Third Sunday of Advent
Today's Mass Readings
Whether we turn on the radio or television or read the newspapers for the latest news, the headlines are getting as grim as the economic crisis. Whether one calls this phenomenon recession or slowdown, the fact is that each day there is more and more news about layoffs, shutdowns, and foreclosures. There was a time when I would think that this could not happen to us, but today everybody in one way or another is affected by the crisis. Many of us have cut down on gifts for the holidays; others have cancelled travel plans, and yet others have decided to save while they can for the coming anxious days. The most apparent effect of the economic downturn is the sombre mood of most people. It is as if each person is carrying a heavy load. And indeed they are. In this context, is “Gaudate Sunday,” or joyful Sunday (Third Sunday in Advent) only a dream? Isaiah says in today’s first reading, “I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul” (Is 61:10). St. Paul exhorts the Thessalonians and says, “Rejoice always!” (1 Thes 5:16). Having heard so many stories about financial woes, I was wondering what “joy” can mean in today’s sombre context. Are scripture readings that proclaim joy irrelevant in times like these? Can Christians be joyful even as they confront oppressive circumstances? Would it be insane to suggest that this Christmas a Christian should still look forward to the joy of Christmas amidst the gloom? What is the meaning of joy that the scriptures refer to? The rest of this homily is an answer to these questions. To begin answering these questions, I would like us to take a deeper look into the lives of Isaiah and Paul whose writings we have just read.
The only thing we know about Isaiah is that his father’s name was Amoz. Since constant interaction with the corrupt rulers of his time makes it is possible that Isaiah was of royal stock. On the other hand, his vast knowledge about temple matters indicates that he could have come from a priestly family. Whatever his family circumstances the point is that from his youth he came to know the face of poverty. He was more at home with the unprotected, the widowed and orphaned; with the dispossessed, homeless, landless. He opposed the exploiting class and irresponsible leaders, both civil and religious. In other words, he was intimately aware of the inequities and evils of human society. Little is known about his last days but some scholars say that Isaiah died the death of a martyr, hacked to death during the reign of the ruthless paganizing King Manasseh. The question for us today is, “How could Isaiah proclaim “joy” under these circumstances?”
Paul’s life was equally intriguing. His father was a tent-maker but Paul was educated under Gamaliel, the foremost of the Jewish Rabbis. After his conversion, Paul’s life was a mixture of grace and suffering. As he himself recounts in his letter, five times he received the infamous thirty-nine lashes, was beaten three times with rods, was shipwrecked three times, floated in the deep waters for a whole day and night. He faced dangers from robbers, from fellow Jews and from the perils of nature; he faced sleepless nights, hunger, thirst, cold, and exposure. Finally, he too was imprisoned and martyred by the Emperor Nero around 60-62 AD. The question for us today is, “How could Paul exhort Christians to “rejoice” under these circumstances?
I would like to offer three practical implications as we continue to answer these questions.
1. Joy comes from the knowledge of God’s presence in us.
First, let us grasp the meaning of joy. Unlike happiness, thrill, exhilaration, or high, joy is a gift from God. Joy does not come from anything external, but rather, joy comes from the consciousness of the presence of God within us. We know that God’s presence in us is not subject to our human condition. Whether we are happy, sorrowful, at prayer or at work, the presence of God is a constant. In other words, if we make the effort to nurture God’s presence in us, if we consciously cultivate intimacy with God, and if we strive to live in God’s presence, then that same presence becomes the cause of our joy.
Joy comes from the realization that no matter what happens, God is with us. Even in the midst of the greatest hardships, in the midst of all the turmoil if we can get conscious of God’s presence, the result is a calm, a peace and a joy that we cannot explain. St. Paul calls this the peace that passes all understanding.
2. Joy comes from our commitment to the God of justice, peace, life and love.
We will not hear this in the news or read it in all the economic analysis, but the single most compelling reason for the present malaise is the godlessness nature of our social system. On the contrary, Isaiah’s God is a God who comes to “bring glad tiding to the poor, to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to prisoners, to announce a day of vindication by our God.” Who among us can say that justice prevails in our economic or political system? Who among us can say that our policies cater first to the poor and broken hearted? Who among us can say that godliness prevails in our society? Commitment to the God within us means that we strive to create a society that is based on justice, on genuine brotherhood and sisterhood, and on self-sacrifice. Sometimes it means that we question the oppressive systems that dehumanize people. Sometimes it means that we oppose the sinful structures of society that rob people of their dignity. Striving for the dignity that God gave us is not communism or socialism; striving for human dignity is being prophetic as Isaiah and Jesus were. In other words, joy comes from total abandonment into the hands of the God of justice, peace, life and love.
3. Joy comes from commitment to others.
For me, the most baffling aspect of Isaiah and Paul’s life is their commitment to the people to who they were sent in spite of the personal risk it involved. Their attention was never focused on themselves but rather on those around them. Their persecution and suffering became their motivation to reach out even more to others. Ancient characters like Isaiah and Paul, and modern saints like Dorothy Day, Mother Teresa, Archbishop Oscar Romero and Sister Dorothy Stang teach us there is no joy like reaching out to others from our own pain. Whereas there is joy is reaching out to others from our abundance, but there even greater joy in reaching out to others from our own suffering. This is why Isaiah, Paul, Mary and Jesus are able to proclaim joy in the midst of extraordinary circumstances. May our lives too reflect the compassion of Isaiah, Paul and Jesus.
This Eucharist is such a beautiful expression of each of the three points that scripture makes us aware of. Here we come into the presence of God, here we come as children of God, here we express our commitment to each other. Let us first of all invite Jesus into our lives. And let us go from this Eucharist assured of God’s presence in our lives. And may that presence inspire us to bring God’s love to other and joy in our own hearts. Amen.
- Fr. Satish Joseph