Word to the Wise
Sunday, December 17, 2017 - 3rd Sunday of Advent - B
[Isa 61:1-2a, 10-11; 1 Thess 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28]The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God. I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul...[Isaiah]
The third Sunday of Advent is traditionally called GAUDETE SUNDAY, from the Latin word meaning, "Rejoice!," which used to begin the entrance antiphon for Mass. Perhaps the reason was that the season of preparation is half done or because the community was looking forward to what would take place. I liken the latter reason to a child who sees a package under the Christmas tree that he or she knows is the right size for the item desired! In any case, the emphasis today is on rejoicing. This can be a challenge, however, for many at this time of year
When Jesus came to his hometown to preach for the first time (Luke 4), his family and townspeople did not exactly rejoice! He quoted to them the passage from Isaiah in the first scripture for today and they ran him out of town. Ultimately, his preaching would lead him to Jerusalem and his death and resurrection. When John the Baptist was preaching before Jesus' arrival, many thought he was crazy and when he confronted Herod, that cost him his life! Prophets who try to bring joy and hope through a positive conversion of life may find that many folks prefer the grim religious legalism of the Pharisees!
Pope Francis, in his apostolic exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii gaudium), writes: "One of the more serious temptations which stifles boldness and zeal is a defeatism which turns us into querulous and disillusioned pessimists, 'sourpusses.'" To these folks who say to Advent joy, "Bah! Humbug!" we have to offer the joy and hope of Christ. To those who are suffering and say, "What's the use!" we try to shine a light of hope. To those who are captive to illness, oppression, grief and suffering of all kinds, joy is water in a desert. Our challenge is to be "prophets of joy" in this season. AMEN
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