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Homilies - Bishop Brendan Leahy

Year A: Third Sunday. Rejoice Sunday

Year A: Third Sunday. Rejoice Sunday

The Third Sunday of Advent is called “Gaudete” Sunday. The word “Gaudete” means “rejoice”. The theme of rejoicing is found in the First Reading and already in St Paul’s words quoted in the Entrance verse: ‘Rejoice in the Lord, always; again I say to you rejoice.’

We rejoice because Christmas is drawing near. We see this in the busy-ness of the shops. People are putting up Christmas trees and decorating their houses. Shops, pubs, hotels, offices are decked with Christmas decorations too. People are talking more about Christmas, thinking about presents, arranging family visits.

All of this is lovely and gets us into the festive spirit. But we need to make sure we don’t just stop at the superficial happiness of the festive spirit. Today is called “rejoicing Sunday” because it reminds us of the deep meaning of Christmas – God is coming to us. God is coming into our world to do something new and bring peace. Rejoicing is not to be confused with a Christmas decoration happiness. The rejoicing of the Christmas message touches us deep inside us telling us that God is coming deep into our lives and into the lives of others precisely where we and others have all kinds of fears, often hidden, going on.

How often we know we have weary hands, trembling knees, faint hearts. We see it also in so many terrible wars going on. On our own, there are so many situations inside us and outside that we don’t seem to be able to do anything about. And yet, on this Gaudete Sunday, we are invited to rejoice because God says to us: “do not be afraid; I am coming to save you; no matter what situation you’re in, I’m there by your side to strengthen you, free you, be with you even in the most difficult of situations, even if you feel a great burden of sin”.

It’s a question of believing this and having patience to let God come and do his work in us and around us. Even John the Baptist had to realise this too. He had pointed the way to Jesus but now in prison, he suffers doubt. The Jesus he had told others was coming, seems to be so different to what he expected. He thought Jesus would come to condemn and judge people harshly, exact vengeance for wrongdoing, punish. Instead, the disciples he had sent to Jesus came back describing for John a different picture. They describe a very compassionate Jesus giving sight to the blind, helping the lame walk, cleansing sinners, restoring sound to the dead, raising the dead to life, preaching good news to the poor. Jesus is the God who is close, healing, transforming lives.

John the Baptist is having to realise that the God who is coming is different to what he expected. And so, even at this late stage in prison, he has to convert to Jesus, to how Jesus is coming. He has to open himself to the new, different way of God’s coming. Jesus said: happy is the man who does not lose faith in me.

On this Gaudete, rejoicing Sunday, on the one hand, we’re being invite to rejoice and realise deeply: God is coming. But we’re also being invited to be open to how God wants to come into our lives and into our world. Often we can have doubts. Is God really taking notice of me? Can he really make flowers blossom in the wilderness that I see in our world, in others, in myself? Is the kingdom of heaven, of new life, of a new world, just an illusion or is it possible?  Is it really possible to look at the world and see God’s action in it?

We’re being invited to believe more this Sunday. To open our eyes to see God at work. To be grateful for God’s actions in us and in others that’s different to how we might have expected. We thought the solution to this or that situation would be in a particular way but instead it turned out another way. But perhaps this is precisely the point – God is in charge not us. On our own, we can’t make the wilderness blossom. On our own, we can’t give strength or remove fears. But God is able to do so much more than we can possibly imagine. A word from Mother Teresa: 'I used to believe that prayer changed things, but now I know that prayer changes us, and we change things'.

A woman told me recently how her son was diagnosed with autism. It was a big blow. But, she said, rather than focussing only on the diagnosis, she and her husband also looked to Jesus, focussed on him in faith. And their son has grown and developed and his now doing well in college. She is grateful and rejoices that she kept her focus on what Jesus can do rather than just wallowing in the challenge.

 Yes, let’s rejoice that God is coming to change our world. Let’s believe it. Let’s have patience to let God do his work in his own time, however and whenever he wants. But let’s recognise that this requires a conversion on our part. God wants to come into our world and change things. But he can only do it with us and through us if we let him.