Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, December 17, 2006:
At this
time of year, with each passing week, our Church seems more and more full. That got me thinking of a story I heard a
while back about a pastor who wrote in his weekly bulletin, “To make it
possible for everyone to attend church next Sunday, we are going to have a
special No Excuse Sunday. Cots will be placed in the foyer for those
who say ‘Sunday is my only day to sleep in.’
There will be a special section with lounge chairs for those who feel
that our pews are uncomfortable. Eye drops
will be available for those with tired eyes from watching TV late Saturday
night. We will have steel helmets for those who say ‘The roof would cave in if
I ever came to church.’ Blankets will be
furnished for those who think the church is too cold and fans for those who say
it is too hot. Scorecards will be
available for those who wish to list the hypocrites present. We will distribute pins saying ‘Stamp Out the
Collection Basket’ for those who feel the church is always asking for money.
“One
section will be devoted to trees and grass for those who like to seek God in
nature. Doctors and nurses will be in
attendance for those who plan to be sick on Sunday. The sanctuary will be decorated with both
Christmas poinsettias and Easter lilies for those who have never seen the
church without them. We will provide
hearing aids for those who can’t hear the preacher and cotton balls for those
who can.”
I begin
with this humorous little story because today, the Third Sunday of Advent is a
very different kind of celebration in the season. We celebrate Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday.
The first reading at Mass today reminded us of this, “Shout for joy,
sing joyfully, Be glad and exult with all your heart.” The church is a little
more festive, we wear rose-colored vestments.
Everything about today says rejoice!
It is hard to believe that this is the third week of Advent already.
Christmas is barely a week away. How quickly Jesus is coming to us. Advent
begins to take on a very different character today.
We heard in our Gospel passage from
Luke today, “Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking
in their hearts whether John might be the Christ.” In the passage, the people
knew that the Messiah was coming, and they asked the most natural question, “What
are we to do?” This is the same question
that is on our minds and on our lips in Advent.
We are excited at the coming of Jesus, but what are we to do? The guest is nearly here, what do we have to
do to receive him?
There is a story of a certain
monastery that was going through a crisis. The monks were leaving, no new
candidates were joining them, and people were no longer coming for prayer and
consultation as they used to do. The few monks that remained were becoming old
and depressed and bitter in their relationship with one another. The abbot
heard about a certain holy man, a hermit living alone in the woods and decided
to consult him. He told the hermit how the monastery had dwindled and
diminished and now looks like a skeleton of what it used to be. Only seven old
monks remained. The hermit told the abbot that he has a secret for him. One of
the monks now living in his monastery is actually the Messiah, but he is living
in such a way that no one could recognize him.
With this revelation the abbot went
back to his monastery, summoned a community meeting and recounted what the holy
hermit told him. The aging monks looked at each other in unbelief, trying to
discern who among them could be the Christ. Could it be Brother Mark who prays
all the time? But he has this holier-than-thou attitude toward others. Could it
be Bother Peter who is always ready to help? But he is always eating and
drinking and cannot fast. The abbot reminded them that the Messiah had adopted
some bad habits as a way of camouflaging his real identity. This only made them
more confused and they could not make a headway figuring out who, among them, was
the Christ. At the end of the meeting what each one of the monks knew for sure
was that any of the monks, except himself, could indeed be the Christ.
From that day, however, the monks
began to treat one another with greater respect and humility, knowing that the
person they are speaking to could be the Messiah. They began to show more love
for one another, their common life became more brotherly and their common
prayer more fervent. Slowly people again began to take notice of the new spirit
in the monastery and began coming back for retreats and spiritual direction.
Word began to spread and, before you know it, candidates began to show up and the
monastery began to grow again in number as the monks grew in zeal and holiness.
All this because a man of God drew their attention to the truth that is so easy
to overlook – that Christ was living in their midst as one of them.
After 2000 years, we have to ask
ourselves, are we able to recognize Christ in the ordinary and familiar men and
women in our midst with their very normal habits, backgrounds, and looks? Or has little changed? Are we still, like those in the Gospel, looking for the mighty king to come with
trumpet blast, with fanfare and excitement – looking so much that we look
beyond the Christ that is right in front of us every day.
Brothers and sisters, I’ve got a
secret for you today – Christ is actually living in our midst but in such a way
that perhaps we do not recognize him.
So, what are we to do? Given what we
know about John, we anticipate a radical answer to that question like “Leave
everything and join me in the desert; adopt a life of fasting and penance.”
Instead, John calls people to faithfulness and care in the normal circumstances
of their lives: If you have more than you need, share with those who have less;
tax collectors should be honest; soldiers should not take advantage of the
vulnerable; parents should cherish their children; spouses should be faithful
to each other ; neighbors must live in peace.
John gives us great advice for our lives and especially for this
season. Share, be honest, be fair,
cherish each other, be faithful and be people of peace – and open our eyes to
the presence of Christ all around us.
We are being called to be the people
who bring Jesus, the Light of the World into all of the places of
darkness. But, first we have to let that
Light be born in us. Then Jesus will use
us to fashion a new world and bring forth the
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I
say, rejoice! The Lord is near!”
May God give you peace!