Word to the Wise
Sunday, December 13, 2015 - 3rd Sunday of Advent - C
[Zeph 3:14-18a; Phil 4:4-7; Luke 3:10-18]Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. [Philippians]
The third sunday in Advent is traditionally known as "Gaudete Sunday," from a Latin word meaning, "Rejoice!" (Lent has a similar Sunday called "Laetare Sunday," which means the same thing. Latin has more than one way of rejoicing!) The "rose-colored" candle on the Advent wreath is lighted and in some parishes the celebrant of the Mass will wear "rose-colored" vestments. (When I wear them, I tell the parishioners to ignore what their eyes are telling them and say "rose" and not "pink.") The celebration is meant to provide a kind of "break" in the preparation for Christmas. St. Paul was not thinking of Advent when he wrote to the Philippians, but the Church finds his advice about rejoicing to be the right tone for the day and the season. It is more than the "HO! HO! HO! MERRRRRY CHRISTMAS!" that echoes through all those stores or even online!
What St. Paul has to say neatly ties together what Zephaniah and Luke present. Zephaniah writes: "Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; he will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love; he will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals." The key words here are, "The Lord, your God, is in your midst." As the saying goes, "That's the reason for the season!" Luke has John the Baptist foretelling not only Jesus' ministry but also giving us a taste of it in his advice to those who ask: "What should we do?" As St. Paul puts it, "Your kindness should be known to all."
Perhaps this Sunday, we can ask ourselves how our kindness is made known to all? How do we really "put skin on Christmas?" John the Baptist is saying, "Change the way you do things!" Selfishness and greed have no place in the life of faith. Things go deeper than that, however. Is the purpose of "the holiday season" to boost our national economy? If we can rejoice in the celebration of Jesus' birth and show it by our kindness to others, we will put "Christmas" back in "the holiday season." AMEN
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