This third Sunday in Advent, Guadete Sunday,
we are called to rejoice. But this message of rejoicing doesn't point us to
some joy or superficial pleasure from the things of this world, but a joy
that's rooted in the way in which we prepare a path for the Lord this Advent
season. What does this rejoicing
entail? What does it call us to do in
our lives of faith?
We
might get a good sense of the biblical call to rejoice from Zephaniah in our
first reading this morning, as he and the other prophets of ancient Israel
often called God's people to rejoice in their darkest moments. Zephaniah called out to Israel in the midst
of political turmoil and uncertainty in the 7th century BC, before
the reforms by King Josiah and before the destruction of the Temple and the
Babylonian exile. Zephaniah tells his
people that God is in their midst, that God loves them, that he invites them to
be renewed in this love. God encourages
his people, telling them not to fear, that he will rejoice over them with
gladness.
Paul
quite possibly wrote the letter in today's 2nd reading while he was
under arrest, certainly not the happiest circumstances for him to be telling
the Philippians to “rejoice in the Lord always” and to “have no anxiety at
all.” But Paul goes on to say that he
wants them to have “the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.”
What
did Zephaniah and Paul intend by telling us to have joy & to rejoice in the
midst of very unfavorable circumstances?
Perhaps they're calling us to holiness & wholeness. Perhaps they're referring to the true source
of our joy and rejoicing, going beyond our existential human state, beyond any
feelings or sufferings we can have in our hearts. Perhaps they believe that joy and rejoicing
are essentially a decision we make in our lives, a decision that's grounded in
our faith. Rejoicing is not ultimately
found in the worldly environment we create in our attempts to ensure our
happiness, but instead in the presence of God in our lives, which is the
presence of love itself. That's where we
find joy – that's where we are able to rejoice.
When
I served as a missionary in Ecuador, the entire country was going through
political and economic turmoil. The El Niño storm system had destroyed most of
the country's harvest. Violence & instability were taking over the country.
Yet, even in the jungle where I served, where so many people struggled each
day, they found reasons to celebrate in their lives, with their celebrations
being full of joy and rejoicing. How were people who were suffering in so many
ways able to express their faith with overflowing joy? Maybe they really understood the message that
we hear from Zephaniah & St. Paul this morning.
This
brings us to John the Baptist, that eccentric wilderness prophet who is
pointing us to Jesus throughout the season of Advent. John’s message is preparing us for the birth
of our Savior in our world. The crowds,
the tax collectors, even the soldiers – all of them are asking John in today’s
Gospel: “What should we do?” If they were truly happy and content in their
lives, I doubt that they'd be asking this question. It's interesting that they ask this question
of John, this radical prophet, rather than the governmental authorities, or the
priests of the Temple, or the elders of the community. They must have seen
something very special in John the Baptist and his message. John gives them a
very real, down-to-earth response, telling them that they should do good deeds
and stop their unjust practices – to collect only the fair amount of taxes
prescribed, to share their food & clothing with the poor, to not extort or
falsely accuse their neighbor.
Some
days, I bet most of us wish we had a John the Baptist in our lives, a prophet
whom we could ask what it is we need to do. Yet, deep in our hearts, we
probably already know what we need to do, or at least know where and how we can
turn to God to point us in the right direction.
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