Sunday, February 15, 2024

 THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT, December 15, 2024

(Zephaniah 3:14-18; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:10-18)

You might know that this third Sunday of Advent is called "Gaudete Sunday" or, in English, "Sunday of Rejoicing." Today, we are called to rejoice for a couple of reasons. First, we’ve passed more than half of the waiting period for Christmas. But more importantly, joy characterizes the entire Advent season. Allow me to explain this further.

Centuries ago, in France, Advent was considered a time of penance. During this season, catechumens prepared for baptism on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. For this reason, the community fasted along with the baptismal candidates. However, this was never the custom in Rome where Advent prepared for Christmas. After the Roman Church unified celebrations throughout its domain, it became clear that Advent is not a penitential season but one of joy. This is evident in today’s first readings with the gospel indicating the motivation of such joy.

In the first reading, the prophet Zephaniah calls Jerusalem to rejoice, saying: “The Lord, your mighty Savior, is in your midst.” Similarly, St. Paul, in the second reading urges that the Philippians rejoice joy for a similar reason: “The Lord is near.” Today, we rejoice because we sense the Lord’s imminent arrival among us.

The gospel exhorts us to good works. We are all called to help the needy, act with fairness, and to tell the truth. When we always act in these ways, we feel a deep satisfaction for having fulfilled the justice to which the Lord calls us. Furthermore, we are joyful because the Lord’s coming brings us the promise of eternal salvation.

During the Christmas season many seek pleasure. They buy liquors, prepare special meals, and take vacations. These gratifications are not inherently bad, but they do not offer the joy that Advent invites us to experience. It’s important to understand the difference between pleasure and joy to grow spiritually.

Pleasure is a sensual emotion, something we feel when we come into contact with an external good. However, its effect is fleeting and usually individualistic. For example, seeing a beautiful sunrise brings us momentary pleasure, but we cannot share that sensation with those who do not see it.

Joy, on the other hand, is an emotion of the spiritual appetite. It can arise in several ways: practicing virtue, coming to understand a profound truth, or loving goodness. Joy will perdure in our memory because it does not depend upon anything outside itself.  Born out of effort, joy can be shared with others who have had the same kind of experience. For example, the satisfaction of having achieved an academic degree can last for years and be shared with others who have worked hard to achieve a goal. 

In these days before Christmas, we can experience joy by performing acts of charity. Parishioners who prepare bags of food for the poor have this spiritual satisfaction. They return home content, knowing they have fulfilled the Lord’s command to feed the hungry. They further sense that Jesus is near to reward them.

However, it is not necessary to accomplish great deeds to experience the joy of Christmas. We only need to believe that Christ is at hand to save us from our folly.