Rejoice in the Lord always
The Third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sunday. It is based on the opening antiphon for today’s Mass, based on Paul’s letter to the Philippians: “rejoice in the Lord always.” Part of the tragedy of religion today is that many do not associate it with joy. For far too many, Christianity is about negation, a list of do’s and don’ts. But on this third Sunday of Advent we are reminded that everything in Christian life, from law to ritual, from doctrine to worship is meant to lead us into deeper joy. Our Lord says emphatically in the Gospels, I have come so that you may have life and have it to the full.”
The call to rejoice may be over shadowed by the sadness and pain that grips many in our world today. But we call to mind the awesome truth of our faith: God entered into the brokenness of our world and brought with him the Good News of salvation and life.
There is a temptation to confuse joy with pleasure. Joy is not the same as pleasure. Pleasure is fleeting joy is enduring. Pleasure would come with having and doing, whereas joy usually comes from being. Pleasure usually comes from without while joy will often well up from within. We frantically seek joy from pleasure, but joy and pleasure are not the same.
There is in every human heart a longing for joy but the tragedy of human existence is that we try to fill that longing in very frustrating ways. Our world is filled with voices that say we find joy by consuming what we do not need, being more concerned about ourselves and less about others. But true joy comes from Jesus Christ. Joy is less about being happy than it is about a core trust in God that cannot be moved, that will hold firm no matter what.
Our constant companion at worship these past two weeks has been the prophet Isaiah. There is a shift in tone from the day we began our Advent journey. On the first Sunday of Advent Isaiah lamented and wished that God would rend the heavens come down and make his presence felt, but today his tone has changed. He is more optimistic and certain. The Prophet speaks of one who has been anointed to bring glad tidings to the poor, healing to the brokenhearted, liberty to captives, release to prisoners and a year of jubilee.
The text from Isaiah is extraordinarily important for Christians. It is the Old Testament text that Jesus chose when he stood up in his hometown synagogue at Nazareth and for the first time preached to the people. Our Lord saw this text as summing up what his life and ministry was about.
My friends, what Isaiah proclaims is meant for each of us. We who are the Church are called to carry out these tasks in today’s world: “to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to prisoners.”
The second reading from Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians is considered the earliest piece of writing in the New Testament, composed around the year 50. Paul says to the community, “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks.”
When Paul says rejoice always, he is not suggesting that we walk around pretending that all is well all the time. The Greek word translated as “Rejoice” is more than to merely rouse ourselves to some sort of emotional state of happiness. The word means more deeply to delight joyfully in God’s grace, to experience God’s favor. Paul is not speaking of joy in an emotional sense. He is not speaking about joy that is dependent upon circumstances. To rejoice always is to hold fast to the truth that no matter life’s circumstances God is there. God is in control. A basic principal of the Bible is that God is active in all times, in all places and in all things. Through joy and sorrow, through triumph and disappointment God works in and through all.
Paul goes on to say pray without ceasing. To pray without ceasing does not mean that we are to stay in church all day or to form words of prayer out loud in our minds endlessly. Praying without ceasing is about nurturing a deep relationship with God, it is about striving for that level of spirituality where prayer becomes a habit, a way of being in the world.
Paul says in all circumstances give thanks. The command to give thanks in all circumstances may have struck the Thessalonians as odd advice, considering the affliction they had endured. But, if there was anyone who knew how challenging the life of discipleship could be it was Paul. His life was marked by the kinds of trials that would challenge anyone’s faith. Giving thanks in all circumstances is about adopting a habit of gratitude, finding things every day for which we are grateful.
In the gospel we encounter John the Baptist once again. John was as mystifying as he was mesmerizing. People were unsure as to who John was. Minimizing his own ministry, John urges the crowd to look about and recognize the disguised God who walks among them. He says: “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.” John’s voice is as needed today as it was two thousand years ago, for there is still one among us who at times we all fail to recognize.
Christ is in our very midst. In every moment of our lives, he presents himself to us as friend and stranger. In our work we meet him, in school we meet him, on the bus and in the store, we meet him. This Advent, we pray that the Lord will open our minds and hearts, so, that we will recognize him in our midst.
During these final days before Christmas when everyone is so busy, we can forget that our mission is like John’s: to testify to the Light not simply by pointing to his presence but by being signs of His presence in our midst. We do can do this in some simple ways, by taking the time to listen, visiting one who might be forgotten, taking time to pray, offering a helping hand, reorganizing our priorities and remembering always to give thanks.
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A number of biblical commentaries and other works were consulted in compiling this homily. Works consulted include Fr. Robert Barron, Homiletic and Pastoral Review, Preacher Exchange, Dianne Bergant and others.
