CYCLE A 3RD ADVENT
1, As we lit the PINK candle of the Advent Wreath, we were to remind ourselves as Christians that we are called to live our lives with JOY. But in Paul’s letter to the Philippians he gives us a particular kind. It says: Rejoice in the Lord Always; again I say REJOICE! On this ‘GAUDETTE’ Sunday WE RENEW the Great Joy of Christian Life which is to CELEBRATE and SEE.
a) CELEBRATE Jesus as the Messiah who has Come. We call Him Emmanuel, that is ‘God with us’. And celebrate we do. No other day on earth is as Joyful as Christmas. Who else but the Messiah can cause the world to celebrate so Joyfully.
b) And then Patiently wait to SEE the ‘DAY’ when we will witness Jesus in His GLORY. Patiently Wait we have for 2000 years…to SEE the Victorious return of the Messiah who promises the world Vindication /Redemption. But who knows when it will come?
2. Yet you ask how can we EXPECT to live ‘JOYFULLY’ when there is a constant ‘things’ happening that can make us ANXIOUS:
a) Snow, Ice storms and cold that slow us in our immediate goals.
b) little rest because of the go-go-go cycle we live in.
c) nuanced or heavily punctuated times of economic woes.
d) Deaths, sicknesses, and mental blocks to tax our physical stamina.
e) Moral breakdown: From stealing to mall murders.
f) And maybe at times, unresponsive government.
All these things…can take joy from our daily lives in proportion to their gravity and number. Yet our EXPECTATIONS to live in Joy must still be held out to us. Even more so in day to day struggles. For we as Christians are called to the task of holding Jesus out as the source and reason for our Joy in spite of difficulties. Good WEATHER is not a Messiah, A good NIGHTS rest is not a Messiah, A DOCTOR, a POLICEMAN and the GOVERNEMNT are not Messiahs. To maintain Joy in its’ truest form, we must look to the only true Messiah…Jesus Christ. (Jesus…one who saves)
3. John the Baptist in our reading was having one of those days that CHALLENGED his faith. Because his mission was to ‘Announce’ that the Promised Messiah had come, and because he untiringly and courageously proclaimed this truth…he ran afoul of the ruling Tetrarch Herod. So we find him in the DUNGEON and with DOUBTS on his mind.
He had doubts because he, and really the whole of Israel, EXPECTED a Messiah who would change the Plight of this Poor and politically punished nation. At first Jesus seemed to be filling the bill as temporal King, Military General and Savior to restore the Glory to Israel. But now John himself was not so sure. His martyrdom was imminent. And Jesus could erase his doubts by getting John out of this predicament. So in his wavering faith, John sent some of his disciples to ask Jesus, ‘Are you the One who is to come, or should we look for another?’
Jesus’ answer is intended to set John’s expectations of the Messiah straight. And maybe today he will set our Expectations to the right course. The one true Messiah comes not as a Fiery Judge, or Earthly King, or Military Liberator, but as one who’s mission is to ‘BLESS THE NEEDY’. Jesus assures John’s Faith and hopefully ours as he tells John’s Disciples to go tell John, what all people are seeing:
1) The Blind regain their sight.
2) The lame walk. The Lepers are cleansed.
3) The deaf hear. The dead are raised.
4) And the good news is proclaimed.
(John was the Greatest Prophet simply because he was the Prophet who Got to give the PEOPLE THE BIG NEWS…the wait for the Messiah was now over. But Jesus told everyone, that the object of His mission was to the poor. And because the Messiah came to attend to their Needs, that is what made them more important.)
5. The challenges of life will always be with us here on earth. But each day we have a CHOICE: The choice to be HAPPY or the choice to be MISERABLE. We can soar despite difficulties or we can wallow in self pity.
When we make the choice to live joyful lives, our soul opens to the Actions of the Holy Spirit and we are filled with His Power. And with that POWER, we certainly become apart of the Mission of Christ to Announce and Celebrate his Incarnation each and every Christmas. And we are also able to continue to patiently wait to see His Glory. But we also importantly find ourselves caught up in the JOYFILLED ACTION of BLESSING THE NEEDY. That my friends we need look no further, in believing in Jesus we truly are living in the PINK.
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