Third Sunday of Advent: 14th December, 2014
Is 61: 1-2 a, 10-11; 1Thes 5: 16-24; Jn 1: 1-6, 19-28.
Rejoice...again I say rejoice! Today is called the Gaudate Sunday, asking us to celebrate in foreboding joy, the Lord and his coming.
Joy is the key Christian value in today's world, maintains strongly our beloved Holy Father Pope Francis. He says a christian should be able to convince the world that one can be filled with joy and live one's life inspiring the same joy in those around and in the world at large. It is possible that one gets confused as to what this joy really means. But as to Christian joy, there should be no doubt what it means.
J-Jesus... first and foundation.
Christian Joy is to place Jesus first in life. When the Lord is given the first and the central place in life, every thing else falls in place. Relativising every thing else in relation to God is a source of an immense serenity. John the Baptist knew that well and bears witness to this serenity!
The foundation of Christian Joy is the Lord himself. It involves a grateful recognition of all that Good had done to us. Like our blessed mother we would break into a song of praise and thanksgiving: my soul magnifies the Lord; for the Lord has done great things for me. Like Isaiah today and like Jesus himself who would quote the very same verses of Isaiah... we would acknowledge the working of the spirit on our behalf.
O-Others... prior and principle.
The other comes prior to the self in true joy. True Christian joy would take into consideration the other immediately after the Lord, who is the source of joy. Selfishness and avarice, pleasure and exploitation cannot form part of Christian joy.
The very principle of Christian joy is the community and the sense of the people of God! The Don Bosco Youth Centres in Chennai have this tag line attached to them: No one has the right to be happy alone. The call "rejoice" today, comes to the community as a whole to rejoice in the Lord who has willed to act on their behalf.
Y-You... last but not the least
You come at the end nevertheless "you" matter much to the Lord. It is not true to think that Christian spirit requires that you negate yourself to the extent that you think your self is evil! It is not. You are precious in the eyes of God and you form an integral and important part of God's salvific plan.
Rejoice... is the call today. Let's rejoice in the Lord and prepare ourselves more intensely with that joy, to receive the Lord when He comes.