Second Coming, becomes the center of attention while preparing ourselves in remembering once more the Nativity of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, that of His First Coming. Advent means “the Coming”, which is for us, Christians, a reason for preparation because we attend to the joy that the First Christmas in Bethlehem brought and to the ultimate joy that the glorified Christ will bring in the end of days.
The season plays between dark and light, when the dark keeps us in hoping that the day that light will come. This was the same experience of the People of Israel for a long time during their exile in Babylon and even after. They longed for the Coming of the Promised Messiah who will free them and save them from all their enemies. This was the constant message of the prophets from Elijah to Isaiah until Malachy.
Now, the Babylonian exile greatly affected the social and national sense of the People of Israel as it allowed a diaspora, the scattering of the People into different places into the known world of that time. This meant also the separation of family members and their division, and the whole nation broken in a way. The People thought that Elijah would come first before the terrible “Day of the Lord” to restore all things, converting the hearts of everyone to reunite the People together. This is the last prophecy in the Book of the Prophet Malachy, which is the last Book of the Old Testament according to the Catholic canon.
The disciples of Jesus were discussing this prophecy after their experience of the Transfiguration. And Jesus knew that Elijah already came but the People did not listen to him and they persecuted him. He was the foreshadow of what will eventually happen also to the Son of Man, to Jesus. He was talking about John the Baptist, who is the threshold between the Old Testament and the New. He is the last of the prophet in the sense of the Old Testament. He is the voice of one calling in the wilderness, calling everyone to convert to the Lord by making straight the way of the Lord. His message was that of preparing oneself to the imminent coming of the Lord.
As we start the last part of Advent, during this nine-day preparation for Christmas, we are called to conversion. The world is becoming too confused with conflicts and wars in the air. If we want to start healing, we start with ourselves. We need a conversion of our hearts to the vision of Christ. Because of our Baptism, we are incorporated into Christ and we share in his prophetic office along with his priestly and kingly offices. Our life in Christ becomes undeniably a prophetic sign to others especially to our families and friends.
As we await for the Coming of the Lord, may we see the joy of waiting for the Saviour, but may we also be ready to welcome Him when he knocks on the doors of our hearts, that He may live in us and in others through us.
Prayer
O Father, you sent your Only Begotten Son to the world that you may gather once more your people scattered throughout the world, that they may recognize your Fatherhood through our adoption through your Beloved Son. Grant that your Word Made Flesh, for whom we prepare our hearts to welcome once more, be our light in the darkness of this world which will lead us to the only true way to you. We ask this through Christ, Our Lord, Amen.
Gift for Jesus
This year marks the 800th year of the First Belen (Nativity Scene) installed by Saint Francis of Assisi in the town of Greccio in Italy in 1223. Christmas culture in our country and in the whole world slowly forgets the real reason for the season. Now, be sure to have a Belen in your house and make sure that others can see it. Let our conversion begin from the humility of the Crib in Bethlehem. And certainly, let us pray for peace especially in the Holy Land.
Br. Mark Vertido Palafox, OFM is a Franciscan friar of the Holy Land who is now residing at the Shrine of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist in Ein Karem, Jerusalem, but he originally hails from Laoag City, Philippines. He is finishing his theology degree and was ordained a deacon last May 2023. He is now preparing for his priestly ordination which comes soon.
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