Dear Friends in Christ:
Advent is quickly coming to a close. Today, the Third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday – Rejoice! Sunday. We hear in today’s Entrance Antiphon and in our second reading the famous exaltation of St. Paul to the Philippians, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice…The Lord is near!” Phil 4:4,5. We also hear the Prophet Zephaniah extolling “O daughter Zion, O Israel, O daughter Jerusalem” to shout for joy, sing joyfully and be glad and exult with all your heart for the Lord is in your midst!
Today, we rejoice in the firm and certain faith that Jesus is with us and is coming again. It is our faith and our hope that with the Second Coming of Jesus will be the end of time. Today, we rejoice that Christmas, the feast of the First Coming of the Lord in His nativity, is also near at hand. On a more proximate level, we rejoice that our season of penance is coming to an end. Historically, Gaudete Sunday was also a reprieve from the penances and sacrifices of Advent similar to Laetare Sunday in Lent. Our appreciation of “sacred” rejoicing has become muted with the immensity of secular hoopla that bombards and surrounds us this time of year. In contrast to the world, we, as Catholics, fast before we feast in order to make our feasting all the more impactful. We still see glimpses of the authentic penitential nature of Advent in church – the purple vestments, the lack of flowers, the emphasis on Confession, etc. We see this, as well in the Eucharistic fast, that before receiving the Eucharist at Mass, we should fast from food or drink for at least an hour. Gaudete Sunday is a wonderful reminder that our fasting is nearly over, and the feast is near! This is still the time of preparation. If you have not been to confession, please avail yourself of the opportunity this week. Come give your sins to Jesus in the Sacrament of Penance and allow the Lord to bestow his forgiveness, grace and healing upon you. In these last days of Advent, there is still time to avail yourselves of a few moments to be quiet, pray, reflect and spiritually prepare your heart and your family for the feast of the Nativity of the Lord.
We have often heard the lament that Christmas is too commercial, that we have lost the true meaning of Christmas and that there is a “War on Christmas”. Complaining does little to change the situation. What we can do to make real change happen is to change our behavior and actions. With God’s grace and a deliberate act of our will, we can make a real difference for ourselves and our families in how we celebrate Christmas. The changes may be small and may seem insignificant, but that is how big changes start. How we observe Advent and Christmas can have an impact on others (neighbors, friends, co-workers). We can be the cause for their own re-thinking, reflection, and questioning about how they act. We can reclaim the spiritual dimension of Advent and Christmas and share the richness and blessings that God offers. To receive these gifts means that we ourselves have to first live in the spiritual dimension of Advent and Christmas. We prepare our hearts to receive Christ by exhibiting Christ and sharing Christ with others. Allowing our lives to be more guided and directed by Jesus and the teachings of His Church will lead us to be in contradiction to many of the ways of society, but it will also aid us in transforming our lives and, ultimately, society itself. Imagine, if the world really took Jesus and His message seriously and actually followed Him!
This Advent, let the joy of Jesus shine in you! This Christmas, let the love of Jesus be the Christmas gift that you give everyone! Live the Advent themes of vigilance, preparation, rejoicing and awe. The way to have a beautiful Christmas is to have a holy Advent. The way to eternal life is a holy life. The key to happiness is holiness and Christmas is not about us; it is about Jesus!