THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
(Isaiah 61:1-2.10-11;
I Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8.19-28)
Liturgists call this
third Sunday of Advent “Gaudete Sunday.” In case you don't remember, guadete
means rejoice. We should rejoice because the coming of the Lord is closer than
we thought. He will come in a sense when we celebrate Christmas in two weeks.
He will also come at the end of time to claim us as the chosen ones of His
Kingdom. Because he considers this second coming almost at hand, Paul tells the
Thessalonians in the second reading, “Rejoice always.”
There is certainly a
lot of joy in the air these days. People are celebrating the end of the year
with parties and vacations. But this joy is not of the same as ours as
Christians. The joy of those who attend parties has to do with the social
consensus of relaxing at the end of the year from tedious work. The consensus
gives permission for people to have fun with plenty of drinks, food, and loud
music. Taken to the extreme, this fun could lead to ruin. But it is not bad in
itself. Moderate relaxation protects the person from the false idea that humans
were created primarily to produce things.
In any case, our
Christian joy is different. It should always remain in our hearts because it is
rooted in the fact that Christ has guaranteed us a glorious destiny. Today we
emphasize joy because the Lord will come soon to fulfill this destiny for us. When
we enjoy homemade cookies and eggnog on Christmas Day, it will be because he
has come to make us spiritually alive like himself.
John the Baptist
serves as our guide. He sheds all illusion of his own greatness. He clearly
says that he is not the messiah nor any other prophet. Rather he is just the
voice crying in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord.” John is a
person who wants to serve, not be served. His service consists of chastening people
to reform their lives so that the Lord does not pass them by when he comes.
For many it is
difficult to accept this call from Juan. Sin has blurred the moral landscape so
much that many never see themselves as the perpetrators of evil but only its
victims. Greed, lust, and selfishness have dominated their lives. Still, they
do not recognize themselves as in need of reform. Nor do they feel the need for
a savior to rescue them from precariousness. They think that with good
psychological guidance they can solve their problems and live well. Although
there is a place for psychological help, it will not overcome the evil that
causes the ruin of souls.
We live in a time that
philosophers call “post-Christian.” Many people throughout the world do not
believe in God, and even fewer accept the Christian faith. In many cases they
are not fully responsible for their refusal to believe because they have not heard
the faith preached with intelligence and conviction. For them as well as for
our salvation we want to live our faith with integrity. Doing so, we will be
the trunk of Jesse that sprouts a new branch, as Isaiah proclaims in a favorite
Advent reading, so that the world may be saved.
It is not bad in
itself to participate in the current Christmas celebrations. Certainly, humans
are not made only to work. May we rejoice with others. But may we always carry
in our hearts the firm conviction that we celebrate, above all, the Savior of
the world, Jesus Christ.
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