Once
again today, as happens so frequently during both Lent and Advent, St John the
Baptist takes center stage. Often, in paintings and movies, John the Baptist is
depicted as an ill-tempered, crazy, fire-and-brimstone preacher who scares
people into repentance. There’s something wrong with that picture. First, such an idea fails to explain
how he was able to attract such huge crowds and win over so many hearts. Second, it misses the main point of his
message: that salvation is at hand! That message is exactly the opposite
of a foreboding portrait of John as a gloom and doom prophet. In fact, when we
truly understand and accept his notion of repentance, it becomes the source of
a deeper joy than any other happiness we can experience in this life. That’s
the whole point of today’s celebration.
The Third Sunday
of Advent is Gaudete Sunday, the Sunday of rejoicing. Now many of us priests
don't necessarily rejoice at having to wear these rose vestments because people
give us a lot of trouble. But clearly joy is the overriding theme of this week.
That’s why today’s readings use the word twelve times. Jesus didn’t come to
intimidate and oppress us; he came to
save us. Salvation, friendship with God, the fullness of living in
communion with our Creator and Redeemer, of being counted as members of his
eternal Kingdom are all good things,
not something to run from.
This is the
message of Christmas, the message we have been thinking about during these
weeks of Advent. In today’s Second Reading, St Paul actually commands us to
“rejoice in the Lord always.” And just in case we thought he was
exaggerating, in the very next sentence he says, “I say it again, rejoice!” But
we can only rejoice if our joy is based on something that goes deeper than the
passing pleasures of this world. Our joy must be more than a full belly, a new
car, wealth, health, or friend.
True joy comes from knowing God as a
friend, knowing him as one who cares for us and always wants what is best for
us. This is the one thing
in this life that never ends, and the one thing that no one can take away. This
friendship with Our Lord is the source of a Christian’s joy, and is the gift
Jesus brings us with his birth at Christmas.
So how what are
the differences between the joy of Christ and the joys of the world?
First, it doesn't wear out. It comes
from something that is always alive: our relationship with Christ. This is one
of the reasons why the Christmas tree is an evergreen. In winter, the other
trees are leafless and dormant. But the evergreen tree is still green and
fragrant. It symbolizes hope amid winter’s lifeless, cold, and dark days. It is
perfect reminder of Christ and his friendship with us.
Second, Christ’s joy grows more intense
as we advance in our journey of faith. This is why the vestments for today's
Mass are rose-colored. They remind us of the color of the sky at the very brink
of morning, when the sun is just beginning to come up. The horizon takes on a
pale rose color that gradually gets redder and brighter as the sun rises. As
Christmas draws near, we move from a somber violet to rose, finally celebrating
Christ's birth with brilliant white or gold vestments.
Lastly, the more we share this
joy with others, the more we will experience it for ourselves. This, of course,
is why we have the tradition of exchanging gifts on Christmas. Jesus says
"It is more blessed to give than to receive." Haven't we experienced
that profound feeling of joy and satisfaction, when we did something for
another person, even if it was costly or difficult?
But this profound
joy we are reflecting on today, this profound happiness that comes from being a
friend of God, is anything but automatic.
For many people this season is a time of stress and anxiety. Every year we hear
about outrageous stories of people fighting each other to get the hottest new gift
for Christmas or going to extreme lengths to acquire a good deal on some
electronic device. For many people, Advent is a time of distraction and as
Christmas approaches, anxiety and unhappiness only increases.
We can look at
extreme examples of people's madness and content ourselves that we aren't as
bad as others. But the spiritual life is not a comparison to others; Jesus does
not reward us based on how we ranked against our neighbor. Rather, he rewards
us based on how well we know, love, and serve him in this life. The best way to gauge whether or not we are
doing this is to ask a simple question: how am I doing at imitating Christ?
If someone were to
follow us around with a video camera from the moment we left today’s Mass to
the moment we arrive for next Sunday’s Mass, what kind of behavior would they
record? Would our daily lives reflect a conscious effort to imitate our
Lord’s honesty, integrity, purity, and sacrificial love? Would people see
the repentant spirit encouraged by John the Baptist? Could they describe our
actions as rooted in gospel joy or simply showing flashes of worldly happiness?
There are still two weeks left in this Advent season.
Let's use this remaining time to become better imitators of Jesus
Christ. Let's use this time to transform our lives so that we will
look more like Christ at Christmas than we do today. We can accomplish
this by starting out each day in prayer, because without God’s help, we can
do nothing. Also, we can make a true effort to treat our neighbors as we
would like them to treat us – family members first, then friends, colleagues,
teammates, and strangers.
In this way we can be sources of that
supernatural joy that comes from being friends of God. And we will have many
opportunities to share this joy with those around us, especially those who have
forgotten the true meaning of this advent season. Take to heart the spirit of
Gaudete Sunday and may we, together with John the Baptist, St. Paul and
Christians of all ages, "rejoice in the Lord always!"
