Jesus said that Elijah would restore everything. What a statement! Everything? How could someone restore everything? Jesus said that the restoration of everything was begun by John the Baptizer (Mt 17:13), who came "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Lk 1:17). The Power for this universal restoration is the Holy Spirit. Consequently, John was "filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb" (Lk 1:15). John began the restoration of everything by turning "the hearts of fathers to their children" (Lk 1:17).

This universal restoration is still in process. When we complete it, the world will end and Jesus will come back. Until then, "Jesus must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration which God spoke of long ago through His holy prophets" (Acts 3:21). So Jesus is waiting for us to finish the job. We may feel overwhelmed at this responsibility, since universal restoration seems no less monumental now than at Jesus' time, despite all the Lord has been doing in the meantime. However, all we have to do is what Elijah and John did — be filled with the Spirit, obey the Lord, and focus on turning the hearts of fathers to their children. If we do this much, we will do our part to bring about universal restoration and hasten Jesus' final coming (2 Pt 3:12). YoU aRe another Elijah and John. Work and live accordingly.

Rescript:  †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, June 30, 2014

The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.