“Rejoice in the Lord always, I say it again, rejoice” St Paul advises us. This third Sunday in Advent is called Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday drawing from those words of St. Paul. That uplifting message is not always well received in the midst of so many pre-Christmas activities and with the heaviness that is in our world these days, and in many lives. Yet if we choose to make our personal relationship with Jesus Christ as the most important aspect of our lives, we can overcome the distractions of the secular world and be joyful in the midst of its busyness and challenges.
True joy is reflected in the first reading from Isaiah which Jesus read in his hometown synagogue as he began his public ministry: “The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me, he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and release to prisoners.” That job description suggests he will be present to us even when we are poor in physical ways or in spiritual ways. Some of us are brokenhearted in family or social relationships or in coping with the crosses we must bear; some of us are captive to addictions or unreasonable expectations; some of us are imprisoned by sin or envy or anger. Yet even in all that reality, joy can touch our hearts and bring strength and perspective because of the love who came down at Christmas and remains with us this day.
St. Paul tells us in the 2nd reading that the recipe to joyful living includes first, “to pray without ceasing” which means allowing Christ to be with us throughout the day and in all things’; secondly, “in all circumstances be grateful” which means to acknowledge our blessings as well as our burdens; thirdly “do not quench the Spirit” which means to be open to God’s will and God’s way; fourthly, “test everything and retain what is good” which means to not blindly accept headlines or gossip or the criticisms of others but search for the truth; and finally, “refrain from every kind of evil” which means to recognize the evil one seeks us out but we can reject him.
John the Baptist in the Gospel reading is a powerful model for us. Some of leaders of Israel sought to discover who he was because he was so attractive to the people even though his message was a hard one – repent. They viewed him as a threat to their power and standing. Who are you, they demanded. He answered by first stating who he was not. “I am not the Christ.” And then he revealed to them who he was, what his role was, that he was the prophet of whom Isaiah spoke who would point us to the Messiah. John the Baptist accepted his role to urge us all to prepare for the one who brings lasting joy.
We can experience such joy even in the everydayness of our lives including in seemingly inconsequential things. A man named George Cummings was a garbage collector in Dallas, Texas who was honored for his work, attested to by those on his route. They wrote that he would bring flowers when someone on his route died; how he had found a watch and contacted each household until he could return it to the owner, and when he saw something in the trash he thought might have been thrown away by mistake, he would check to see. One person wrote, “We on this route know him as a sincere Christian, a patriotic citizen and a real friend.” He was a man of joy who knew Jesus Christ in his heart and it was reflected in how he lived his life and his work.
Such joy is reflected in our respect for one another. The writer Tolstoy told of a man who stopped to give some money to a beggar and discovered that he had left his wallet at home. He said, “I am sorry brother but I have nothing to give you.” The beggar replied, “never mind, calling me brother was a gift.” Catholic
Catholic Digest reported on a man who reflected on one Christmas in his Catholic school. He recalled his 5th grade teacher, Sister St. Kerndt, who came from Ireland as an immigrant. At one Christmas she showed her class what she called her family Christmas tree. It was simple. Instead of ornaments Sister attached small circles of colored paper each with a name written on it. “It is my way of remembering all my relations during this holy season and including them in my prayers to the blessed infant colored paper ornament. “He was born before the United States became a nation. “And here is my brother Tim,” she said wistfully, “He’s still in Ireland,” obviously missing him. She suggested that her students write the names of their relatives on little circles of paper and add them to the tree. “This way,” she said, “you could learn about your own families and at the same time pray for them.” The class and even some of their families joined in the project. The tree was filled with names. At Mass on the last day of school before Christmas vacation, the pastor introduced some visitors. There was Tim, Sister’s brother, and his family from Ireland, a gift to Sister from those whose lives to which she added joy that Christmas. “Twas a gift I would never have dared to hope for and all I could ever ask for in this life,” she said. The writer of the article concluded, “For a lot of us that day those little colored disks hanging on our classroom tree had suddenly turned from simple paper to priceless ornaments connecting us with love and grace to countless preceding generations. A lifelong gift from Sister St. Kerndt.” She experienced the joy that she shared which comes from with a grateful heart for those who went before and those who touch us still.
Joy is not something we can buy or earn. It is the by-product of faith lived. Jesus born of a poor family in a makeshift nursery in a humble setting came that we might have joy.
May we share the joy of Blessed Mother Mary who in the Magnificat, our psalm, declares “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for has looked upon his lowly servant, and has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” We too can ‘rejoice in God our Savior. Rejoice in the Lord always. I say it again: rejoice.