“Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!” These opening lines from today’s second reading capture the spirit of this, the third Sunday in Advent. This first sentence is the origin of our calling this Gaudete Sunday, after the Latin word, “Gaudete,” which means “Rejoice.” Now with three candles lit in our wreath and we priests wearing rose-colored vestments, we hear lessons that dance with delight, celebrating this joyous good news that the Lord is near. Paul is writing this letter to the Christians living in Philippi with the purpose of encouraging them to await the return of our Lord. They were still expecting him to come back very soon and Paul is calling them to live in such a way that their kindness would be known to all as a sign that they anticipated his return in glory.
As we hear in this morning’s first reading, the prophet Zephaniah foresaw the day of the Lord’s first coming hundreds of years before the angel Gabriel visited the Blessed Virgin Mary. Filled with hope and abounding in exultation, he makes a similar proclamation, declaring, “Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!” These words were probably spoken at the time when the Kingdom of Judah was threatened by an invading army – a very gloomy time, indeed – and yet, the prophet was assuring his people as he shouted, “The Lord, your God, is in your midst. He will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love.” As Bible verses go, it doesn’t get much more joy filled than that and I’m sure it was a much-needed shot in the arm for the people at the time of Zephaniah, just as it is for us today. As we continue to struggle through these uncertain times, it is a great consolation and a source of true spiritual strength to know that our God is near.
We also hear today from John the Baptist. Crowds who found him by Jordan’s bank, listened carefully to his admonition that we heard last week when he called his followers to “prepare the way of the Lord.” As we hear three times in today’s Gospel, they ask, “What should we do?” Put another way, if God is coming among us, shouldn’t we make some preparation for the big day? Whereas Zephaniah and Paul call for jubilation, John gives a very different answer. He gives instruction about how to live in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none,” he says. Tax collectors asked how they could prepare. “Collect no more than is prescribed.” Even soldiers, who were often much quicker with the sword of justice than the hand of mercy, asked how they could get ready. John told them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”
This joyous good news in preparation for our Lord’s coming in Bethlehem and again in glory calls us just as much to a way of life as it does a way to believe. We gather here to worship a God who, we believe, is in our midst even today – in his sacred word and life-giving Body and Blood. As we gather to worship God, joyful in anticipation of his coming, we are called to respond with generosity, integrity, mercy and trust in God. As we have all seen from the piles of gifts that have filled our St. Joseph shrine over the past few weeks and as those who were working in our school cafeteria last weekend amidst all of the boxes filled with gifts and food for the 103 needy families in our sister parish, St. Martin de Porres, as well as in our own parish, we, who have more than two coats in our closets are happy to share with those in need. In their name, I thank all of you who participated in these parish projects. And, like the tax-collectors of our Lord’s time, we are called to be just and fair in our treatment of others. Like the soldiers, we should use our power and authority not to exploit but to guard and protect those under our care, whether it’s at home or work and not be jealous of our neighbors who may appear to have more than we do.
So, as we make our final preparations for Christmas this year, let us ask, “What should we do?” How can we, who prepare with such great joy for the coming of our Lord in our midst, make his presence known? As husbands and wives, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, we can strive, every day, to love selflessly as God loves us. As parents and grandparents, you can teach your children and grandchildren to cherish how they treat one another more than the latest gadget under the Christmas tree. As employers and employees, we can make sure that we pay just wages and work hard ourselves.
One of the aspects of our faith that I find so compelling is that it is very practical. Our belief in a loving God who sent his son to show us how to live by words and actions, and who would demonstrate his love most clearly in giving his life for us, gives us real practical advice on how to prepare for his coming: by loving as he has loved us. That’s the answer to “what should we do?” – to love God and our neighbor as God has taught us, most especially through his son. Then, the peace and joy that the prophet Zephaniah and St. Paul called us to have in today’s readings will be ours as we eagerly await the celebration of our Lord’s coming!