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third Sunday of Advent

Third Sunday of Advent

December 18, 2023 by Holy Name Monastery Leave a Comment

LOOK for JOY!

 

This Third Sunday of Advent is familiarly known as Gaudete Sunday – a Latin word that means “rejoice” – the first word of the Entrance Antiphon (at Mass): “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice.  Indeed, the Lord is near.”  As you know, we mark Gaudete Sunday by lighting a pink candle (in the Advent wreath).  Also, the celebrant at Mass wears rose colored vestments.  The church – we –  rejoice because the Promised One is little more than a week away.

We are called to live as people of joy. But in everyday life, I get the impression that “joy” is on the decline.  What is often the response when someone asks: “How was your day?”  My sense is that the theme of joy is something of a rare commodity.  I hear responses such as “It was OK” or “Could have been better.” or “I’m just so tired of so and so doing such and such.”  Or, “I’m exhausted.  Or “Don’t ask.”  To have joy or – or as they would say in slang – to do joy – is to have a deep sense of delight. The Greek origin of the word literally means “for the heart, in its deepest place of passion and feelings, to be well.”  That’s what it’s like to have joy.

So why is joy so rare? Well, it occurs to me (and not me alone), that to experience joy in one’s life four qualities must be found.  First, joy takes time. Joy comes of living a “savored” life.  It comes of having time and taking time to smell the roses, to observe the pace of a sandhill crane as it crosses the street, to glory in a sunset.  Joy needs time. There is this old monastic saying about living a joy-filled life.  If you are sipping tea or watering a plant, or gazing at an icon, do just that.   We call this “being there” or being “in the moment”.  We know – and more than that, we believe, that each moment is pregnant with God’s real presence and promise and providential care.   Look for it; wait for it; savor it. Don’t just visit life; life needs time to be lived abundantly.

Joy requires acceptance – a “yes” to life, the life we’ve been given. We may have discovered at some point that the script we’ve been handed in the play of life is not the part we thought we were trying out for. We have to be content that “where God has placed us, that is our pulpit.”  Joy requires a deep willingness to accept we are God’s creature and that God is at work according to God’s good pleasure.  Joyful persons accept the good gifts of life that actually are there.  They do not live in a state of resentment for what might have been or what “used to be.”  In God’s plan, there is a reason why today is not tomorrow. We need all of today to prepare us to receive the promise of tomorrow.

So, being joyful takes time and acceptance.  Joy, a gift of the Spirit, has to be desired. If you want the gift of joy, ask God for the gift with open heart and hands to accept the gift as God shapes it.

To be joyful we need stability, patience and endurance.   Maybe that’s why Jesus says: “Truly I tell you: you will have sorrow, but your sorrow will turn into joy.

Life for most people is not picture perfect, but there is so much joy to be found If we simply look for joy.  Be on the lookout – See and reflect the joy right before your eyes.  The more we dwell on our everyday blessings, the more they seem to multiply. And by experiencing more joy in my own life, I have more joy to give away.  Joy is a beautiful gift to embrace, celebrate and give away at Christmastime.  And, in doing so, we increase our own joy.

 

~by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

 

First Reading  Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11                       
Second Reading 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24  
Gospel Reading  John 1:6-8, 19-28
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Filed Under: Blog, Front Page, Homily Tagged With: Advent, Gaudete Sunday, God, Jesus, third Sunday of Advent

Third Sunday of Advent

December 12, 2022 by Holy Name Monastery Leave a Comment

This Third Sunday of Advent is familiarly known as Gaudete Sunday – a Latin word that means “rejoice” – the first word (in Latin) of the Entrance Antiphon at Mass: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice.  Indeed, the Lord is near.”  We mark Gaudete Sunday by lighting a rose-colored candle (in the Advent wreath) and the celebrant at Mass may wear rose colored vestments.  The church rejoices because we are halfway to Christmas.  I refer you to the First Reading from Isaiah: “The parched land will exult, will rejoice and bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song.”  We are called to be a joyful people.  The Promised One is approaching and is nearer at hand.

I get the impression, though, in today’s early post-pandemic world that “joy” is on the decline.  The theme of joy is a rare commodity.  When someone asks: “How was your day?”  We might hear ho-hum tones: “It was OK” or “Could have been better” or “I’m just so tired of doing the same thing every day.”  Or “I’m exhausted.”  Or “Don’t ask me.”  To have joy is to have a deep sense of delight.  The Greek origins of the word “joy” literally means “for the heart, in its deepest place of passion and feelings, to be well.”  That’s what it’s like to have joy.

So why is joy so rare?  To experience joy in one’s life, four qualities must co-exist.  First, joy takes time.  Joy comes of living a “savored” life.  Take the time, make the time to smell the roses, to observe the pace of a sandhill crane crossing the street or to glory in a sunset or moonrise.  There is an old monastic saying that describes joy.  “When you are sipping tea or watering a plant, or gazing at an icon, do just that.”  Be present in the moment.  Such moments are pregnant with God’s real presence, promise and providential care.

Second, to know joy requires acceptance – a “yes” to life – YES to the hand we’ve been dealt.  You may have discovered at some point that the script we’ve been handed in the play of life is not the part we thought we were trying out for.  Joy requires a deep willingness to accept that we are God’s creatures and that God is at work according to God’s good pleasure.  Joyful persons do not live in a state of resentment for what might have been or what “used to be.”  In God’s plan, there is a reason why today is not tomorrow.  We need each of our todays to prepare us to receive the promise of tomorrow.  Remember the phrase from our COVID prayer: “We live in full union with the God who loves us and wants only our good.”

Third, for a joyful spirit desire is required.  We have to want joy.  Joy is a gift, a gift of the Spirit.  If you want the gift of joy, ask God for the gift with your heart open and ready to accept the gift in whatever way God hands to the gift to you.

And, fourth, to be joyful we need stability, patience and endurance.  Maybe that’s why Jesus says: “Truly I tell you… you will have sorrow… but your sorrow will turn into joy.”

Life for most people is not picture perfect.  But there is much joy to be found if we simply LOOK for JOY.  Be on the lookout to SEE and REFLECT the JOY that is right before your eyes waiting to be seen.  The more we dwell on our everyday blessings, the more joyful moments seem to multiply in our lives.  And by experiencing more joy in my own life, I have more JOY to give away.  To quote Henri Nouwen: “Joy does not simply happen to us.  We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.”  JOY is a beautiful gift to embrace, celebrate and give away at Christmastime.  

~by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

 

First Reading  Isaiah 35:1-6, 10                       
Second Reading 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24  
Gospel Reading  Matthew 11:2-11

 

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Filed Under: Blog, Front Page, Homily Tagged With: acceptance, Advent, advent wreath, Gaudete Sunday, Jesus, Joy, promised one, Spirit, stability, third Sunday of Advent, time

Living in Joy

December 16, 2019 by Holy Name Monastery Leave a Comment

This third Sunday of Advent is familiarly known as Gaudete Sunday – a Latin word that means “rejoice” – the first word of the Entrance Antiphon (at Mass): “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice.  Indeed, the Lord is near.”  As you know, we mark Gaudete Sunday by lighting a pink candle (in the Advent wreath) and the celebrant at Mass wears rose colored vestments.  I wonder why “rose”?  Yes, it’s a “happy” color but I wonder if it might be because when you dilute the ‘blue-ness” with the red that makes purple, the red shades are left lightly tinged with blue which creates more of a rose color.  The church rejoices because we are halfway to Christmas.  The Promised One is nearer at hand.  And, we are called to live as people of joy.

But in everyday life I get the impression that “joy” is on the decline.  Often what is the response when someone asks: “How was your day?”  My sense is that the theme of joy is something of a rare commodity.  I hear responses such as “It was OK” or “Could have been better.”  Or “I’m just so tired of so and so doing such and such.”  Or, “I’m exhausted.  Or “Don’t ask.”  To have joy or – or as they would say in slang – to do joy – is to have a deep sense of delight.  The Greek origins of the word literally means “for the heart, in its deepest place of passion and feelings, to be well.”  That’s what it’s like to have joy.

So why is joy so rare?  Well, it occurs to me (and not me alone), that for the experience of joy in one’s life, four qualities must also be found.  First, joy takes time.  Joy comes of living a “savored” life…of having time and taking time to smell the roses, to observe the pace of a Sandhill Crane as it crosses the street, to glory in a sunset.  Joy needs time.  There is this old monastic saying about living a joy-filled life.  If you are sipping tea or watering a plant, or gazing at an icon, to do just that.  We call this “being there” or being “in the moment.”  We know – and more than that, we believe, that each moment is pregnant with God’s real presence and promise and providential care.  Look for it; wait for it; savor it. Don’t just visit life; life needs time to be lived abundantly.

Secondly, to know joy requires acceptance – a “yes” to life –  to the life we’ve been given.  We may have discovered at some point that the script we’ve been handed in the play of life is not the part we thought we were trying out for.  Joy requires a deep willingness to accept we are God’s creatures and that God is at work according to God’s good pleasure.  Joyful persons accept the good gifts of life that actually are there.  They do not live in a state of resentment for what might have been or what “used to be.”  In God’s plan, there is a reason why today is not tomorrow.  We need all of today to prepare us to receive the promise of tomorrow.

So, to be joyful takes time and acceptance.  Third, it also requires desire.  We have to want joy.  Joy is a gift, a gift of the Spirit.  If you want the gift of joy, ask God for the gift with your heart open and hands to accept the gift.

And, fourth to be joyful we need stability, patience and endurance.  Maybe that’s why Jesus says: “Truly I tell you… you will have sorrow… but your sorrow will turn into joy.

Life for most people is not picture perfect, but there is so much joy to be found If we simply LOOK for JOY.  Be on the lookout – SEE and REFLECT on the JOY right before your eyes.  The more we dwell on everyday blessings, the more they seem to multiply.  And by experiencing more joy in my own life, I have more JOY to give away.  JOY is a beautiful gift to embrace, celebrate and give away at Christmastime.  And, in doing so, increase our own joy.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

 

First Reading   Isaiah 35:1-6, 10   Second Reading   1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Gospel  Matthew 11:2-11
Continue Reading

Filed Under: Blog, Front Page, Homily Tagged With: Gaudete Sunday, God, Jesus, Joy, Living in Joy, pink candle, third Sunday of Advent

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