Hopefully you had a blessed week.
This weekend we celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent and are at the mid-point of this liturgical season. This Sunday traditionally is called the “Gaudete Sunday.” Gaudete is Latin for Rejoice. As Christmas Day gets closer and closer, we are also getting excited and joyful.
The command to rejoice, like every other command, is demanding. As we sing in the Lord of the Dance, “It’s hard to dance with the devil on your back.” Author Leo Buscaglia tells a story about his mother which shows that it takes a lot of faith to rejoice. His father came back from work one day and announced that he had lost all his money because his business partner had dumped him and ran away with their firm’s funds. That same evening, his mother went out, sold some of her expensive jewelry, and bought food for a sumptuous feast. People criticized her for reckless spending at a time when poverty was staring her in the face. But she told them “The time for joy is now, when we need it most, not next week.” Her courageous act rallied the family and gave them the hope they needed to face the future with confidence and trust that God was in control.
St. Paul begins by telling us what we must do at all times. “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus”.
At all times and in all circumstances we must rejoice, pray and give thanks. He adds that this command reflects the will of God for those who come to Him through Jesus Christ. As followers of Christ, we know that life on earth is not always sunny, but life after death is bliss. Our hope is not in this life only. That is why we are able to rejoice in good times and in bad, as Jesus himself did.
St. Paul tells us also, how to achieve that ideal life of God’s children to which he calls us. It is not something we achieve by our own power or human effort alone. It is something that God Himself accomplishes in us. “May the God of peace make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it”.
The life of holiness to which St. Paul invites us this Advent is the life of God in us. It is God in us who makes it happen. Our part is mainly to say yes to God, to surrender totally to Him. It is hard for us to live a life of rejoicing always, especially during this unpredicted and overwhelming the COVID pandemic, but the One who calls us to this life is one who always gives us what He commands. He is faithful, and He will do it in our lives. So be it.
Amen.
Fr. Tom