HOMILY ADVENT WEEK 02 06 – Year II
Being Elijah for Others:
Memorial of St. John of the Cross
(Sirach 48:1-11; Ps 80; Mt 17:10-13)
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Do you see yourself as a prophet?
The readings today invite us to be both Elijah and John the Baptist for others.
Both the first reading from Sirach and the gospel focuses on Elijah. Elijah was the great prophet of the Old Testament, well deserving of the praise Sirach heaps upon him. He performed miracles, was assumed into heaven prefiguring the assumption of Mary, spoke truth to power, confronted the false prophets of Baal, was sent to restore parental love in the family, mandated to renew the faith of Israel in the covenant, and in an indirect way, prepared the way for Christ.
In the gospel, Jesus identifies John the Baptist as Elijah who was to come again. We know that John broke away from the established corrupt religious system of temple worship at the time, even though his father Zechariah was a priest within that system, and spoke truth to power, first confronting the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, then confronting Herod at the cost of his life.
Here, John the Baptist stands for all of us in the desert of sin, the lifeless place. It is as though John purposely went there to remind us of our need for grace. What is he proclaiming? A baptism of repentance. This is the great message. Turn your life over to a higher power. People are coming to him from all sides, because in our heart of hearts we all resonate with this message. And of course, his was the task of announcing the coming of Jesus Christ on the scene, making him the last and greatest prophet. Because of him, many people turned back to God, and many became his disciples.
Each of us can look back into our lives and find there, prophets – Elijah’s and John the Baptists – who influenced us positively, who taught us, inspired us, touched us in some way, and called us to be our best selves. I remember Peter, a Chinese fellow-university student, who challenged my nonchalant way of living at the time by sharing with me his philosophy of life. That jarred me into thinking more seriously about my life and my way of living as a student. He was Elijah and John the Baptist for me.
At the Scholasticate, my spiritual director, the late Archbishop Emeritus Adam Exner OMI, then a professor, heard my story (a first for me), and asked me to pray with Isaiah 43:1-4 for a whole month. When I did that, I heard God saying to me for the first time, “Sylvain, you are precious and honored in my sight because I love you.”
At that time, I was already a budding workaholic trying to earn my father’s love (and indirectly God’s love as well). What struck me forcibly was that I was loved not for anything I had done, but simply because God loved me! And that, I can honestly say, was the beginning of my life-long healing journey. Adam was also truly Elijah and John the Baptist for me.
As Christmas approaches, some of us may be among those for whom Christmas hurts, and feeling some trepidation. Perhaps some family members are not talking to each other, or one member has alienated him or herself from the family, or some crisis or problem is casting a shadow over what should be a joyous time. We may not be able to do much about such situations, but we can always pray with confidence that God will send some Elijah or John the Baptist to bring healing to the person or persons we are most concerned about.
At the same time, we need to realize that we are disciples of Jesus Christ, called to be salt to the earth and light for the world, filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, striving to live the commandments to love God, others, ourselves and all of God’s creation, and that perhaps we are the ones who can be Elijah or John the Baptist for others. I am often deeply touched, moved, feel humbled and affirmed at some of the comments that come to me about a homily that has been sent out. There is much joy in thinking that perhaps in some small way I have been Elijah or John the Baptist for someone else.
St. John of the Cross
Today the church honours St. John of the Cross, who certainly was both Elijah and John the Baptist to the people of his time. John was born in 1542 at Fontiveros, Spain. He entered the Carmelite community and was ordained in 1567. With the great Carmelite mystic, Teresa of Avila, he worked for the reformation of his order, and helped found the reformed (‘Discalced’) Carmelites. During his life, he suffered much, enduring imprisonment, humiliation and ill-treatment. His writings are both classics of spiritualty and of Spanish literature. His best-known works are The Ascent of Mount Carmel, The Dark Night of the Soul, and The Living Flame of Love. He died in 1591, was canonized in 1726 and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1926.
Elijah was fed by a raven in the desert. John the Baptist lived on locusts and wild honey in the wilderness. The Eucharist is manna for the journey into the wilderness and desert of our society by which God nourishes us, through Word and Sacrament, to be prophetic in communicating the unconditional love of God that Jesus Christ shared with us.
May our celebration empower us to be Elijah and John the Baptist to those who this Christmas may need that healing touch they brought to the people of their time, and that we are called to bring to our world today.
