THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT C

[cappie]

The Third Sunday of Advent is traditionally known as Gaudete Sunday.“Gaudete,”when translated from Latin, means “rejoice”. We know that Advent is a season of waiting and today we are called to be joyful as we await the coming of Jesus Christ.

God, through Zephaniah, offers us glimpses of a hopeful future and calls us to “Rejoice and exult with all our heart.”    Zephaniah, who has been called the most despondent of the prophets, kept the last word for joy—joy over the Lord’s presence, over renewal and restoration,  

It is believed that the Apostle Paul was under house arrest when he wrote the words we heard from his letter to the Philippians. And still, Paul could say,  I want you to be happy, always happy in the Lord. Well, Paul looked forward to the Lord’s coming, but he was happy because the Lord is always near. Paul seemed to have experienced the Lord’s constant presence in his imprisonment. Paul carried the joy of Advent with him wherever he went – even in a Roman jail.

Advent is not only a time for waiting but also a time of preparation – a time of looking for the coming of the Lord.

John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way for Jesus. He was sent into difficult, complicated times – times like we are experiencing. And his message was simple: repent; turn back to God. For John, repentance was not about beating ourselves up for things done or left undone; to repent meant total transformation – transformation that bears fruit.

 

John doesn’t ask the people to change the world, but rather to change themselves. He doesn’t tell them to leave their lives and stay with him; he tells the crowds who came to him to consider sharing what they have with the cold and hungry. He told the tax collectors to be honest and fair. The soldiers, he cautioned to act with integrity, avoiding abuse of their power. John told them. Go home to your families, your neighbours, your vocations, your friends, and live your lives as deeply and as generously as you can right now. Do what the Lord requires of you and do it now. Be generous be merciful, do justice now.

What does this all mean for us? In this Advent  we seek the answers to the question “What should we do?” As we wait and as we look forward to the coming of the Messiah, are we engaging in the kind of reflection that leads to action? Or have we fallen into complacency? Are we gathering like the crowds in John’s story, moving toward genuine repentance? Or are we turning away?  

We might think that focusing our attention on what we long for but do not yet have might be a cause for discouragement rather than joy. But, perhaps, it is that very act of watching and waiting and looking for the coming of God that inspires great joy. The Gospel writer calls John’s exhortation “good news.” And it is, for nothing in our lives is beyond redemption. Knowing and accepting this is reason enough for rejoicing.

This is not easy. That’s why it takes  amending our lives and turning toward God. That is what we must do to prepare in this season. Advent is beckoning us to do just that, and it encourages us with a promise, rather than a threat: the promise of the coming embrace of Christ and the gift of abundant life that he brings.  It was John’s great joy to always be pointing to Jesus. Today, it is our great joy to be waiting for the coming of Jesus.

As we enter the second half of Advent, our minds are drawn frequently away from themes of judgement to the role that the Blessed Virgin Mary has in the story of our salvation. The Sunday readings move from their focus on John the Baptist to Our Lady as we hear the story of the Visitation to Elizabeth.

On this Gaudete Sunday,  the coming of the Messiah and the Gospel of Jesus Christ are the Good News the angel will speak of when appearing to the shepherds, “I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.” This brings us hope even amid our struggles so that when the Christ child arrives at the manger, we can rejoice and sing with gusto, “Joy to the world! The Lord is come.” For now, we pray, “Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us.”