GAUDETE! REJOICE!
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.” So powerfully declares our Introit (Entrance Antiphon) from Mass today (from Philippians 4:4-5).
Dear brothers & sisters in the Lord Jesus, Blessed 3rd Sunday of Advent (also known as Gaudete Sunday or Rejoice Sunday) to you. Indeed, this a great occasion to rejoice in God, because we will soon celebrate Christmas & the Lord our Saviour is near to us!
Every element of our liturgical celebration today portrays our spirit of rejoicing & exulting with deep gladness. The Rose-coloured vestments worn by our Presider at Mass instantly gives a powerful visual sign to us that joy is all around & abounding. And the beautiful scripture readings today draw us close to the heart of God, where we can experience true & authentic joy.
I really love our 1st Reading today from Zephaniah 3:14-18. Just see in your mind’s eye & feel with your heart that God, the victorious king is in your midst & close to you. He is truly & deeply in love with you! He exults with joy because of you! He renews you & makes you whole & complete again by His great love! And if that’s not enough, the Lord dances with shouts of joy for you as on a day of festival! Why? For you are His beloved, precious in His sight & He loves you with an everlasting love. Isaiah 62:4-5 says this so perfectly: “For the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your Lord marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.”
So, what’s our response to such an outpouring of love from God? The Word of God gives us at least 3 ways. Firstly, from today’s Responsorial Psalm taken from Isaiah 12, we should “Sing & shout for joy for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel” (cf Isaiah 12:6). This entails us trusting in the Lord & not living in fear; drawing water (the divine life & grace of the Holy Spirit) from the wells of salvation – the heart of Jesus; giving praise & thanks to God; & always declaring the Lord’s goodness & mighty deeds.
Next, we must always rejoice in the Lord, as St Paul urges us in our 2nd reading from Philippians 4:4-7. St Paul is not suggesting a merely ‘woo-woo’, feel good, think positive & Pollyanna approach to life. Far from it! St Paul was in prison when he wrote the letter to the Philippians. Fear, doubt & uncertainty must have crossed his heart & mind. But St Paul remained resolute in his faith & trust in the Lord. He didn’t let his terrible situation overwhelm him & send his emotions into a downward spiral. Instead, he dug deep into his soul, relied on the peace & joy of the indwelling Holy Spirit inside him & made a commitment to rejoice, in spite of the trying circumstances. And we also are encouraged to do likewise.
Finally, like St John the Baptist in our Gospel today from Luke 3:10-18, we must respond to the love of God by living a life of integrity, authenticity, humility & truth. John recognized who he really was & embraced His identity – He knew that he was just the messenger & the ‘voice that cries out in the wilderness’ to prepare the way for the Lord. He fully lived out his calling to be a prophet of the Lord & spoke the truth, hard & inconvenient though it might be.
So, my dear brothers & sisters, can you truly rejoice in the Lord, in the face of our various challenges? Are you afflicted with poor health or even critical illness, financial hardships, no employment, stress, worries & fears about your children, divorced or separated, estrangement from family & loved ones, feeling deep loneliness & rejection etc? Today, Jesus, through the Prophet Zephaniah & Prophet Isaiah, St Paul & St John the Baptist, speaks tenderly to your heart. Open your hearts to Jesus today, rejoice & trust that he will work all things out for your good, & grant you His grace & peace. Surrender to the guidance & leadership of the Holy Spirit to “rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer” (cf Romans 12:12).
Article by Damian Boon, HFC Blog Team Lead