Today's 1st reading gives us a brief background of who Elijah was. He is quite a personality in the Old Testament, very much revered and looked up to. If we are to look at our own autobiographies, will we be pleased at what we will see? On what aspect will it be impressive? Is it our educational background and achievements? Do we always strive to achieve the highest attainable goal in our lives? God is surely happy if we can achieve all these things and become successful in our field of endeavors for as long we do it for God's glory. We should not forget and always remember that behind all of the success is a God who made it possible. Another thing worth looking at is our relationships. At the end of the day it is all about it. We all have to really work hard on this. We can not go on with life thinking that we can set aside whatever broken relationships we have with other people especially our loved ones. We have to mend it and go out of our way to bridge the gap that is keeping us apart. If we are truly wise in this sense then we will take into consideration today's message from the 1st reading. It may not be an easy thing to do especially if there are hurt feelings involved. But it is always good to keep our relationships intact especially our friendships for this matter and know better than to stay estranged with someone. We have to rise above our personal idiosyncrasies and know what is truly for the best. If there’s one relationship and friendship that I treasure very much since I came to the US then it is with the Senior Citizens. With this I must say that relationships should be a seniority rather a priority J. I would like to honor them with this reflection from Sabbath Journal. Amen. Hallelujah!
AN ODE TO THE AGED
Let me share with you some lines from a forwarded email entitled “You Know You’re Getting Old When…”
• Your friends compliment you on your new alligator shoes and you’re barefoot.
• You’re suffering from Mallzheimer’s disease. You go to the mall and forget where you parked your car.
• When you find yourself in the middle of the stairs and you can’t remember whether you’re going up or down.
• Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can’t remember them either.
In today’s first reading, Sirach remembers the old figures of the former covenant, particularly Elijah. Elijah is considered to be one of the greatest prophets of old. It was said that every pious Jewish family still reserves a seat in the dinner table in case Elijah suddenly comes back. This sentiment is echoed in today’s Gospel when the disciples question Jesus as to why the people seem to equate Him with the coming of Elijah. But what I find heart-warming is the deep affection and reverence with which Sirach remembers his ancestor Elijah. The whole reading is virtually an ode of tribute to the place Elijah occupies in the hearts and collective consciousness of the Jewish people.
Do we look at the senior members of our family, community or Church with the same reverence? Admit it, most of the times, we relate to them simply with a respectful silence that is actually a masked indifference. The late Archbishop Fulton Sheen calls it “the chronological arrogance of the present times.” This is an attitude which considers everything and everyone that is old as old-fashioned, useless and irrelevant, and conversely, everything new, modern and chic as significant. But think of the wealth of knowledge that the old has and still can contribute. An old Chinese proverb reminds us aptly, “If you want to know what lies ahead up the road, ask those who are already on their way back.” Fr. Joel O. Jason
Reflection Question:
In what ways do I manifest in my attitude the “chronological arrogance” of the young?
Lord Jesus, it was the old man Simeon with Anna that recognized You even as a baby in the temple. Help me see the treasures in the Simeons and Annas in our midst. Amen.
Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11
In those days, like a fire there appeared the prophet whose words were as a flaming furnace. Their staff of bread he shattered, in his zeal he reduced them to straits; by God’s word he shut up the heavens and three times brought down fire. How awesome are you, ELIJAH! Whose glory is equal to yours? You were taken aloft in a whirlwind, in a chariot with fiery horses. You are destined, it is written, in time to come to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD, to turn back the hearts of fathers 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.
As we continue to be confronted with the mystery of our everyday living, may it give us a better view and understanding of what life should be all about here on earth. May our perspective about our existence here on earth continually grow and prosper in the knowledge of our Infinite God. In times of trouble and doubt we should realize that God is always with us. If we truly believe in this, then nothing should stop us from conquering all our fears. Let us never grow weary of the things that life brings to us but rather look to God always. We must not let ourselves be defeated by the things that we encounter in life knowing that we are being sustained and strengthened by an Almighty and Immortal God for to Him alone do we come for help. Let us make a stand for God. Nothing is hidden from the Lord. Everything that happens is known and seen by God even the unpleasant ones. We simply have to continue trusting in the Lord. He is always in control of things and He is in charge even of the most trivial and irrelevant matters. If we are sometimes or most of the time disappointed of how things turn out in our life, we should never lose hope because God can always turn everything into a blessing. This is one of the most important things we have to realize especially in times of trial. There is really nowhere else to go but to God. He is our best option there is and if we choose to be wise and smart then we will discover that nothing or no one is the best choice but only God. Once we've made our choice then we've got to live by it to the end. For He is ultimate choice as the saying goes, "the cream of the crop," and the choicest cutting edge above the rest! Today's readings should really remind us of those times when we were able to conquer our fears. We should reminisce these occasions and inspire us to do greater things in the future. God will always be an endless flowing river that refreshes us continuously. I heard a story a long time ago, that God is very holy and no one can withstand His presence much more look at Him if we have the slightest trace of sin in ourselves after we die. We all hope to stand face to face with God someday that is why we are praying for God's grace and power to overcome the snares of the devil and be able to stand firm on that day. Let us not hold back and know that if we decide to do things for the glory of God and the sake of His name then we will surely see His face and be saved. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 80:2ac, 3b, 15-16, 18-19
R: Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
...From your throne upon the cherubim reveal yourself...May your help be with the man at your right hand, with the one whom you once made strong.
Then we will not withdraw from you; revive us, and we will call on your name.
We are destined for greatness just like Elijah, we can be modern day John the Baptist. God's power is limitless and He can do to us abundantly and exceedingly beyond our expectations. Let us hope and pray to God that we always recognize God's presence in our lives through the people around us, the circumstances and events happening in our lives and most of all reflect to others, Jesus in our hearts. Our everyday circumstances teach us that nothing is permanent in this world, all life on earth will eventually come to an end. May we always strive to work for the benefits of our souls which is eternal and permanent than for the goods of this earth which will pass away. Let us make a habit of vigilance so that we will all be ready when the appointed hour comes and not miss an opportunity of spending eternity with God in Heaven. Sometimes we just allow things to pass us by without noticing it. There are certain experiences in our lives that we will always remember. We need to acknowledge the fact that this is not due to the extraordinary nature of such experiences if ever they are but most importantly is our ability to recognize God's personal message to us in the guise of every single incident and event that form part of that experience. Today's gospel talks about Elijah and St. John the Baptist, 2 great and well known personalities in the bible and also tells and shows us the failure of the scribes to recognize Elijah in the person of St. John the Baptist. It also happens to us one way or another whenever we remain in the hardness of our hearts and stubborn disposition and we refuse to yield or are unbelieving to the promptings of the Holy Spirit thus failing to see the significance of some people and events in our life resulting in our inability to comprehend things the way God would want us to. Nowadays, people are into a lot of Charismatic movements which have helped Christians, especially Catholics like me who have become ritualistic, traditional and conventional in matters of the faith. I have nothing against it, in fact I believe that it is an important part in the formation of our faith and can be a big help in boosting our faith. If I may put it, our faith in God is like a recipe of a delicious food that we can further enhance and improve. Just like any other delicious recipe if we leave out an important ingredient then it comes out not as great tasting as it should be. The same is true in growing and improving our relationship with God. I used to be a traditional Catholic because I was born and raised as one and still am. But my being a Catholic Charismatic since 1989 has filled up that missing ingredient in my faith. It has brought me to greater heights and deeper understanding of the faith. This explains why we often hear people comment about a person who became charismatic that he/she was never the same again. Though we are comprised of the different aspects that affect our relationship with God it is important that we are always Spirit filled, which means charismatic. This explains why we might have heard before that St. John is one of the 1st charismatics next to the Blessed Virgin Mary who is the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, because he was still a tiny baby inside the womb of St. Elizabeth when he leaped for joy when Mary greeted her mother. St. John recognized the time of the visitation of our Lord the very first moment He encountered Jesus, although still hidden in the womb of the Blessed Mother is undeniably present, carried and felt as revealed by the Holy Spirit. There are many titles and attributes the Catholic Church gives to Mary. We can choose whatever title and attribute of Mary that is closest to our heart as a form of expressing our devotion to the Blessed Mother whom God chose to be the perfect vessel of Jesus. I had this experience of waiting for days for a delivery. Although their not yet behind schedule I was hoping that it would come soon but it never did. These things happen when the schedules of the courier and recipient do not meet which result in delays or sometimes failure to deliver. In our Blessed Mother we have found a perfect courier of Jesus. We are 100% sure and guaranteed that Mary is the perfect match and always bring Jesus to each one of us without fail. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 17:9a, 10-13
10 As they were coming down from the mountain, the disciples asked Jesus, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 11 He said in reply, “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things; 12 but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
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