THEME: BE JOYFUL
A story is told of a religious Sister named Marian Stella who was heading a secondary school for boys. The boys were so stubborn that Sister was very hard on them. One Christmas season, as the boys were busy preparing the Christmas crib, one of them accidentally broke one of the statues made of ceramics. All the boys screamed “Sister will steam you alive.” They were just waiting to see what Sister will do to the poor boy. When sister came, and saw what has happened, she was calm, unusual of her. Then she bend down and began putting the broken statue together piece by piece. As she did that she looked at the astonishing faces of the boys and told them, “This is what Jesus came to do at Christmas namely to heal our brokenness and and make us joyful in the midst of our weaknesses. Are you broken?
This Sunday is traditionally called Gaudete (Rejoicing) Sunday. This is because the readings of today’s liturgy bring into sharp focus Jesus’ liberation for the entire humanity. Jesus liberates us from the slavery of sin onto the threshold of freedom and peace. He restores the social order which hitherto is beset with injustice. In the same light, Mary, our mother rejoices too in the fact that through her, God restores the social order and brings hope to a humanity whose hope is waning.
The first reading from the prophet Isaiah forms part of the book of Isaiah called Trito Isaiah or the Book of Restoration. The Israelites have just returned from exile in Babylon, their Temple (their pride) has been destroyed. Indeed, they were dejected, broken and experienced all the negative things associated with being in exile. It is within this context that Isaiah prophesied about the coming of the Messiah who will restore both the social and religious order. The prophet says “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and release to the prisoners and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour… (Isaiah 61:1-2a).
The Israelites have every cause to rejoice because all that they lost in exile was being restored to them. Their identity, their integrity and the like were being restored. For the prophet assures them “ For as the earth brings forth shoots and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations” ( Isaiah 61:11a).
You will notice that the images the Prophet uses presupposes that joy or to rejoice is a gratuitous gift from God; it is unmeritorious. The same is true for the many who are searching for meaning in life. It does not matter if you are the cause of your own problems. The Lord wants to restore you; he wants to restore your brokenness.
Gratitude is the least of all the virtues. But ingratitude is the greatest of all the vices. God requires of us a little bit of appreciation for what He is doing in our lives. Therefore, on this third Sunday of Advent, the Church presents to us already, Mary in the Psalm as a model of rejoicing in the Magnificat she sang. Mary teaches us how to praise God even in the most difficult circumstances of our lives. It is one of the prayers of the Church that has and continues to be prayed so often that it has become a cliché and for that matter is not really appreciated by those who pray them. I think, a reflection would aid us to rediscover the richness of this prayer and like Mary, we would always sing the praises of God who has called us out of darkness into his wonderful light.
What kind of joy are you looking for? Is it one that is transient; one sought in material possession? St. Paul in the second reading presents to us that joy or rejoicing is all about … “praying without ceasing, giving thanks to God in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” ( 1Thessalonians 5:16-18). Indeed, as Dante said “In your will, Lord we find true peace. Who are those seeking for true joy and peace? Do the will of God.
Mother Church admonishes us at the beginning of the Church’s Liturgical year to rejoice in the following words “Rejoice in the Lord always again I will say rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving; let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7).
In sum, certainly, we can be joyful in the midst of suffering and turmoil so long as we are close to Christ. This is the secret of the saints. They reached such a degree of closeness to their friend Jesus that suffering only increased their joy because it made it easier for them to identify with him. The secret of the saints must be our secret too. As we grow closer to him our joy will increase. Jesus, of course, is the fire which warms us. We need to get close to him – to know him as our personal friend.
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