Readings: Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11; 1 Thess. 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28
Rejoicing in the midst of Adversity
1. Every December 25th after the Christmas Mass, I would travel to Nigeria to be with my family. At the beginning of December, my friends will begin to count days, then hours down to minutes before I touched down in Nigeria. There is always anticipation, anxiety and a sheer joy when I call to say that I was in Nigeria. The joy and anticipation of my family and friends describe the few remaining days before Christmas. On this Gaudete Sunday, the Church calls on us to rejoice for the Lord is near!
2. December is the month of expectation, anxiety and anticipation. It is the month of lights, festivities, gift-giving, Christmas trees, carols, shopping, traveling and merriment. This year will be different due to Covid-19. While preparing materially for Christmas, we must not forget the reason for the season. Christ is the reason for the season. Because of him we must rejoice. The first reading tells us: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God.” We rejoice because when the Messiah comes, “He shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.” (Is. 11:4-5). We rejoice because with the Messiah in our midst, “The wolf shall be a guest of the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, the lion shall eat hay like the ox. The baby shall play by the cobra’s den, and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair. There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord as water covers the sea.” (Is. 11:6-9). Yes, “In his days justice shall flourish and peace till the moon fails.” (Ps. 71). Our God is coming to save us, indeed!
3. It is not surprising that the preaching of John drew so much attention. “People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.” (Mark 1:5). John’s preaching brought rich and poor, Jews and gentiles, friends and foes alike, sharing the same space to listen to him. He provoked a change of heart even as they asked, “What then should we do?” (Lk. 3:10). He made them forget their differences as they searched for happiness, peace and joy. Could John be the Messiah? Is he Elijah, the long-awaited prophet prophesied in Malachi 3? “Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me; and suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek, and the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Yes, he is coming, says the Lord of host.” The Gospel narrated that the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask John if he was the Messiah or the Christ, or Elijah or the Prophet. He said he was none of those personalities, instead “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.”
4. John prepared the way for Jesus, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” John testified to the light, for he himself was not the light. The real light was coming into the world and that light is Christ. Therefore, Christ must increase, but I must decrease.” (Jn. 3:30). Christ himself said “I am the light of the world.” (Jn. 8:12). John’s mission was to make Christ known “so that all might believe through him.” We are waiting anxiously with joy for Christ. He is our joy, our peace and our love. Once you find Christ, you have all the happiness and joy you need. He will change your life.
5. So dear friends, on this third Sunday of Advent, we rejoice, not because life is perfect but because we share the life of grace with Jesus. He came into the world for our salvation. He tells us, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” (Jn. 10:10). In spite of our troubled world, the uncertainties of daily life, Covid-19, our disturbing political environment, violence, unemployment, fears, anxieties and all other vicissitudes of life, we know that we should rejoice in the Lord. Hence St. Paul tells us in the second reading to “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” Yes, our world may not be free of worries and anxieties, but we can be agents of change and transformation we desire. If we have the knowledge and fear of the Lord in ourselves and begin to live according to the grace of God, we will create that perfect world we all long for. It may not be in this world, but we will be sure to share a life of grace with God in the next. May God bless and guide us now and always. Amen.
Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP
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