Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 15, 2018
First Reading: Sirach 48.1-4, 9-11
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Psalm 80
1Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.2Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up your might and come to save us!3Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!4O LORD God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people's prayers?5You have fed them with the bread of tears and given them tears to drink in full measure.6You make us an object of contention for our neighbors, and our enemies laugh among themselves.7Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved!8You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.9You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land.10The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches.11It sent out its branches to the sea and its shoots to the River.12Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?13The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it.14Turn again, O God of hosts! Look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine,15the stock that your right hand planted, and for the son whom you made strong for yourself.16They have burned it with fire; they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of your face!17But let your hand be on the man of your right hand, the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!18Then we shall not turn back from you; give us life, and we will call upon your name!19Restore us, O LORD God of hosts! let your face shine, that we may be saved!
Gospel: Matthew 17.10-13
10And the disciples asked him, "Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?"11He answered, "Elijah does come, and he will restore all things.12But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands."13Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the figure of Elijah, a prophet whose fiery passion and unwavering commitment to God’s will left an indelible mark on the history of salvation. In the First Reading from Sirach, Elijah is portrayed as a man of extraordinary zeal, whose words burned like a torch and whose actions were accompanied by miraculous signs. He was a man of judgment and restoration, sent by God to call His people back to faithfulness. Yet, as the passage also notes, Elijah’s mission was not without cost; those who opposed him suffered the consequences of their rebellion. The reading ends with a note of hope: Elijah’s ultimate role was to reconcile and restore, to bring peace between generations.
In the Gospel, Jesus takes up this theme of Elijah but gives it a surprising twist. When the disciples ask why the scribes teach that Elijah must come first before the Messiah, Jesus agrees that Elijah will indeed come to restore all things. However, He adds that Elijah has already come in the person of John the Baptist. The disciples, in their confusion, had failed to recognize John’s role as the fulfillment of Elijah’s spirit. Jesus laments that just as Elijah suffered rejection and mistreatment, so too would the Son of Man suffer at the hands of those who refused to see the truth.
These readings remind us that God’s plan often unfolds in ways we do not expect. Elijah’s spirit appeared in John the Baptist, not in a fiery chariot or a dramatic spectacle, but in a humble prophet crying out in the wilderness. Similarly, in our own lives, God’s presence may come to us through unexpected people or circumstances. The moral lesson here is one of humility and openness. We must learn to recognize God’s work in the world, even when it does not conform to our preconceived notions. Like Elijah and John the Baptist, we are called to be instruments of restoration and reconciliation, bringing light and truth to a world that often resists it. Let us pray for the grace to see God’s hand at work in our lives and to respond with courage and faith.