Gospel Reflection December 11th

The 3rd. Sunday of Advent – Rejoice in the Lord always

This Sunday is called Gaudete Sunday or the Sunday to Rejoice. This weekend we light the pink or rose coloured candle on our Advent Wreath. The opening antiphon this Sunday encourages us with these words of hope, ‘rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.’ The first reading from the Prophet of Isaiah tells us that the desert and dry land will be bloom and be filled with flowers. We are also told that ‘our God is coming to save us.’ So we have every reason to rejoice and to happy. The birth of Christ is almost upon, but not yet. The second reading for the Letter to St. James asks to ‘be patient until the Lord’s coming.’ We are to wait prayerfully and patiently as a farmer waits for seeds that were sown to produce their crop. It’s a slow process!

In last Sunday’s gospel we heard John the Baptist proclaim a new and radical message from God in the wilderness of the desert. Some of those who heard him greeted this message gladly. Others perhaps felt too challenged and refused to hear or listen to him. In our gospel this Sunday, John is in prison. From his cell, he hears what Jesus is saying and doing. He sends his own followers to Jesus to ask if he is the one the people have been waiting for. Never one to give a simple or straight answer, he asks John’s friends to tell him what they see themselves; the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are healed, the good news is proclaimed to the poor and even the dead raised to life.

This is the Kingdom that Jesus came to establish and these are the signs of that kingdom. It is worth reminding ourselves that it was the rich, the powerful and those in authority who could not or would not welcome Jesus. Perhaps he was a threat to them, like John. But it was the poor who welcomed Jesus. It was the blind who saw him, it was the deaf who heard him, and it was the lame and crippled who followed him. They were neither threatened nor afraid of Jesus.

The Jesus that came to the deaf, blind, poor and crippled in the gospel, is the same Jesus that comes to us, not only at Christmas but every day of our lives. Like those in the gospel, we too can choose whether to welcome him or to ignore him. The choice is ours. Jesus never has and never will force his way into our lives. He offers an invitation and waits for our response.

The birth of Christ is celebrated at the darkest part of the year. Christ comes to enlighten not only our world but to enlighten each of own personal lives as well. When I hear the words of Jesus and experience his light, what will my response be during these remaining days of Advent and at Christmas?

• Michael Moore OMI