9. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.
JEROME: It follows; And as they came down from the mount, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell no man this vision, until the Son of Man shall rise from the dead. He will not be preached among the people, lest the marvel of the thing should seem incredible, and lest the cross following after so great glory should cause offense.
REMIG; Or, because if His majesty should be published among the people, they should hinder the dispensation of His passion, by resistance to the chief Priests; and thus the redemption of the human race should suffer impediment.
HILARY; He enjoins silence respecting what they had seen, for this reason, that when they should be filled with the Holy Spirit, they should then become witnesses of these spiritual deeds.
10. And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the Scribes that Elias must first come?
11. And Jesus answered and said to them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
12. But I say to you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done to him whatsoever they would. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.
13. Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them of John the Baptist.
JEROME; It was a tradition of the Pharisees following the Prophet Malachi, that Elias should come before the coming of the Savior, and bring back the heart of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, and restore all things to their ancient state. The disciples then consider that this transformation which they had seen in the mount was His coming in glory, and therefore it is said, And his disciples asked, him, saying, How then say the Scribes that Elias must first come? As though they had said, If you have already come in glory, how is it that your forerunner appears not yet? And this they say chiefly because they see that Elias is departed again.
CHRYS; The disciples knew not of the coming of Elias out of the Scriptures; but the Scribes made it known to them; and this report was current among the ignorant multitude, as was that concerning Christ. Yet the Scribes did not explain the coming of Christ and of Elias, as they ought to have done. For the Scriptures speak of two comings of Christ; that which has taken place, and that which is yet to be. But the Scribes, blinding the people, spoke to them only of His second coming, and said, If this be the Christ, then should Elias have come before Him. Christ thus resolves the difficulty, He answered and said, Elias truly shall come, and restore all things; but I say to you, that Elias has already come. Think not that here is a contradiction in His speech, if He first say that Elias shall come, and then that he is come. For when He says that Elias shall come and restore all things, He speaks of Elias himself in his own proper person, who indeed shall restore all things, in that he shall correct the unbelief of the Jews, who shall then be to be found; and that is the turning the hearts of the fathers to the children, that is, the hearts of the Jews to the Apostles.
AUG; Or; He shall restore all things, that is those whom the persecution of Antichrist shall have overthrown; as He Himself should restore by His death those whom He ought.
CHRYS; But if there shall so much good arise out of the presence of Elias, why did He not send him at that time? We shall say, Because they then held Christ to be Elias, and yet believed not on Him. But they shall hereafter believe Elias, because when he shall come after so great expectation announcing Jesus, they will more readily receive what shall be taught by Him. But when He says that Elias is come already, He calls John the Baptist Elias from the resemblance of their ministry; for as Elias shall be the forerunner of His second coming, so was John the forerunner of His first. And He calls John Elias, to show that His first coming was agreeable to the Old Testament, and to prophecy.
JEROME; He then who at the Savior's second coming should come in the truth of His body, come now in John in power and spirit. It follows, And they knew him not, but did to him whatsoever they would, that is, despised and beheaded him.
HILARY; As he announced the Lord's coming, so he was also to foreshow His passion by the example of his own suffering and wrong; whence it follows, So also shall the Son of Man suffer of them.
CHRYS; He takes the opportunity from the passion of John to refer to His own passion, thus giving them much comfort.
JEROME; It is inquire how, seeing that Herod and Herodias were they that killed John, it can be said that Jesus also was crucified by them, when we read that He was put to death by the Scribes and Pharisees? It must be answered briefly, that the party of the Pharisees consented to the death of John, and that in the Lord's crucifixion Herod united his approval, when having mocked and set Him at nothing, he sent Him back to Pilate, that he should crucify Him.
RABAN; From the mention of His own passion which the Lord had often foretold to them, and from that of His forerunner, which they beheld already accomplished, the disciples perceived that John was set forth to them under the name of Elias; whence it follows; Then understood the disciples that he spoke to them of John the Baptist.
ORIGEN; That He says of John, Elias is already come, is not to be understood of the soul of Elias, that we fall not into the doctrine of metempsychosis, which is foreign to the truth of Church doctrine, but, as the Angel had foretold, he came in the spirit and power of Elias.
Catena Aurea Matthew 17
The Word Among Us
Meditation: Matthew 17:9-13
2nd Week of Advent
Elijah will indeed come. (Matthew 17:11)
Only nine days until Christmas! Many of us are preparing to spend time with extended family during the season. These gatherings, as joy filled as they can be, can also cause some tension. Maybe your brother’s marriage is on the rocks and you’re not sure how he and his wife will interact with each other. Or maybe your niece has moved in with her boyfriend and stopped going to church.
Take heart! Just as God sent “Elijah” to prepare the way for Christ, you can be sure he will do the same in your family.
Think about the preparations you make when you’re getting ready for a loved one’s visit. You make a special effort to clean, cook, and create a welcoming space. How much more will the Lord do what’s necessary to prepare your loved ones to receive Jesus? Consider what he has already done:
God sent an Elijah in the time of Jesus. Before Jesus began his public ministry, John the Baptist prepared the way. He preached repentance and reform. He baptized the people who came to him, and many of them turned back to God. Not all of them received his message, but remember that many of Jesus’ first disciples started out as disciples of John the Baptist.
God sent an Elijah in your life. You have probably known people whose example had an impact on you. You wanted to have faith like they had. You wanted to know the Scriptures as well as they did. You wanted the same peace and joy they had. So you spent time with them and listened to what they had to say. They were your Elijah! Their influence opened your eyes and softened your heart to receive the Lord more deeply.
God will send an Elijah in the lives of your loved ones. Count on it: God wants the path to be prepared so that he can work in the lives of your family and friends. You can pray with confidence for God to send someone to the person you are most concerned about. It might be your child or grandchild, neighbor or coworker. God wants his life to grow in each one of them.
That’s good news! So be encouraged. Elijah will come!
“Heavenly Father, you want each person to receive your Son! I trust you to send someone to prepare the way!”
Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11
Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
Saturday of the Second Week of Advent Father Walter Schu, LC
Matthew 17:9a, 10-13
As they were coming down from the mountain, the disciples asked Jesus, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” He said in reply, “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things; 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.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
Introductory Prayer: Lord, your disciples sincerely tried to comprehend your identity and believe in you. I come before you today with my doubts and problems, hoping to find in this prayer an answer to my deepest aspirations. I want to believe with unwavering faith, and I want to love you with a devout heart. I offer you this time of prayer as my token of gratitude for all I have received from you.
Petition: Mary, help me to embrace God’s will in my life, just as Christ embraced the Father’s plan for our salvation.
1. John the Baptist as Elijah: Once again the Gospel refers to John the Baptist as the one whose role is to prepare us for the One who is to come. Through the prophet Malachi, the Jews’ expectation of the return of Elijah, who will prepare the way for the promised Messiah, has grown. But they have come to view him as a figure of great power, someone who will sweep men away. So, they fail to recognize Elijah’s presence in the person of John the Baptist, whose only power is that of the Spirit of God, calling all people to conversion of heart in order to receive the Christ. How many times in my life do I fail to recognize the presence of Christ in my life because I’m seeking something other than Christ’s promises to his followers? Christ doesn’t offer an easy path of comfort and consolations.
2. Bethlehem and the Cross: Why did Christ become a helpless baby at Bethlehem? Why did he take on a fragile human body? Precisely so he could suffer for us in order to redeem us. What does that mean for our lives as Christians? It means nothing less than the fact that suffering is a gift from God. It is the Father’s gentle caress, molding us into the image of his Son. The cross is the source of our fruitfulness, not only in our personal spiritual growth, but also in the mission to win graces for others, for all of the souls God has mysteriously entrusted to our care.
3. Obedience unto Death: Christ’s desire to embrace suffering rose from his loving obedience to his Father’s plan, without condition or limit. This loving obedience is what gives suffering its redemptive value. From the moment of his birth at Bethlehem, Christ shows us what it means to obey with love. Bethlehem is a school of obedience. In Bethlehem, Christ teaches us that only a loving obedience frees, only loving obedience redeems and sanctifies, only loving obedience enriches. Loving obedience alone saves, loving obedience alone frees us from sin and loving obedience alone pleases God. Let us embrace the cross of obedience in the challenging circumstances of our daily lives, in the trials brought by the passing of years, in the sorrow that afflicts us when God calls our loved ones back to him. Loving obedience is the path to holiness, the way to the Father’s house.
Conversation with Christ: Thank you, Lord, for giving us a school of loving obedience at Bethlehem, throughout your life and in your death on the cross. Help me to embrace suffering like you did and to be confident in its power to make me holy and win graces for souls.
Resolution: I will seek to recognize God’s presence in my day by patiently welcoming the suffering and trials he permits, so he can bring about a greater good.
Image: Virgin and Child with Female Saints | Gérard David | Image designed by Mark Sullivan | Franciscan Media
Jesse Tree ~ King Solomon