THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT--- December 14, 2008
Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 John 1:6-8, 19-28
The theme: We are called to rejoice and be a light to the world.
The third Sunday of Advent presents the theme of Joy and light. It is the rejoicing that the Lord is coming and there is hope in the heart of every person that the Lord is close at hand. The first word of the entrance hymn today is “Rejoice!” And so this Sunday has come to be known as “Gaudete Sunday”, from the Latin word Gaudete meaning you rejoice. St John speaks about Jesus as light dispelling darkness. Two questions are raised today. Why should we be rejoicing? Why Jesus is called the light?
The story of a young man with an addiction to smoking: Addiction to smoking cigars. Every five minutes he smokes. One night he saw a terrible dream and he got up. Then he searched for the cigars and lighter. He did found cigarettes but not the lighter. He became impatient. He opened the door and came to the drawing room. There he saw a lamp. He took the lamp and with cigarettes in the other hand came back to his room to search for the lighter. He did not find. On the same night, he went to his friend’s house to get a lighter with lit lamp in one hand and the cigarettes in the other hand. He knocked at the door of his friend, when his friend opened the door; he asked to give him a lighter or matches to light the cigarettes. Then friend first looked at him and saw the lit lamp in one hand and cigarettes in the other hand. Friend began to think, what happened to him, he was alright till yesterday, and he forgot to light the cigarettes from the lit lamp in his hand. There was light with him but did not realize
He failed to see the light in his hand or with him. He had the light to light a cigarette but he never recognized the light.
It is a story of yours and mine. Why? We fail to recognize Jesus who is the light within us. We have received him at the baptism; Eucharist etc. we know him and his strength but fail to see the light. We may be still in darkness.
Look at the candle that is lit at the altar. It is very symbolic. It gives heat, energy, light dispelling the darkness by becoming smaller and smaller.
In today’s gospel, God speaks through the voice of John the Baptist. He told the people that he is only a voice to announce about the long waited messiah. John the Baptist was not just a mere voice, but a voice of change, a voice of transformation, for creating a new order, for getting rid of old ways and getting into new values and of making straight the way of the Lord. The people were in darkness because they are under slavery of sin. Jesus came as the light for all. John the Baptist not only recognized this light, but announced and proclaimed it and bore witness to this light by his very life.
What does Jesus the light do? The first reading explains it.
God speaks to us through Prophet Isaiah. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me.” In these Words, we hear those of the Lord Jesus who was sent by God the Father for the salvation of mankind. “He, God the Father, has sent Jesus to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” The Heavenly Father sent His only begotten Son Jesus to bring the good news regarding the approach of the eternal Kingdom. Jesus came to proclaim liberty to the captives, to release the prisoners and the Heavenly Father sent His only beloved Son to reclaim the Heavenly Kingdom. In God’s love, the brokenhearted once more had the opportunity to inherit the Heavenly Kingdom of God through the Sacraments of the holy Catholic Church. Proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor, we should all rejoice in the Lord. He has provided us with means to inherit our salvation, not because of our works, but because of His infinite grace.
While accepting and receiving the light, and bearing witness to the Light, in today’s second Reading, we are told to always rejoice, to pray without ceasing, to give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for us. We should always rejoice because God has done great things for us as previously mentioned. We should always pray to secure our daily communion with the Lord God. We should always give thanks because all things come from God for the purpose of our sanctification as His children. We should do this in the Name of Jesus because it is through Christ, the only Mediator between God and man, that we receive our salvation.
Reconcile, see the light and rejoice.
Christ is among us. Do we recognize him? Are we blocked by our selfishness and hatred and injustices around us? Each of us is partially crippled and broken because of our sins, hang ups, illness grief and failure. Some people have experienced every type of pleasure but they would not have enjoyed real peace and serenity. In this dark meaningless situation we are called to be the voice and by our reconciliation proclaim the coming of this light.
St. Paul in the second reading invites us to be always joyful. Many people try to substitute joy with pleasure, the pleasure they find in drugs or immoral ways. True joy and deep joy comes only through prayer and service to others. John the Baptist lived an austere, prayerful, contemplative life and invited people to serve others through sharing what they had. May our waiting and preparation be not just an external one but also a radical and internal one, leading us to bear witness to the true light!
