GOSPEL POWER - DECEMBER 12, 2020 - OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

Gospel: Mt 17:9a, 10-13 (or Lk 1:26-38)

 As they were coming down the mountain, . . . the disciples asked Jesus, “Why, then, do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” He replied, “Elijah is indeed coming and will restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.

REFLECTION

T oday’s Gospel reminds us that John the Baptist did not only prepare the way for the arrival of the Messiah. John’s tragic death also became the pre-announcement of the Messiah’s impending passion and death. The people’s blindness to the fulfillment of prophecies fuelled the hostilities and violence that ended the lives of both the Messiah and his precursor. Malachi’s prophecy about Elijah’s return was fulfilled in the person of John. And the prophecies about the longed-for Messiah were realized in Jesus. The blindness of the generation of Jesus and John serves as a warning to our own generation. God never fails to fulfill his promises, but if we are not attuned to his ways, through constant vigilance, we too can miss the moment of fulfillment.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, make us attentive to how God continues to fulfill his promises today. Amen.