Readings: Eccles (Sir) 48:1-4, 9-11; Psalm 79: 2-3, 15-16, 18-19; Mathew 17;10-13
There is a lot of violence in today’s readings – the fulminations of the prophet Elijah and his return in the Gospel where Jesus mentions his mistreatment which the disciples take to refer to John the Baptist. The reason for Jesus’ mention of Elijah is twofold – firstly, as we read ‘to see that everything is once more as it should be’. We remember that Matthew was writing to and for a Jewish community which naturally wondered about the relation between the Gospel and the Law & the Prophets. This accommodation between them is not appeasement but rather an assurance. Secondly, Jesus’ reference to the fate of the Son of Man, which, we are told, ‘the disciples understood then’ was about John the Baptist. The use of ‘then’ here is important, as it refers to the time spent travelling around Galilee and to Jerusalem. The disciples were later to realise, in light of his passion and resurrection, that Jesus was speaking about himself.
The words of Edward Schillbeeckx are both clarifying and comforting: ‘In the resurrection God authenticates the person, the message and the whole career of Jesus. He puts his seal on it and speaks out against the human judgment on him. Through and in this Christian faith in the resurrection of Jesus, the crucified but risen Jesus remains active in our history’.[1]
The Liturgy of the Word in Advent is a school for formation in the Word of God. It is through this Word that we come to know the way and the will of God, the will of the Father that forbids warfare, the way of Christ that leaves no root or room for violence.
In his homily during Mass at ‘Beirut Waterfront’ on December 2nd just passed Pope Leo called for
‘a transformation of the heart, a conversion of life and a realization that God has made us precisely to live in the light of faith, the promise of hope and the joy of charity. As a result, we are all called… to not be discouraged, to not give in to the logic of violence and the idolatry of money, and to not resign ourselves in the face of the spreading evil’.
In his Appeal at the end of Mass he added
‘The Middle East needs new approaches, in order to reject the mindset of revenge and violence, to overcome political, social and religious divisions, and to open new chapters in the name of reconciliation and peace. The path of mutual hostility and destruction in the horror of war has been travelled too long, with the deplorable results that are before everyone’s eyes. We need to change course, we need to educate our hearts for peace’.
Kevin O’Gorman SMA
[1] The Church with a Human Face, London, SCM Press, 1985, 33.