Archive for December 12th, 2008|Daily archive page
THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT – B
Leave a Comment
The Third Sunday of Advent is also called Gaudete Sunday. The Latin word gaudete means Rejoice! I add the exclamation mark because our rejoicing on this day ought to go beyond that caused by the realization that the celebration of this Third Sunday means we are half way through the penitential Advent Season. True, half-way means we are close to the celebration of the dawn of our salvation in the birth of Jesus Christ and the promise that contains of Christ’s coming again in glory. Certainly there is enough in those realities to give us food for contemplation for the rest of our lives. But another reason for us to rejoice is in the realization of the reality that lives in us, the transformation that has happened to us through our Baptism.
At the beginning of Jesus’ preaching ministry in Luke’s Gospel, the Lord quotes the opening words of today’s first reading from the prophet Isaiah: 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 broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord. Then he rolled up the scroll and announced to those in attendance that today Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled in their hearing. Remember what has happened to you in Baptism. You entered priesthood. The heavens opened over you and God shouted for all to hear: This is my beloved. Listen! Identified with Christ, through the outpouring of the Spirit, Christ took up residence in you. When God looks at you God cannot distinguish you from Christ so complete is that identity. Therefore, in case there are any doubts, so perfectly are you embraced in God’s love forever. Now.
With all that in mind, I suggest that you hear this Sunday’s readings in that light. You ought to be able to quote Isaiah’s opening words just as Jesus did. And as you do hear what the Lord is sending you to do. Announce good news to the lowly. Free captives. Release prisoners. Let all you meet know that we live in an endless year of God’s favor.
Isaiah’s lushly poetic proclamation was voiced as Israel began to see restoration and release following the Babylonian enslavement. The Temple was rising again out of the ashes. Jerusalem would live again. What for so long had seemed a hopeless situation, a winter that would never yield to a thaw, suddenly was transformed into a second spring of life and light. As that reality dawns, how could there be any other emotion but that of rejoicing? The Prophet made it personal, rejoicing in the Lord’s salvation like a bridegroom with a crown, like a bride bedecked with jewels. If springtime can come to a land in deep freeze so, too, can God make justice come forth and cause a people to praise God and live before others the relationship that is theirs with God. You make it personal, too. Restoration will happen. You are the bridegroom with the diadem. You are the bejeweled bride. Peace will be restored in God’s day. Darkness will not last forever. The Sun of justice will return. The winter of our discontent will be made glorious again.
Just as all this begins to overwhelm and give rise to protestations of expectations beyond the ability of anyone but the most exceptional to realize, I urge you to remember that it is God’s grace that empowers. Paul urged the Thessalonians not to quench the Spirit. Hear him say the same thing to you. What are prophetic utterances that Paul urges you not to despise? A prophet speaks what God wants people to hear. When you speak against injustice, that is a prophetic utterance. When you lift up someone whose spirit is broken or is lost in grief, and you tell that one that s/he has reason to live and is beloved of God, that is prophetic utterance. You get the idea, I am sure. Each time you put love into word and action, you are a prophet.
And something more. Notice that Paul writes to the Thessalonians, that is, to the Church at Thessalonica. The message is meant to be heard individually and collectively. You are not being called to act alone, but with your brothers and sisters who gather with you at the Table of the Word and of the Eucharist. The church must be prophetic to the world at large. The parish of which you are a part must be prophetic to the community at large. You are an essential part of both. It is not a time for accusation or exclusion. It is a time when the Lord’s Table Fellowship must be imitated and enacted. Come to me all you who are hungry or thirsty and I will refresh you. Those esteemed to be lepers in our society must be embraced. The dignity and worth and right to life of every individual must be promoted and upheld. By individuals. By parishes. By the Church. That will translate prophecy in action just as loving translates Eucharist into action.
We leave Mark’s Gospel this week to hear from the introduction to John’s. Who is John the Baptizer? What is his significance? The people wanted to know because of the powerful things he said and did. He so awed the people by the magnificence of his message that they thought he might be the Christ, the long awaited Messiah. After all, everyone went out to hear him. He baptized many of them and called them all to repentance, that is, to change their lives. John’s Gospel is the gospel of Signs. Signs are events that point to unseen realities. The Baptist obviously is a Sign for the people pointing not to himself but to the one who will baptize them in Spirit and truth. John’s witness prepares the way for Christ’s coming into the hearts of those touched by his words and deeds.
You have been baptized in Spirit and in truth. Paul urged the Thessalonians to pray without ceasing. Be a person of prayer. It is in prayer that the reality of what has happened to you will become clear and the implications. Prayer ought to be your preparation for the Eucharist you celebrate. Prayer will empower you to yield to the transforming power of the Eucharist so that you, and those with whom you assemble can be sent to be, in the market place, bread that is broken and cup that is poured out. If you do this, the world will notice and wonder and may even recognize Christ who embraces them through you.
Rejoice on this Third Sunday of Advent that this reality is dawning in your midst. It isn’t that long until we will celebrate the birth of our salvation and be renewed in our hope for the day when Christ will come again. Commit yourself to working for the realization of Christ’s reign when he returns in glory.
May the God of peace make you perfect in holiness. May he preserve you whole and entire, spirit, soul, and body, irreproachable at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls us is trustworthy; therefore he will do it.
Rejoice!
Sincerely,
Didymus
