Third Sunday of Advent
Today is Gaudate Sunday, or Rejoice Sunday! The focus of every third Sunday of advent is joy. This Sunday however is different than any other Sunday in the history of our country. This weekend we sadly remember the 20 children killed in the mass shooting in Connecticut. This was the seventh mass shooting of the year. What is happening to our society? It seems to we do not need wars or terrorists to kill us. We can do this to ourselves. As I wrote this homily, I could not but keep these mass killings in mind. I think the readings do have a message for us.
Let me briefly provide the context of the readings. The first reading from Zephaniah was proclaimed during a time of reform. After the reign of king David, Israel was divided into two. The Northern half continued to be known as Israel and Southern kingdom was called Judah. The Northern Kingdom was destroyed by the Assyrians in 721 BC. Assyria constantly kept threatening Judah as well. For some years the rulers of Judah accommodated Assyria in violation of God’s covenant. Fortunately for them, a great reformer king by the name of Josiah along with the prophet Zephaniah called the people back to fidelity to the covenant. Zephaniah promised the people that if they reformed their lives then they will live in peace and security; then there will be reason to “Shout for joy!”
The Gospel reading is not very different. John the Baptist also calls people to reform. Crowds, among whom were tax collectors and soldiers came and asked John, “What should we do?” John was asking for reform because the “One who would baptize with Holy Spirit and fire” was coming. John called the people not to a few superficial changes but to some radical reform of their individual and social life.
As we hear these readings the message is loud and clear. On the one hand joy is gift. On the other hand, joy is the result of fruit some serious hard work. In other words, joy comes from reform. Advent gives us the time to work hard and prepare to receive joy.
a) Joy comes from living responsibly. The people of Israel found themselves in need for reform because of very irresponsible living. The Laws of Israel, even though primitive, was very forward looking for its time. If someone wanted to live a life of holiness, social justice and integrity, the Laws provided all the guidelines people needed. But some of rulers, religious leaders and people lived lives contradictory to the prescriptions of the Law. I call this kind of living irresponsible living.
People continue to live irresponsible lives even today. And then we complain about how stressful life is. I get very angry, for example, at television ads that ask people to borrow irresponsibly for the holidays. And surprisingly, people fall into this short-term trap only to find out after their holidays that life has become a burden. If only we can learn the meaning of contentment we could live happier lives. Consumerism teaches us possess more and more goods. And then we end up surrounded by things but up to the nose with debt and misery. How many marriages do you think break because of irresponsible financial living? Similarly, that gun control laws are a matter of politics is ridiculous. We cannot sell weapons irresponsibly and expect to have a non-violent society. And then there are other kinds of irresponsible living. Gossip is irresponsible. Pornography is irresponsible. Shopping relentlessly is irresponsible. To neglect our prayer life is irresponsible. Zephaniah and John the Baptist are calling us to renewal.
b) Joy comes when our relationships are right. I find the gospel reading very, very intriguing simply because repentance is described in terms of relations with other people. When the crowds asked John the Baptist, “What should we do?” he asked them to share their clothes and food. He asked the tax-collectors to be fair and the tax-collectors to be refrain from extortion and bearing false witness. I am intrigued that John does not ask people to go the temple and offer sacrifices or to spent time in personal prayer. He asks them instead to make sure that their relationships are righteous. If today we were the people asking John the Baptist, “What should we do?” What do you think he would be saying to us? Which of the relationships would he ask us to set straight? What would he ask us to share… food, clothing, forgiveness? What would he ask us to give up… self-centeredness? Joy will always elude a selfish person.
c) Joy comes from giving God what is due to God. Josiah reform did not last long. The rulers who followed Josiah lead the nation astray and into exile under the Babylonian. The exile happened primarily because of Judah’s violation of her Covenant with God. As we enter this third week of Advent we are invited to examine our relationship with God. Does God have to compete for time in our life? Am I truly dependent on God in faith or is faith merely a crutch for me to get through life? Does my donation of time, my abilities and my resources to bring goodness to the world reflect the magnitude of God’s blessing to me? Are we giving to God what is due to God?
Let me end with the story of this child from our school who came to the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Tuesday. On Wednesday when she put her envelop at our school mass she put a little note along with her contribution. She say, “I confessed at confession to a priest. Afterwards I felt happy. I smiled.” God invites us to smile too. Amen.
- Fr. Satish Joseph