St. John of the Cross, Priest & Doctor of the Church
Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11
Psalm 80:2AC & 3B, 15-16, 18-19
Matthew 17:9A, 10-13
Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Psalm 80
The readings of this day are about restoration of a true and profound rela-
tionship between God and all humanity. The image of Elijah and fire are
images that destroy, transform, and then restore a broken relationship. In
the end we hear that Elijah was destined: '?to turn back the hearts of fa-
thers toward their sons, and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob. Blessed is
he who shall have seen you and who falls asleep in your friendship.¯
Sirach
48:10-11
Our response is:
Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Psalm 80
Is not that a beautiful image of seeing God and falling asleep in God?s
friendship? Imagine yourself resting in the warm embrace of friendship,
comfort, and peacefulness. This is the invitation today. It is a day to con-
sider deepening one?s relationship with God and to restore it to its authen-
tic and natural way. We were created to be in this close intimate relation-
ship of a parent to a child.
Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Psalm 80
In the gospel we are told that the people were waiting for Elijah and Jesus
says: 'Elijah will indeed come and restore all
things; but I tell you that Elijah has already
come.¯ Jesus is this prophet Elijah who
came to restore all relationships into a true,
honest, and authentic experience of God
and God?s people. Jesus is who we await
with joyful hearts during this Advent season.
