Daily Reflection

Reflection for December 13, 2025

Recognition of God's Messengers in Suffering

The disciples, still dazed by the radiant glory of the Transfiguration, descend the mountain with Jesus into the valley of ordinary life and looming shadows. Their question about Elijah reveals a mind struggling to reconcile two seemingly irreconcilable truths: the Messiah’s promised glory and the scriptural prophecy of a preparatory suffering. They saw Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus about His “exodus” in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31)—a departure through suffering. Yet, they still cling to a vision of a Messiah untouched by the brokenness of the world.

In His reply, Jesus performs a profound act of hermeneutic of continuity: He connects the past, present, and future of God’s saving plan. “Elijah has already come.” With these words, Jesus unveils the mystery of John the Baptist. John came “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17), calling Israel to repentance, preparing a way for the Lord. But he was not recognized. Instead of heeding his voice, Herod imprisoned and beheaded him. The forerunner shared in the pattern of rejection that marks a world hostile to God’s prophets.

Here lies the first piercing truth for our own hearts: How often do we fail to recognize God’s messengers? God speaks to us through the prophetic voices in our own time—through the cry of the poor, the teaching of the Church, the witness of a saintly life, the stirrings of conscience. Yet, like the people of John’s day, we can prefer a comfortable blindness. We might dismiss the challenging call to conversion as fanaticism, or reduce the radical demands of the Gospel to mere social ethics. Jesus’ words invite us to a prayerful discernment: Where is the “Elijah” in my life, calling me back to God, and do I recognize him?

Then Jesus makes the devastating connection: “So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.” The fate of the forerunner prefigures the fate of the Messiah. This is the core of the Christian mystery: The path to glory passes through the Cross. The Transfiguration was not a cancellation of the Cross, but its divine illumination. It revealed that the suffering Jesus would embrace is not a defeat, but the very means by which He would “restore all things.” The light of Tabor shines from the wood of Calvary.

For us, this truth is both a consolation and a challenge. When we face suffering, rejection, or misunderstanding for our faith, we are not abandoned. We are walking the very path walked by John the Baptist and by Jesus Himself. Our suffering, united to His, becomes part of that great “restoration of all things.” The Christian vocation is not to avoid the cross, but to recognize it as the strange and sacred tool of God’s redemption.

Finally, the passage ends with a moment of grace: “Then the disciples understood.” Understanding comes through the guidance of Jesus. It comes after the event, in reflection, in the light of His words and His Paschal Mystery. Our own understanding of God’s ways often follows this pattern: we experience confusion or darkness, we bring our questions to Jesus in prayer and Scripture, and clarity dawns slowly, in His time. The full meaning of John the Baptist—and of our own lives—is only understood in relation to Jesus Christ, the Suffering Servant who is the Risen Lord.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You revealed Your glory on the mountain to strengthen Your disciples for the journey to Jerusalem. Open our eyes to recognize Your presence and Your messengers in our daily lives. When we face shadows and crosses, grant us the faith to see them in the light of Your Transfiguration, trusting that You are using all things to restore us and all creation in love. Help us to understand, and in understanding, to follow You more closely. Amen.