Rejoice

  

 

                      3rd Sunday of Advent

                      C cycle

 

In earlier times the third Sunday in Advent was known as "Gaudete Sunday" because the entrance prayer or "Introit" began with the Latin words, "gaudete in domino semper." Translated the phrase means "rejoice in the Lord always." Today, as it has always done, the Church injects an element of joy into the penitential season of Advent. In many churches the priest will put aside the purple vestments that signify sorrow and penance, and put on rose colored vestments, a symbol of joy. The Church is asking us to look ahead to the glory of the coming of the Savior on Christmas.

 

In this liturgical year the first reading for each of the Sundays in Advent is taken from a different Hebrew prophet. Two weeks ago it was Isaiah and last week it was the somewhat lesser known Baruch. Today, the reading is from the prophet Zephaniah. It is common for us to think of a prophet as someone who foretells the future but usually the Hebrew prophets just talk about their own time, especially its problems. No prophet deals with problems more than Zephaniah but in today’s reading he sings a different song. 

 

       Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!

Sing joyfully, O Israel!

Be glad and exult with all your heart,

O daughter Jerusalem!

 

Despite all their problems, there is reason for this joy. “The Lord is in your midst,” he says. He repeats it again, “The Lord is in your midst.” Zephaniah was speaking to the ancient Hebrews, but his words are also meant for us. If only we could realize that the Lord is in our midst. 

 

In today’s gospel, John the Baptist, the last of the Hebrew prophets is trying to convince the people of his time that the Lord is coming into their midst. He says,

 

       I am baptizing you with water,

But one mightier than I is coming.

I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

 

The crowds ask John what they should do to prepare for his coming. His words could profit all of us this Advent. We could begin by sharing with those who have less than we do, especially in these economic hard times. John’s advice for preparation is not radical or impossible. He does not recommend that we give up everything; just that we share.  

 

Consider the two groups who approach John in today’s reading. Tax collectors and soldiers, better to say policemen, were two of the most hated groups in Israel. Both were regarded as agents of the hated Roman conquerors. The tax collectors were notorious for gouging the people, and the police were noted for bullying and extortion. John doesn’t say that their occupations are sinful or ignoble. He doesn’t tell them to give up their careers. He only tells them to act with honesty and justice.

 

As usual this year has been an especially bad one for the rich and famous in our society. How could so many politicians, entertainers, athletes, and other celebrities who had worked so hard to get to the top of their respective professions mess up so miserably? Could it be that the success they sought was not that fulfilling? Could it be that the possessions they acquired did not make them really happy or joyful? Maybe they just thought that their success was due to their efforts alone, and that they failed to see the God in their midst.

 

We shouldn’t gloat when we hear their stories. Just because we fly under the media radar doesn’t mean that we can’t be self-satisfied. Most of us have homes that would be palaces to most of the world’s people. We have cars for each member of our family, not to mention TVs, cell phones, and computers. Still, it never seems to be enough. 

 

Here we are only two weeks before Christmas. What are we looking for this season? What do we want for ourselves and our loved ones this Christmas? Why are we going out to the malls and the shopping centers? Aren't we all trying to find happiness? Aren't we all trying to cast away fear and darkness and bring some joy and light into our lives? Look at the way we light up our houses, look at the music we hear coming over the radio. 

 

I recall an article I read some years ago by a man who was a well known lecturer, TV personality, and author. He had a beautiful wife and son and was extremely successful. Yet he wrote, "I am almost 60. Time flies and it scares me. I don't want to die. I like being in good health. I don't want to be sick and have wires and tubes and scalpels in me. I like having enough money. I don't want to be old and poor. I sat in my car...shivering in fear. And then it struck me. I spend too darned much of my life in fear. I always have. You can't imagine how much of my life I have thrown away by being a slave to fear."

 

In today's second reading from St. Paul's letter to the Philippians he echoes the words of the prophet Zephaniah and urges his friends to “rejoice in the Lord always.” We should realize that “the Lord is near,” and that fear and anxiety are not the answer. 

 

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,

By prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,

Make your requests known to God. 

 

No one is saying that we should give up our jobs and our homes but if we can only recognize that all we have comes form the Lord, 

 

       Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding

Will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

 ###

Reading 1. Zephaniah 3: 14-18a

Reading II. Philippians 4: 4-7

Gospel. Luke 3:10-18 (one mightier than I). 

Rejoice Always

  

 

               3rd Sunday of Advent

               B cycle

 

 

In earlier times the third Sunday in Advent was known as "Gaudete Sunday" because the entrance prayer or "Introit" began with the Latin words, "gaudete in domino semper." Translated the phrase means "rejoice in the Lord always." Today, as it has always done, the Church injects an element of joy into the penitential season of Advent. In many churches the priest will put aside the purple vestments which signify sorrow and penance, and put on rose colored vestments, a symbol of joy. The Church is asking us to look ahead to the glory of the coming of the Savior on Christmas.

 

In this liturgical year the first reading for each of the Sundays in Advent is taken from the prophet Isaiah.  It is common for us to think of a prophet as someone who foretells the future but usually the Hebrew prophets just talk about their own time, especially its problems. Today, however, Isaiah sings a different tune for the reading is all about joy. 

 

     I rejoice heartily in the Lord,

     In my God is the joy of my soul;

 

The reason for the joy is that the Lord has heard the cry of the poor and the brokenhearted, and has sent his anointed one to teach and heal. That someone is clothed in a “robe of salvation” and wrapped in “a mantle of justice.” Just as the earth bears fruit, the Lord will make “justice and praise spring up before all the nations.”

 

In today’s gospel, John the Baptist, the last of the Hebrew prophets, is trying to convince the people of his time that the Lord’s anointed is coming into their midst. He says,

 

     I baptize with water,

But there is one among you whom you do not recognize,

The one who is coming after me,

Whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.

 

One thing that I have always liked about John the Baptist is that he never claimed anything for himself. He insisted that he was not worthy to even untie the sandal strap of the anointed one. He only claims to be a voice preparing the way. But what does John’s call for repentance have to do with rejoicing? 

 

To rejoice means to bring joy back into our lives. To rejoice means to recover or regain the joy that we once knew or had. Maybe it means to find the joy we once dreamed of as children, especially at Christmastime. It is hard to read the papers, watch the TV, or just surf the Web and not see that joy has gone out of so many people’s lives. In some cases it is not our own fault. Bad things happen to even good people.

 

But in many cases it is our own fault and often we can find ourselves carrying an enormous load of guilt on our shoulders. How do we get rid of it and free ourselves to experience joy again. Repentance is the answer. Like the younger son in the parable of the Prodigal Son, we must come to our senses, take responsibility for our own failings, and seek forgiveness. 

 

Modern science and medicine, for all the good they have accomplished, can never give us forgiveness. St. Augustine believed that the mere recitation of the Lord’s Prayer was sufficient to forgive all small or venial sins. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that the celebration of the Eucharist itself is “a remedy to free us from our daily faults and to preserve us from mortal sins.” For mortal or serious sins, the Church provides the great Sacrament of Penance as the primary means to repentance and rejoicing.

 

 The crowds ask John what they should do to prepare for his coming. His words could profit all of us this Advent. John’s advice for preparation is not radical or impossible. Jesus himself constantly forgave sins but never made impossible demands on those he healed. We do not have to give up all that we have in order to find joy. We have to realize that many of the things in our lives do not really provide true comfort and joy.

 

Every Christmas I’m reminded of an article I read by a man who was a well known lecturer, TV personality, and author. He had a beautiful wife and son and was extremely successful. Yet he wrote, "I am almost 60. Time flies and it scares me. I don't want to die. I like being in good health. I don't want to be sick and have wires and tubes and scalpels in me. I like having enough money. I don't want to be old and poor. I sat in my car... shivering in fear. And then it struck me. I spend too darned much of my life in fear. I always have. You can't imagine how much of my life I have thrown away by being a slave to fear."

 

In today's second reading from St. Paul's letter to the Thessalonians he says, “Rejoice always.”  He gives a simple set of instructions. Pray without ceasing, give thanks, do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophetic utterances, retain what is good, and refrain from every kind of evil. He ended with this blessing that is especially appropriate for this season:

 

May the God of peace make you perfectly holy

And may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body,

Be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

###

Reading 1. Isaiah 61: 1-2a

Reading II. 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-24

Gospel. John 1: 6-8, 19-28 (A Man named John)

Advent Week Three

3rd Sunday of Advent, A cycle

Reading 1. Isaiah 35: 1-6a, 10
Reading II. James 5: 7-10
Gospel. Matthew 11: 2-11 (none greater than John the Baptist).

In earlier times the third Sunday in Advent was known as "Gaudete Sunday" because the entrance prayer or "Introit" began with the Latin words, "gaudete in domino semper." Translated the phrase means "rejoice in the Lord always." Today, as it has always done, the Church injects an element of joy into the penitential season of Advent. In many churches the priest will put aside the purple vestments which signify sorrow and penance, and put on rose colored vestments, a symbol of joy. The Church is asking us to look ahead to the glory of the coming of the Savior on Christmas.

Certainly, the reading from the prophet Isaiah strikes an upbeat and exultant note. He sees the dry parched earth blooming with new life. He uses words like glory and splendor to describe the once barren land. Men will also be transformed by the Lord. Hands will be strengthened; and weak knees will become firm. To the fainthearted, he says, "Be strong, fear not! Then Isaiah proclaims the famous words which are echoed in today's gospel.

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing.

Isaiah and John the Baptist are the two great prophets associated with Advent. Last week we saw John in the midst of his mission to prepare the way of the Lord. John had said that, "the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals." These words were from chapter 3 of Matthew's gospel and were spoken at the beginning of our Lord's public life.

Since that time a lot has happened. By the time we get to today's reading from chapter 11 of Matthew's gospel, Jesus has himself been baptized by John, given the Sermon on the Mount, worked many miracles, and called His own disciples to His side. This is why Jesus, in answer to John's question, "are you the one who is to come?" repeats the words of Isaiah about the blind, the lame, the deaf and the poor. By this time John is in prison, his mission over, and he is soon to be executed.

John had said that he wasn't worthy to carry our Lord's sandals, but Jesus claims that John is the greatest of all the prophets. In fact, our Lord says that "among those born of woman there has been none greater than John the Baptist."

It's common for religious artists to portray John as kind of a strangely dressed wild man shouting at people in the desert. Yet a little later in this chapter of Matthew's our Lord makes the startling claim that " it was toward John that all the prophecies of the prophets and the Law were leading, and he, if you will believe Me, is the Elijah who was to return." The Jews believed that the coming of the Messiah would be preceded by the return of the great prophet, Elijah, who had been taken up into Heaven in a chariot of fire.

Perhaps this is the reason why Jesus takes time to reflect on John and his prophetic mission. After John's disciples had left to bring the good news back to him, Jesus "began to speak to the crowds about John." He asks them why they went out into the desert to see John. What did they expect to see. "A reed swayed by the wind?" "Someone dressed in fine clothing?" He asks them the same question that He asks all of us this Advent. "Then why did you go out." What are we looking for?

Here we are only two weeks before Christmas. What are we looking for this season? What do we want for ourselves and our loved ones this Christmas? Why are we going out to the malls and the shopping centers? Aren't we all trying to find happiness? Aren't we all trying to cast away fear and darkness and bring some joy and light into our lives? Look at the way we light up our houses, look at the music we hear coming over the radio.

I've just read an article by a man who is a well known lecturer, TV personality, and author. He has a beautiful wife and son and is extremely successful. Yet he wrote, "I am almost 60. Time flies and it scares me. I don't want to die. I like being in good health. I don't want to be sick and have wires and tubes and scalpels in me. I like having enough money. I don't want to be old and poor. I sat in my car...shivering in fear. And then it struck me. I spend too darned much of my life in fear. I always have. You can't imagine how much of my life I have thrown away by being a slave to fear."

Today's second reading is an excerpt from the Letter of St. James. We rarely encounter the letter of St. James in our Sunday readings but this short epistle should be required reading for all of us this season. James calls upon us to put away fear. He echoes the words of Isaiah.

Make your hearts firm,
because the coming of the Lord is at hand.

He tells us to be patient, and not to complain. This is good advice in any season. We live in the richest society on the face of the earth; even our poor are better off than billions of people on the rest of the earth. Yet our newspapers and television tell us that there is so much unhappiness and complaining in our society. Today, however, let us look forward to the coming of our Lord on Christmas and put away our fears.

Gaudete! Rejoice in the Lord always.