Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 10, 2022
First Reading: Sirach 48.1-4, 9-11
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Psalm 80
1Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.2Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.3Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.4O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?5Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.6Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves.7Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.8Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.9Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.10The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.11She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.12Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?13The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.14Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;15And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.16It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.17Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.18So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.19Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
Gospel: Matthew 17.10-13
10And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?11And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.12But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.13Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter the figure of Elijah, a powerful prophet from the Old Testament, and the way he prefigures the coming of John the Baptist in the Gospel. The first reading from Sirach praises Elijah for his fiery zeal, his miracles, and his role in restoring the people’s relationship with God. The Gospel, however, shifts our focus to the present. Jesus explains to his disciples that Elijah has already come in the person of John the Baptist, though the people of his time failed to recognize him. This teaches us that God often works in ways that are unexpected and unseen to those who are not attentive.
The connection between the two readings lies in the theme of preparation and purification. Elijah was sent to restore all things, to bring the people back to the Lord, and to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. Similarly, John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way for Jesus, calling people to repentance and baptizing them in the wilderness. Both figures remind us that our faith requires purification and readiness. Just as Elijah and John called their people to conversion, we too are called to examine our lives and turn away from sin.
As we reflect on these readings, let us ask ourselves: Am I open to the ways in which God is working in my life, even if they are unexpected? Am I attentive to the prophets and messengers God sends to guide me? Let us strive to live with the same zeal and fidelity as Elijah and John the Baptist, trusting that God is always at work, even when we do not see it immediately. May we be purified by repentance and prepared to receive the Lord in our lives, just as Elijah and John prepared the way for the Messiah.