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Saturday of the Second Week of Advent - Approaching the Word of God

Saturday of the Second Week of Advent - Approaching the Word of God

Catholic Daily Reflections vor 1 Jahr

https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/2024/12/13/approaching-the-word-of-god-3/ “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.” ...

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Short reflections on the Gospel of the day, from My Catholic Life!

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“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. Matthew 17:12–13

The last of the Old Testament Prophets was Malachi. He concluded
his ministry about 400 years prior to the coming of Christ. Malachi
prophesied that a “messenger” would come before the Messiah so as
to prepare the way before Him. Malachi goes on further to say that
“Elijah the Prophet” will come before the day of the Lord (See
Malachi 3:1–24).

Many of the people at the time of Jesus did not understand this
prophecy and were not even aware of it. Therefore, the scribes used
this prophecy to confuse many of the people by claiming that since
“Elijah” had not come, then clearly Jesus was not the promised
Messiah.

Jesus clarified to the disciples that the “messenger,” who was to
be the new Elijah, had already come in the person of John the
Baptist. Thus, in clarifying this, Jesus also clarified that the
scribes were not accurate in their attempt to interpret the
Scriptures and were actively misleading the people on account of
their errors.

One thing this tells us is that we must approach the word of God
with humility. The pride of the scribes led them to believe that
they had some sort of extraordinary wisdom that they did not. Thus,
they acted as poor spiritual teachers of the people of God.

Humility before the Word of God is essential if we are to properly
understand not only the Old Testament prophecies but also the very
words of Jesus Himself. Without humility before the Word of God, we
can all easily misinterpret the beautiful and holy words spoken by
our Lord.

Everything in the Scriptures is profound, deep and true. And by
this holy Word of God we come to meet God Himself. But if we allow
pride to seep in, we may find ourselves imitating the scribes and
misunderstanding God’s Word. The result will be a skewed image of
God which will become an impediment to our personal encounter with
our loving Lord. But if we can always remain humble before all that
God has revealed to us, then we will more easily be open to those
deepest and most beautiful truths God wants to speak to our
hearts.

Reflect, today, upon any way that you have found yourself confused
by the Word of God. Try to humbly open your heart more fully to
that which our Lord wants to speak to you. Listen with an open mind
and heart and allow the pure gift of faith to become your guide so
that you will be led to those deepest truths of our faith.

My mysterious and beautiful Lord, You have revealed to us the
deepest and most profound mysteries of life through Your written
Word. May I always approach Your Word with humility and openness so
that I will come to know You more fully. Jesus, I trust in You.

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Featured image above: St John the Baptist Baptizes the
People By Nicolas Poussin, via Wikimedia Commons