Preparing the past, and celebrating the future

A reflection on the daily readings, for the Saturday of the Second Week of Advent, by Father Perry.

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

+ “Prepare ye the way of the Lord” is the famous and familiar song from the musical “Godspell.”

It is also the main point of Advent.

And, as oft repeated, we are preparing the past event now celebrated as the coming of the messiah in the birth of Jesus the Christ.

We are also preparing for and pointing to the future event of the coming of Christ in the second and final coming.

And so, it is no surprise that we would be bouncing back and forth, and all over the place with our scriptures.

Having been ensconced in the book of Isaiah, we leap out of it for a single day, a single moment, as we listen to Sirach.

Sirach directs us to look at Elijah the prophet and his “wondrous deeds,” for he was taken up in glory, “in a whirlwind, in a chariot with fiery horses.” ^g

But this was not just for show.

Oh, no! It was Elijah’s destiny to come “to put an end to wrath … To turn back the hearts of parents toward their children, and to re-establish the tribes of Israel.” ^h

To be sure, preparing the “way of the Lord” — the messianic way — was no easy task.

Fiery horses and fiery chariots were just a part of this glory-filled story anticipating the coming of the messiah.

And, for sure, everyone would recognize and pay ample attention to this moment in time: the coming of the way of the Lord.

Right?

Wrong!

Jesus himself proclaimed to the disciples who asked why the scriptures said Elijah would come first, replying that Elijah had indeed already come.

But — and this is sad and sorry — they did not recognize him.

Then, in that scriptural amazing language that often acts kind of like a commentary on commentaries within itself, Jesus talked about abuse of Elijah — the abuse he himself was to suffer.

Jesus even spoke so that the disciples understood, somehow, that his reference to Elijah was also a reference to John the Baptist.

There is and was a lot of revealing, explaining, understanding, and recognizing going on.

And we, the readers of it all, can understand exactly what is being said, because we know the end of the story on the terrible cross that the disciples could not possibly understand yet.

And so, were we there in the story, knowing what we know, we could deliver yet another commentary on what was being said, and what was coming to be.

When we hear and sing those words, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord,” we know clearly what is and what was being said by those words, and what and how we must prepare right now.

The recurring psalm response we speak and sing today says it all, “Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.”

Is it not really all about being taken up into this great mystery and being saved by it all?

And does not the Gospel verse kind of pick it all up, shake it all together, and say it just about perfectly, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths:/ All flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

Alleluia!

Amen!

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Father Perry Dean Leiker is the 13th pastor of St. Bernard Catholic Church. Reach him at (323) 255-6142. Email Father Perry at pleiker@stbernard-church.com.