REJOICE ALWAYS.
December 17, 2023.
Third Sunday of Advent – B – Gaudete.
“I rejoice heartily in the LORD, in my God is the joy of my
soul.” Is 61:10 “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit
rejoices in God my Savior.” Lk 1:47 “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.” 1
Thes 5:16 If there is any word or expression that springs from today’s liturgy
and links all the readings, it is nothing else but joy. We are exhorted, and
insistently, to rejoice because the Lord is near.
A Spanish proverb says: “Every season brings its joy.” A
Dutch proverb adds: “It’s a poor heart that never rejoices.”
One of the greatest characteristics of Christianity is that
it is a religion of joy. Because we believe in a God who is not ashamed to
become one with us and one of us. The joy of the Christian is intrinsic to the
Lord's message. For the Gospel of Christ is a call to the joy that comes from
salvation.
Pope Francis tirelessly reminds us of the need to be joyous.
The Holy Father says, "The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of
all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept His offer of salvation are set free
from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness, and loneliness. With Christ, joy is
constantly born anew." EG 1 He goes further to say that no Christian can
exist without joy. That, the identity card of the Christian is the joy of the
Gospel. He even consecrated a whole Apostolic Exhortation on this topic,
"Evangelii Gaudium".
This third Sunday of Advent exhorts us to such a joy. It is
the joy of the coming of the Lord. The Word of God is near. He is soon becoming
a man. So, the invitation of this Sunday's liturgy, "Rejoice in the Lord
always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near." Phil 4:4-5.
Why should we rejoice? Isaiah answers in the first reading.
Because our salvation is at hand. The Lord has sent his Prophet to "bring
good news to the poor, to bind up hearts that are broken; to proclaim liberty
to captives, freedom to those in prison; to proclaim a year of favor from the
Lord." Here is the real message of Christmas. It is for this reason the
Lord is coming. To set man free from all that enslaves us and proclaim a new
hope and peace. So, let's rejoice.
Our happiness or joy should not be seasonal or limited. Joy should
be part of us, our intrinsic being, and as says the Pope, be our identity card.
St. Paul makes it insistent as a call when he says to the Thessalonians:
"Be happy at all times; pray constantly; and for all things give thanks to
God." God has created us for perfect joy, for happiness. And it pleases
him to see us happy. Sad and moody Christians contrite God and suppress the
Spirit. We should be like the Virgin Mary. In everything, be ready to sing the
greatness of God. Let our soul and our whole being proclaim him for all his
marvels in our lives.
Our happiness or joy grows stronger through John's
proclamation. The Lord whom we await is already in our midst. To the people of
Israel who were pressing toward him to receive the baptism of purification and
hear his words because they thought he was the awaited Messiah, John says:
"There stands among you – unknown to you – the one who is coming after
me."
The Lord is already among us. Christmas is a commemoration
of his first coming. Nevertheless, he is always coming. So, the joy he brought
to the world, 2000 years ago, should not cease.
Unfortunately, our world, though it proclaims many worldly
happiness and joy, suppresses the perfect joy that flows from knowing the Lord.
Many happenings and events in the world are joy killers and suppressors of
hope. To look around and think of war between Russia and Ukraine, think of the
reality of Palestinians and Israelis, to see how many people suffer poverty
while others are spoiling with riches. To think of the consequences of
calamities and natural catastrophes that are natural only by name, because
provoked by man, to see the corruption in our societies and countries, and the
sad fate of the poor and marginalized people, how can one truly be happy and
rejoice?
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