Word to the Wise
Saturday, December 16, 2006 - Second Saturday in Advent
[Sirach 48:17-19 and Matthew 11:16-19]You were destined, it is written, in time to come to put and end to wrath before the day of the Lord, to turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons, and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob. Blessed is he who shall have seen you and falls asleep in your friendship.
Elijah is one of the giants of the Old Testament. In the time of Jesus, there was a current of belief(one of several different ones) that Elijah would return before the Messiah. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus identifies John the Baptist as the "pre-cursor" of the Messiah. The first scripture for today is from Sirach that praises Elijah. There is a wonderful line that I think applies to so many relationships, especially faith and friendship: Blessed is he who shall have seen you and who falls asleep in your friendship. Even the author of Sirach would not have expected the people of his time to have seen Elijah. The expression is poetic but offers the idea of faith as sight (as the Gospels often do). I personally find it spiritually comforting both in terms of faith in God and in the encounter with friends whom God has put into my life. I am so grateful to "fall asleep in their friendship!" It could be very rewarding to think about the "pre-cursors" of the Messiah in our life. Who has given us an insight into Christ by their life and love and service to us? This particular season is a time when we can be especially grateful to God and to our human friends for their presence in our lives. They are not just "pre-cursors" but signs of love (friends) or grace (God's presence). In a season of giving, this can be the greatest gift of all! AMEN