Dear Sisters and Brothers, we have reached a turning point in this Advent Season. As the Second Week draws to a close, we are gradually moving toward the feast of the Nativity. Spiritual vigilance calls us to recognize a subtle danger in the middle of our Advent journey. We may settle into the rhythm of the season and become absorbed in the logistics of gifts and gatherings. Today, the liturgy redirects our attention to the necessary preparations we need to make. It presents us with the figure of Prophet Elijah, who bridges the gap between the Old and New Testaments.
The prophet like a Fire
The first reading, from the Book of Sirach, invites us to revisit the history of Israel. Ben Sira looked back at this history with awe. In this passage, he describes Elijah with astonishing terms: “In those days, like a fire there appeared the prophet Elijah, whose words were a flaming furnace.” Elijah was a prophet who shut up heavens, (1 King 17:1). He called down fire from heaven three times, (2 Kings 1: 10-12) and was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. Ben Sira reminds us that Elijah is destined to return to “calm the God’s wrath” and to restore the tribes of Jacob. (Sirach 48:10).
The fulfillment of the Prophecy
For centuries, the people of Israel lived in hope of the fulfillment of this prophecy. Today’s Gospel reveals how God accomplished that prophecy. The context of this Gospel is important. Jesus and three of His Apostles (Peter, James and John) are walking down the mountain after witnessing the Transfiguration. They have just seen Jesus in His glory, conversing with Moses and Elijah. Now, descending into the valley, they return to ordinary life. They carry in their heart a pressing question. They ask Jesus: “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” Their confusion is understandable. They have just seen Elijah on the mountain, but the fullness of the Kingdom has not arrived. Jesus answers them with a profound mystery: “Elijah has already come in the person of John the Baptist, but they did to not recognize him”.
Why does this matter as we wait for Nativity of the Lord? It matters because, like many people in the time of Jesus, we are tempted to imagine a Messiah according to our own desires. We long for “restoration” but without the fire.
Jesus tells us that Elijah will come to “restore all things.” His mission therefore implies a return of the world to the original order and harmony God intended. Don’t we dream of world where peace, justice and love truly reign? We want our lives restored, broken families healed, injustice and poverty eradicated.
The Messiah we want and the Fire we avoid
Ben Sira tells us that this desired restoration should begin like a “flaming furnace”. The tragedy Jesus names in the Gospel is this: when that restoring fire came in the person of John the Baptist, people rejected it. They did to him whatever they wished (Mark 9:13). They wanted a messiah who would coddle them, and not a prophet who called them to repentance. They missed the hour of grace.
Advent is about allowing the Spirit of Elijah, that spirit of bold preparation and witnessing, to do its work in us. We pray that God will come anew into our hearts and homes this Nativity. But are we ready to bear the heat of the fire of His Love? The fire of God’s Love is consuming. It burns away the chaff of our selfishness, our pride, and our complacency with the world. If we truly desire restoration, then we should be ready to welcome the fire that prepares the way.
Today, let us pause and look into the flaming furnace of our conscience. Is there a habit, a grudge, or a fear that needs to be burned away so that the Child Jesus may find a warm and clean place to lay His head? May God give us the grace to embrace this moment.
