Isaiah 61: 1-2a,10-11; Resp. (IS 61:10b): Luke 1: 46-48,49-50,53-54; 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-24; John 1: 6-8,19-28
The Entrance Antiphon for todays Mass offers us all we need: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice, for indeed, the Lord is near.” This is what St. Paul wrote to the Philippians, and this is what is announced as we celebrate this Third Sunday of Advent… Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is the Latin word for rejoice, and that is what we are here to do, worship with JOY, for the Lord is truly close at hand.
To guide us today, we should take care not to over simplify the term JOY as just a “pie in the sky, happy, happy” kind of JOY. Pope Francis offers us this challenge: “To be happy is good, yet joy is something more. It’s another thing, something which does not depend on external motivations, or on passing issues: it is more profound. It is a gift. To be ‘happy at all moments, at all cost, can at the end turn into superficiality and shallowness. This leaves us without Christian wisdom… Joy is something else; it is a gift from the Lord.” (Pope Francis)
Has anything new hit you this Advent? I mean, have you heard something, or experienced some feeling in your heart for the first time in a while? I hope so because I have learned that each Advent tends to offer us some new message, or a new twist that brings about a new hope, and a new anticipation of a rebirth inside us. For me, this new twist has been our focus these past two weeks on the PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE.
In so many words, we have focused on the reality that our Lord IS the Christ of a JOYFUL PAST, who lived, suffered, died and rose again. In that resurrection, he IS a part of a JOYFUL PRESENT, as he lives with us here and now in the Eucharist and in the love that we share; and he IS the Christ of a JOYFUL FUTURE, in that he will come again, promising to live with us forever in the kingdom of Heaven. Christ IS all three - Past, Present and Future!
Most of us know of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and how it captures these three realities through Ebenezer Scrooge, who must wrestle through the night with the Ghosts of his own Christmas Past, Present and Future. Now I’m sure we’re in a little bit better spirit than Mr. Scrooge, but it wouldn’t hurt to wrestle with these same questions: What are the JOYS of our own past, present and future, both as a people of God, and as individuals on this journey?
First, all we really need to do is listen to Mary, the Mother of God, sung in today’s Responsorial, as she offers us what is called the Magnificat. This is her praise-filled response after saying YES to bringing the gift of JOY, God’s Son, into the world, and sharing her own JOYFUL Good News with her cousin Elizabeth. Reflecting back, the Blessed Mother said that the Almighty HAS DONE great things, and LOOKED upon the lowly, FILLED the hungry with good things, SENT the rich away empty, and CAME to the help of Israel, remembering His promise of mercy. SO we REJOICE for all of the good things God has done for us, the Church. In a brief moment of silence, let me ask you to reflect on the JOYS of your own PAST. How has God has brought you to this moment? With all of your successes and failures, how have you been lifted up, or filled, or helped by God’s mercy?
What about the JOYS of the here and now? Again, the Blessed Mother speaks in the present tense as she says, “My soul PROCLAIMS the greatness of the Lord; my Spirit rejoices in God our savior.” Today’s Second Reading comes from what is the oldest written record of the New Testament, as Paul tells the Thessalonians and us to Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks and test everything, for THIS IS (present tense) the will of God. Again, let us wrestle with the thought… How is God’s gift of JOY living in us at this moment? How are we rejoicing and praying in our lives today?
Finally, we look to the gift of JOY in our future... Mary proclaimed that from this day ALL GENERATIONS WILL CALL ME BLESSED, and so we shall, but that JOY also includes our being blessed! So how are we planning for that blessing, and that gift of JOY that is promised in our future? How can we help prepare the blessing of God and His mercy for every generation to come? What part of us needs a rebirth, a new twist or idea for a new start come this Christmas? We don’t need the shocking dreams of an Ebineezer Scrooge, we just need Jesus, and the gift of JOY that comes with knowing that we are loved by God. We need to know that we get another chance at life! You see, the pink candle on this Gaudete Sunday, and this call for rejoicing always, and our Patron John the Baptist's testifying to the light of the one who we will not recognize… We’re joyful because we’re almost there. We’re close to that star in the sky that will once again guide us to a baby in a manger. God’s promise of life everlasting is within reach!
Again, Christ WAS, IS and EVER SHALL BE, and these JOYS of our past, present and future are gifts from God! He GAVE us the JOY of His Son on that night long ago in a little town of Bethlehem, and He GAVE us the JOY of the many successes and failures that have shaped our lives to this point. He GIVES us the JOY of His Son in this Mass today, and GIVES us the JOY of our families, friends and the blessings we share. He PROMISES us the JOY and mercy as we will one day see Him face to face, and He PROMISES us a rebirth and a chance to live a more JOYFUL life ahead.
So “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again, rejoice! The Lord is near.” But that greeting from Paul in his Letter to the Philippians, that we quoted to begin today’s celebration of Gaudate Sunday continues: “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
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