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3rd Sunday of Advent - 12/11/2022
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Joy shining through tear-filled eyes
Third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sunday, meaning Sunday of joy. ‘Gaudete’ is a Latin word that means “rejoice.” The word Sunday Reflection rejoice is taken from Philippians 4:4-5, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I said rejoice;” the entrance antiphon of today’s Mass. These last Sundays, we were reflecting on peace and hope. In this third week we are praying for the restoration of joy, especially for those, according to Pope Francis, whose life seem like “Lent without Easter.” Today we light the pink candle which symbolizes joy and the priest wears a rose colored vestment. The first reading brings out clearly the theme of today’s celebration. The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice. When there is no joy, life is like desert; life is like parched land; life is like steppe (barren land). Life without joy is like eyes that are blind, ears that are deaf and legs that are lame. The joy we are talking about is not “feeling good” because of worldly possession. One can lack material things and still be filled with joy. One may be encountering certain deprivations of life yet filled with joy. One can be physically sick but filled with joy. One can be physically challenged but filled with joy and even more joyful than those physically whole. Sometimes I return from a visit to a sick person, wholly uplifted because of the faith and the good vision of the person, who, though suffering, exudes tremendous hope in the healing power of God. One can have all worldly possessions but have no joy. What therefore is this joy? It is what Nehemiah the prophet calls the joy of the Lord which is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). It is joy from above. This joy is the gladness of heart that comes from knowing God and surrendering to him, knowing Jesus and trusting and abiding in him, and being guided by the inspiration and promptings of the Holy Spirit. This implies that the individual is spiritually alive and sound. Despite all the afflictions, of life and against all odds, the individual remains steadfast, endures and is unshakable in his or her faith. Imagine if you will for a minute John the Baptist, in prison, Herod is about to kill him - and undoubtedly John is aware of this though the particular circumstances of his death are still to be shaped by Herod's wife and her dancing daughter. John is uncertain about whether his ministry is completed or not, uncertain about whether or not Jesus is the Messiah that he has proclaimed the coming of. And he sends messengers from prison to ask Jesus - "Are you the one who is to come, or should we wait for another" We can easily understand his question: “Are you the one who is to come, or have we got to wait for someone else?” Like John we too sometimes feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. Through no fault of our own, we find ourselves in some difficulty or fix and we wonder where God is. We too feel like sending messengers to Jesus saying, “Are you the Messiah? Are you going to help me, or will you leave me helpless?” Jesus sends back the messengers with the news of the transforming effect of his presence among the blind, deaf and the hopeless. Remember the last line of the message Jesus sent back to John in prison: “happy the man who does not lose faith in me.” When we are in prison like John, between a rock and a hard place, in some difficulty or fix, continue to trust and pray and not lose faith in Jesus. Continue to pray. Prayer is always answered somehow, somewhere, even if not in the way we expected. Keep sending messengers to Jesus looking for an answer to a problem. We will get an answer, even if not what we expected. But keep trusting in God. The following was found written on a cellar wall in Cologne (Köln) after World War II: I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I feel it not. I believe in God even when he is silent.
Fr Tom Kunnel, C.O.