Ask Jesus – Saturday, 2nd Week of Advent/Sirach48:1-4,9-11b/Matthew 17:10-13

Ask Jesus – Saturday, 2nd Week of Advent/Sirach48:1-4,9-11b/Matthew 17:10-13

“And the disciples asked him…..”

Taking things to the Lord is a great way to clarify your faith doubts. Today, when in doubt, we simply ‘google it.’ While our smart phones may give us smart answers, they may not give us the answer we need for our soul. Google answers the matters of the mind, the Lord answers the matters of the heart. Google is impersonal the Lord simply IS.

Taking our questions to the Lord may not always give us the answers we want to hear but will certainly give us the direction we need to move towards or the areas we need to look at. There was movement in this Gospel text; a journey had just begun. This was a journey that had filled their sight and left them in wonder and now they needed a deeper insight.

Jesus had been transfigured in the presence of Peter, James and John. Moses and Elijah had appeared and were talking to Jesus. If only the disciples knew what they were in for, they would have come prepared; after all, realizing how unprepared they were for this, the greatest and most historic summit of Judaism’s heavyweights had just taken place. Peter feels compelled to respond to this unplanned program; he desires to build three tents. Comfort and convenience is perhaps what he hoped to bring to this meeting or perhaps as some suggest, this for Peter was a moment he wished would last forever.

The voice from heaven was not an indication as much as it was instruction. “This is my son, the beloved in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.” Ironically if you read the Gospels, the disciples failed to even do this. But the apparition of the transfiguration and the instruction to listen to him was not lost on his disciples who were plagued several times with doubts as to the identity of Jesus.

As they began the journey down the hill, they began to ask him questions. The voice had asked them to listen to him but they had doubts and questions and listening was not priority number one. As good Jews, they knew that the Messiah was to be preceded by the coming of Elijah. Now they have seen Elijah and Moses for themselves. But was Elijah not supposed to come ‘before’ Jesus? Jesus answers them. Elijah has already come but like Jesus, they did not recognize him in the person of John the Baptist.

This brings us to the second thought for the day. While we take things to the Lord, we are also invited this season of Advent to recognize his actions in our life. Like the Jews, we too are preparing for a coming. In Advent, we remind ourselves that Christ has promised to come again and we also remind ourselves that we may be called to meet him at the moment of our death. Like the Jews we may choose to ignore what is obviously told to us, shown to us and even presented to us.

The Gospel of today teaches us to go to the one who can answer our questions but even more to be open to a God who is revealing his will and plan to us.

 

A reflection on the first reading can be sourced by clicking the link below
https://www.pottypadre.com/listening-with-the-ear-of-the-heart-saturday-2nd-week-in-advent-sirach-481-49-11b-and-matthew-17-10-13/

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