Replies

From: Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11

Elijah

[1] Then the prophet Elijah arose like a fire,
and his word burned like a torch.
[2] He brought a famine upon them,
and by his zeal he made them few in number.
[3] By the word of the Lord he shut up the heavens,
and also three times brought down fire.
[4] How glorious you were, O Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!
And who has the right to boast which you have?
[9] You who were taken up by a whirlwind of fire,
in a chariot with horses of fire;
[10] you who are ready at the appointed time, it is written,
to calm the wrath of God before it breaks out in fury,
to turn the heart of the father to the son,
and to restore the tribes of Jacob.
[11] Blessed are those who saw you,
and those who have been adorned in love;
for we also shall surely live.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

48:1-16. This passage is a summary of the lives of the prophets Elijah and Elisha.
The author highlights Elijah’s mission to turn the heart of the father to his sons, to
placate God’s wrath (v. 10). In the New Testament these same words are applied
to John the Baptist, with reference to his mission of preparing the way of the Lord
(Lk 1:17; cf. Mal 4:5-6). Thanks to the preaching of those prophets, Sirach reminds
us, a remnant of the people remained faithful (v. 16), and the continuation of the
history of salvation was assured.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Matthew 17:9a, 10-13

The Transfiguration (Continuation)

[9] And as they were coming down the mountains, [10] (And) the disciples
asked Him (Jesus), “Then why do the scribes say that Elijah must come?” [11]
He replied, “Elijah does come, and he is to restore all things; [12] but I tell you
that Elijah has already come, and they did not know him, but did to him what-
ever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.” [13] Then
the disciples understood that He was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

10-13. Malachi 4:5 (3:23 in the Hebrew) speaks of the coming of Elijah the pro-
phet before “the great and terrible day of the Lord”, the Judgment Day. When
Jesus says that Elijah has already come, He is referring to St. John the Baptist,
whose mission it was to prepare the way for the First Coming of the Lord, the
same as Elijah will have to do prior to His last coming. The scribes failed to
grasp the meaning of the prophecy of Malachi; they thought it referred simply
to the coming of the Messiah, the First Coming of Christ.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.