Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

3rd Sunday of Advent

Look for Joy!

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Traditionally the third Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday – the Latin word for “Rejoice” – the first word of the Entrance antiphon.  We mark this Sunday on the Advent wreath by lighting a pink candle instead of a purple one.

There is an African proverb that reads: “If the beat of the drum changes, so changes the dance of the feet.”  This is what we are called to do during Advent: listen to the beat of “Jesus’ drum” and set our pace to the rhythm of the Master drummer.  “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! … The Lord is near.”

Yes, the Lord IS near and we should make haste to prepare for Him, leveling the hills in our lives that create barriers, making straight the roads in our lives rather than maneuvering others around for our advantage,  Filling in the valleys, so that it will be easier for others to cross over to us and thereby to a spirit of joy in the Child who brightens all of our days.  Instead of asking what others can do for me, we should make haste to prepare for Our Lord and ask Him, “Jesus, Master, tell me what I should do?”   How do we become the joyful people called for in our Scriptural readings?  Re-joice: have joy again – be joyful … full of joy!  Not simply “happy” but “joyful.”

Is there a difference between happiness and joy?  What’s the difference?  By definition they are both emotions but the one (joy) is an interior contentment, an inner peace; the other is initiated from external events (happenings, happenstance).  The former is long-lasting, the latter can be momentary.   If circumstances are favorable, you are happy; if not, you’re unhappy.  Christian joy, however, is directly related to God and is the firm confidence that all is well, regardless of your circumstances.  Joy may show less in outward expression while happiness can unexpectedly bubble up from within and bring a smile to your lips.  Joy is related to happiness but joy, because it does not depend on external stimuli, gets us out of ourselves and in contact with others.  Some find when they give up the self-centered search for happiness, they actually find joy.  It may even be intermingled with suffering and pain but there is an overwhelming sense of peace and joy.

So, how can we bring joy into our lives if we’re not in the mood for it?  Can you have joy on demand?”  Too often we may take for granted the issue of joy.  We find people who are just naturally joyous, who have a kind of laid-back attitude – it’s just good to be in their presence.  Then there are others who always bring us down.  Could they develop joy?

I ask you: is joy genetic or acquired?  If joy can be acquired, then a very strong argument can be made that once you’ve lost a reason to be happy, or you’ve suffered grief, there’s no way of reconnecting.  However, if joy is a natural state of feeling, a certain sense of belonging, a feeling within that you are important and you have a value, then it’s just a question of reclaiming that right, not creating something new.  You can re-joice – being joyful AGAIN is possible.

Joy is God’s gift to every believer. It is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.  Meditation, lectio with the Word of God increases joy.  It is a gift – it must be handled with care or it becomes torn around the edges.  Like any treasured gift it cannot be put in cold storage, stashed on a back shelf, put under the hankies in a drawer or stuffed beneath old mail in your mailbox.  Like a snow globe that is never turned over, joy that has lain inert can be shaken to life with the tiniest twist of a wrist … or crinkled smile.

Rejoice, again I say: rejoice!

~by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 Rejoice! The Lord is coming, bounding over the hills to come to Earth this Christmas. Again, I say, Rejoice!

 

First Reading:  Zephaniah 3:14-18a                 Second Reading: Philippians 4:4-6  
Gospel Reading:  Luke 3:10-18

                     

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What Shall We Do?

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Two phrases jump out to me in this Gospel: “What should we do?  and “Exhorting them in many ways, he preached the GOOD NEWS to the people.”   Good news, Luke says???  The Scriptural reading we’ve been hearing for the past two weeks isn’t quite what I’d term “good” news.   We’ve been hearing predictions of occurrences of unimaginable proportions … taking down mountains, flattening hills, wiping out valleys, hearing voices crying in the desert, watching for signs in the sun, the moon, the stars, dismay, perplexity, roaring sounds and people dying of fright.  And this is GOOD news?  Seems a little too real with daily news alerts of COVID spinning off variants of the virus and active cases on the rise.  Snow storms are billowing across the northern states and this morning we learned of the loss of lives and devastation from tornados in Kentucky and Arkansas.  There are floods and toxic drinking water in Hawaii.  Fires are deliberately set and ravaging our forests; wildlife and residents escaping for their lives.  Threat of war, discord, political “cat fights” and gun violence is a growing reality.

And, we find ourselves striving for Benedictine peace at the half-way point in Advent 2021.  We sense it in the rose colored liturgical appointments and candles.  They all symbolize “relax” – be joyful!  In the days when it was popular to use the Introit of the Mass, we sang – “Guadete!  Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice!”  Storms, conflicts, disease and dissension call us to give voice to the petition in the opening prayer for tomorrow’s Mass.  We beg for a gentle rain on the earth.  “Drop down dew from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just One; let the earth be opened and bring forth a Savior.”

John’s message today is simple.  He doesn’t ask the tax collectors to stop collecting, nor does he encourage the soldiers to go AWOL.  He says, Share what you have, be honest, do not oppress people.  What he preaches is at the same time easy and difficult; simple and challenging. How can I bring the Divine into my daily ordinary actions to make my faith a living thing so my walk echoes my talk?

One thing is certain – John’s audience knew where they stood with him.  And, he knew clearly his place in God’s story.  “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming.  I am not worthy to loosen the strap of his sandals.”  Another translation says: “untie the laces of his sandals.”  Why, I wonder, did he say “loosen, untie” which would leave the wearer’s shoes flapping on his feet or sliding off his feet so he is barefoot?  Is this an allusion to the spirit of hospitality expected of all Christians?  It brings to mind Benedict’s admonition of the ages old practice of first washing the guest’s feet for which the shoes would have been untied, loosened, removed.  And look at Jesus on the cross – his bare feet exposed to the elements and on-lookers’ abuse.

And, there’s that question Luke’s text raises: “What should we do?”  John’s answer is unique in Luke’s account, he responds by offering specific actions:

If you have more than you need, whether in terms of food or clothing, you must share.

Stop stealing from your neighbors.

And stop using your power to take advantage of each other.

In other words, no more hoarding, no skimming, no extortion.

The question, then, to each of us, in flashing neon lights, is – “What should I do?  What should we do?”  How shall we respond to the Advent of our Emmanuel that our prayers, our hymns and our intercessions are talking about?  How can we meet the promise of the season with real, meaningful expectation when everywhere around us the world seems to be caught up in merrymaking, crowd gathering with death hovering “out there”?  How can we celebrate in a deserving manner the solemnity of our God come to earth?

Today, faithful John has a gift for us wrapped in rough brown burlap and the coarseness of a camel’s hair shirt.  He jolts us out of our pessimism and any moodiness or reluctance.  His exhortation shakes us awake from our sleep to an awareness of the sparkle in the eyes of a new born Babe, the giggle of a child’s Knock-Knock joke, the welcome look on an elder’s face, the grateful tears of the recipients of our good deeds.  We see evidence of a warming heart as life-giving words fall gently on world-weary ears…and, we know our answer to the question…WHAT SHALL WE DO?  

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

 

First Reading:  Zephaniah 3:14-18a     Second Reading:  Philippians 4:4-7
Gospel:  Luke 3:10-18
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