December 16, 2018

3^rd Sunday of Advent (C)

“What is it, this Joy?”

Msgr. Thomas Gervasio

Today different groups go to St. John the Baptist with a basic and serious question: “What shall we do?” It reminds me of a serious question that a young sister, a Missionary of Charity posed to St. Theresa of Calcutta, years ago. She asked: “Mother, what must I do to become a saint?” Mother Teresa said, “If you want to be a saint, die now because Pope John Paul is canonizing everyone!”
 
Today joy pervades our celebration of the 3rd Sunday of Advent, called by its Latin name, “Gaudete Sunday” (Rejoice Sunday). The liturgical readings, prayers, and even the color of vestments gives us a foretaste of the joy of Christmas which is at hand.
 
It has been said that joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God. Our Lord said that he came so that his joy might be ours and that our joy may be complete. Joy should characterize the Christian life.
 
Pope Francis asked, “What is it, this joy? Is it having fun? No it is not the same thing. Having fun is good, enjoying ourselves is good, but joy is something more, something else. [It] does not come from temporary conditions, from the conditions of the moment.” Christian joy has less to do with emotion and more to do with belief. It is the belief that we are unconditionally loved by God and that nothing can take that love away.
 
Pope St. Paul VI observed, “Technological society has succeeded in multiplying opportunities for pleasure, but it has great difficulty in generating joy, for joy comes from another source. It has its source in God.
 
This is why Christians have the ability to find joy in the most unpromising circumstances, in times of struggle, in pain and suffering. The martyrs went to their death with a sense of joy because they had a lively and literal sense of God’s reality, his power, and his goodness. It is the certainty that the Lord is by our side, that we are not alone and that God is faithful to his promises.
 
Christian joy does not deny the pain and struggles of life. Did you ever meet someone who somehow does that? You know...the person is wears a permanent smile and proclaims there are no problems, nothing is wrong, all is sweetness and light! I find such people annoying! Why? Because life just isn’t that way all the time. There are circumstances that are serious, problematic, and cause us sadness. Yet Christians can possess joy even in the midst to trials because they know God’s unconditional love, mighty power, and fidelity.
 
Joy does something more, it attracts. In a time when we so often hear about the challenge of bringing others to the faith...to evangelize, a very important ingredient to that task is joy. Pope Francis said “We cannot proclaim Christ with funeral faces.” Good news becomes no news when announced without joy. [My son doesn’t come to Mass....does he see the joy your faith brings?] We must meet the apathy of the world with the joy that comes from our relationship with Christ and the Church. Let us be dispensers of joy. Let us remember that our entire life is in the hands of a God who loves and cares for us, who never abandons us, and who is faithful to his promises.