Word to the Wise
Sunday, December 15, 2024 - 3rd Sunday of Advent - C
[Zeph 3:14-18a; Phil 4:4-7; Luke 3:10-18,210]Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has removed the judgment against you, he has turned away your enemies; the King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. [Zephaniah] Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. [Philippians] Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ..." [Luke]
The third Sunday in Advent is traditionally titled as "Gaudete Sunday," from a Latin verb meaning "to rejoice." It is a rejoicing in expectation because the cause for rejoicing is still ahead. I liken it to the child who spots a package under the Christmas tree that is just the right size for the one thing he or she hopes to receive on Christmas eve or day and rejoices in expectation. Or, it can be like the reaction to the news that a close friend, separated by distance during the year, is coming to visit during the holidays.
Messianic expectation in the Old Testament and New Testament are presented to us today. Zephaniah, like John the Baptist, warns of divine punishment but offers hope once that scourging is over. St. Paul's preaching speaks to the second coming of Christ, which he thought would occur soon. We are the ones who live between the first and second comings and we live in expectation. The season of Advent focuses on the first coming, but one of St. Paul's admonitions fits both: "Your kindness should be known to all."
The great Dominican mystic, Meister Eckhart, is quoted as saying, What good is it to me that Christ was born so many years ago if he is not born in me every day. If our kindness is only known in Advent or Christmas, we are missing the message. But this season does give us a special opportunity to show that kindness, especially to those whom we know who are suffering a particular loss and grieving and have little cause to "rejoice!" HOPE is not something that can be wrapped in paper. It has to be wrapped in kindness and love. AMEN