3rd Sunday of Advent 2019 - Bearing the light of patient joy

On the first Sunday of Advent we asked God for the grace to prepare well during this holy season.  On the Second Sunday, last week, we heard John the Baptist urge us to make straight the pathways for the Lord. And on this third Sunday of Advent, we are urged as we prepare for the Lord’s coming to cultivate joy.

For today is Gaudete Sunday. And Gaudete is latin for the rejoice. Since the time of Pope St. Gregory the Great in the sixth century, the third Sunday of Advent has begun with that word: Gaudete. Gaudete in domino semper, rejoice in the Lord always. 

Advent purple is replaced today by Gaudete Sunday Rose, the color of the horizon at the very start of a sunrise. We rejoice because Christ, the Son, is almost here. His light is breaking into the world. And not simply in some abstract way. His light is meant to be radiating from us, as we sing and pray and prepare for Christmas and for his coming at the end of time. Non-believers and fallen away catholics should be moved and stirred by our joy at Christ’s coming. We are to be light for those who continue to dwell in darkness.

I am reminded of one of the final chapters of Mark Twain’s classic novel Tom Sawyer. The Adventurous and somewhat mischievous Tom Sawyer and his friend Becky Thatcher go out to explore a cave outside of town. The cave is full of dark caverns and twisting passages, and as they explore, they end up getting lost. Fear sets in. Their candles - the only light they have - run low. And when their candles go out. they lose track of time, they grow hungry and desperate and start wandering through the darkness, looking for the smallest glimpse of daylight. Three days pass when, they finally spot a pinprick of light far in the distance, and they follow it to freedom.

The fallen human race is like Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher lost in the dark caverns of a fallen world. They travel through dark and twisting caverns, they are starving for God, their own light is insufficient. Only the light of God breaking into their world can lead them to freedom.

And that light of God, dear Christians, has been given to you and to me, to help guide souls to freedom. Advent aims at bolstering our light. Christians who rejoice in the Lord, whose lives radiate authentic Christian joy, become beacons of light for the world.

Sadly, we know, all too well, how Christians instead of radiating with the light of God can do the opposite. Through our joylessness, our sins, setting bad Christian example, instead of leading souls to God, we turn souls away. We know, sadly, how even members of the clergy and members of the hierarchy, can cause souls to become disgusted at being members of the Church. So certainly we do penance during Advent to make up for scandal, and our own failures to shine as brightly as we should.

Gaudete Sunday is certainly one of my favorite Sunday of the Church year, because it really sums up the whole of the Christian life.  There is a permanent Gaudete Sunday quality to the whole Christian life. As we await the coming of Christ, we are to reverberate with joy as we await the return of the Lord.

Now.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t usually equate waiting with joy. Waiting in traffic, waiting in the doctor’s office, waiting in line at the grocery store.  These are not typically joyful experiences, are they?

But, Mother Church gives us the key to waiting in joyful hope in our second reading today. “Be patient, brothers and sisters” he writes, “until the coming of the Lord.  See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.  You too must be patient.” 

Americans are not known worldwide for their patience—it is not our culture’s strongest virtue.  Patience with elderly relatives, patience with the kids, patience with spouses, patience in traffic, patience during particularly verbose homilies at Mass is not always easy. Impatience is one of the most common sins I hear in the confessional.

So St. James says patience is practiced when we remain focused on the good things to come. The farmer has his mind focus less on the period of barrenness, but on the fruit of the earth to come. He understands that grey rainy days are necessary, if he wants his crop to be healthy.

So, too, Christians practice patience by keeping our minds and hearts focused on the Lord, particularly during times of stress and frustration and suffering. By focusing on the light at the end of the tunnel, Advent and the whole of the Christian life prepares us for something yet to come. Impatience can likely be a sign that we have failed to keep our focus on the end goal, on Christ.

The natural philosophers say patience is the habit by which one can wait for some good without getting upset, without the loss of peace, irritation, or anger, without complaining, bad words, and violence. Instead, the patient person can bear “provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint.” A patient person can display “quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; and diligence.”

More so, the Christian virtue of patience enables us to withstand physical and moral suffering, because our hearts and minds are fixed on and united to Christ.

The saints teach us of the importance of patience in the spiritual life.  St. Margaret Mary said that there is no other remedy for your ills but patience and submission to the will of God.  St. Francis de Sales said that Jesus endured scourging and ill treatment; he endured so many blasphemies and cruelties without saying a word, precisely to teach us patience. One spiritual writer said that each of us has enough trials and sufferings in our life to make us saints, if we but knew how to suffer them patiently.

I remember back in 2001 when I entered seminary.  8 years of seminary seemed like such a long time.  But those years of waiting and preparing, letting the tradition of the Church sink in, developing the habit of prayer, those were good years, joyful and mostly patient years.  Seminary formation is meant to change a man in preparation for a lifetime of priestly service. Sometimes that change was hard; as you may have realized, a hard-headed Italian. But joy always came when I surrendered and realized the Lord’s way is a lot better than my way. 

So too during this life, this Advent period of waiting, the Lord will change us, if we let him; if we patiently keep our minds and hearts fixed on him, we will be granted the gift of joy which nothing in the world can take away.

St. Cyprian said, “Patient waiting is necessary that we may fulfill what we have begun to be, and through God’s help, that we may obtain what we hope for and believe.”

In the Advent days we have left, turn to the Scriptures, recommit to daily prayer, confess your impatience, patiently serve the poor, that you may shine with the light of joyful hope for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

3rd Sunday of Advent 2017 - Joy and Liberation

This last week, Bishop Perez celebrated Mass for about 50 inmates at the Cuyahoga County Jail. Our diocese has a fairly strong outreach to the imprisoned: mindful of the Lord’s teaching, “when I was imprisoned, you visited me.” Visiting those imprisoned, spending time with them, bringing them the Sacraments of the Church, is an important ministry, helping the imprisoned to remember that God has not abandoned them.

Whatever the circumstances leading up to their imprisonment, a knowledge of God’s love and God’s presence can help them find redemption and hopefully make a positive return to society.
So Bishop Perez celebrated Mass this week in anticipation of Christmas, just a week away. And he shared a little reflection on the Christmas story. He noted that the beautiful depictions of the Nativity scene we see on Christmas Cards, are not entirely accurate. Jesus was born in a cold, dirty cave, into a “real mess” said the Bishop.

Bishop likened the situation of the Holy Family on Christmas to some of the prisoner’s situations, which might also be described as a “real mess.” But the Christmas message is that it is precisely into the real mess of our lives that the Christ Child desires to be born: into the messiness, into the challenges and hardships, into the illnesses and financial concerns, into the addictions and family divisions. And the Bishop prayed that “As you confront what you are confronting, may you come face-to-face with the Christ Child.”

This week also the Church celebrated the feast of a saint who was himself imprisoned. St. John of the Cross was imprisoned, nearly starved, and publicly flogged by his own religious community. Not for committing a crime, they opposed and imprisoned St. John for attempting to reform his community according to the rule, the statutes, of his religious order. St. John saw that his community had abandoned the austerity, the poverty, and the discipline called for by the Carmelite Rule, but when he called for reform, he was silenced and imprisoned.  Some people don’t like to be told that they are not being faithful to God!

In prison St. John came to know the cross quite acutely; for there he learned to unite his sufferings with the suffering and death of Jesus, as he sat month after month in his dark narrow cell.
But, he did not blame God for his situation, he did not become bitter because of the injustice. His sufferings did not diminish his desire for holiness. Rather, his desire for union with God increased. He passed the time reflecting on the Scriptures which he had memorized and composing poetry. In the darkness of the prison, he bloomed into a great mystical poet and theologian, and even enjoyed a depth of prayer that could be described as ecstatic. In the dark dank prison cell he discovered joy, the joy of the cross.

We, present here today, are not imprisoned, like the inmates of the County Prison or like St. John of the cross, but there’s likely a measure of messiness to each of our lives, or perhaps we feel imprisoned by circumstances beyond our control. And Advent helps us to prepare for new ways to encounter Christ in whatever we are facing.

The third Sunday of Advent is traditionally called Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is Latin for rejoice. During this holy season we look forward in joy for the coming of our savior. On this Gaudete Sunday, St. Paul give us what sounds like an insane teaching: rejoice in the Lord always, In all circumstances give thanks. Paul writes these words just about 10 years before he himself would be imprisoned because of his preaching of the Gospel of Christ. Rejoice always. Really? Even in prison? Unemployment? Marital difficulties? Even when I seem to be failing at all life’s demands? I think Paul would, yes, rejoice always.

Of course, we don’t rejoice over the hardships and injustices themselves—over the unfortunate events and family divisions. St. Paul is saying, Christians are able to rejoice despite these trials because the Lord is near.

I think this is one dimension of the “liberty to captives” that Isaiah prophesied about in our first reading: that Christians are never truly captive, we are never truly alone, never truly abandoned because the Lord is near, and he gives us the freedom to be faithful despite our temptations and hardships.

Another dimension of this liberty that Jesus the Messiah brings is that he actually does help us mend the broken relationships, he helps us overcome the imprisoning sinful tendencies, he heals the wounds of sin and division in our life when we let him. Sometimes the working of grace doesn’t happen as quickly as we would like, or in the manner we first expected. Sometimes the Lord urges us to change our unrealistic expectations or to work harder for the peace we long for or to trust and fast and pray more deeply.

St. Paul writes about joy over 20 times in his New Testament letters. Joy is to be the defining characteristic of the Christian. Joy comes not from being free of crosses, but being filled with the life of the Lord despite those crosses, uniting ourselves to Jesus through those crosses. Joy comes from knowing the Lord and experiencing his nearness. The imprisoned Christian can be more full of joy than the spoiled Atheist in the midst of his mansion and earthly treasures.

If anyone here is experiencing a joylessness this Advent season, I encourage you to seek the Lord’s presence more deeply in prayer, in scripture, in the eucharistic chapel, in service of the poor. Joylessness is often a result of taken our focus off the Lord and onto the non-essentials and worldly pursuits. So repent of those times you’ve allowed selfishness or anxiety distract you from the closeness of the Lord, that you may be filled with his life and joy, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: 3rd Sunday of Advent 2016 - Preparing for True Christmas Joy

The third Sunday of Advent is traditionally called Gaudete Sunday – Gaudete is Latin for rejoice – during this holy season we look forward in joy for the coming of our savior.

Even though the winter weather is a bit of a downer, and even though consumerism permeates the season; the decorations, images, and music still serve as excellent reminders of the true source of joy of the season—we celebrate Christ.

For example, the evergreen wreaths and Christmas trees remind us of the undying love of God, always green and fresh, even in the middle of darkest, coldest winter. That God loves us, even in the dark times of our life, fills us with joy.

The lights and glittering bulbs remind us that Christ's light came to conquer the darkness of sin and ignorance, and that more beautiful than the most elaborate Christmas light display is the human soul which shines with the light of Christ.

The symbol serving as the greatest reminder are the manger scenes. Many of you have started to assemble your manger scenes in your homes or even your yards: a wonderful way of reminding the surrounding neighborhood of the sacred event we prepare for this season.

In many places Catholics wait until the feast of the Immaculate Conception to erect their manger scenes, and many have the custom of not laying the figure of the baby Jesus in the manger until Christmas eve. Whatever your custom, our manger scenes remind us that God truly became one of us, born a babe in Bethlehem’s plain, son of God and son of Mary, born to save us from our sins.
And this is the cause of our joy, that we are saved. He is the proof that we are not abandoned by God to the evil and violence and selfishness of the world. He is the proof that sin does not get the last word, that God does come to deliver us, that sin isn’t allowed to reign in us; that God does come to fill us with light and joy and peace.

Many of our neighbors, colleagues, and family members, unfortunately have forgotten this truth; they get wrapped up in the superficial, they can’t see who the lights, the trees, the decorations, the presents, point to.

In the Gospel, we heard of a man whose entire life was focused on pointing to Christ. John the Baptist had been imprisoned for preaching about Jesus. He wasn’t a fool or a madman, he knew that preaching about Jesus had political repercussions. But he was a man of faith, who believed that preaching about Jesus Christ was worth dying for.

John knew that if you weren’t prepared for Jesus by turning away from sin, you might just miss him…just like so many in our culture do today.

News of John’s imprisonment spread to Jesus, and upon hearing John was facing imminent death, Jesus, as we heard in the Gospel, spoke to the crowds about John. Who did you go out to the desert to see? Jesus asked. Remember, John had drawn people out to the desert from miles around. This was no small feat. Many traveled great distances; the terrain was difficult; provisions had to be hauled along; and for most, the trip home, was a grueling uphill climb out of the Jordan valley.

What brought you? To see a reed swayed by the wind? Jesus asked. In other words, did you go out to see a people pleaser, to listen to someone who is easily swayed by public opinion and who relays back to the public only what they want to hear? Did you come out to the desert simply to be entertained? Similarly, why did you come to church today? Simply, to be entertained? I think not. There are certainly more entertaining venues than this.

Jesus, then dug a little deeper: did you go out to the desert just to see someone dressed in fine clothing? Some people are very attracted by wealth, celebrity. They dream about becoming best friends with Hollywood movie stars. John’s concern wasn’t about forming a cult of adoring fans.
Jesus, then revealed the real reason so many went to see John: they longed to hear the words of the prophet. Our deepest longing is for God, and John was sharing with them, how best to prepare for God. You want joy, you want peace, you want deliverance? Prepare your hearts for God.

When we come to Church a deep desire in us is fulfilled, whether we recognize that or not; a desire to give to God the worship we owe Him, the desire to open our minds and hearts to be formed by God, our souls to be nourished by God. This is why people were going out into the desert, this is the reason they went to so much effort and were attracted by this very strange preacher, who ate locusts and dressed in camel hair.

This Advent we recognize the need to focus more deeply on the message of John the Baptist; that if we truly desire to experience Christmas joy, we must prepare our hearts well, by repenting of our sins, by engaging in daily prayer and meditation and acts of mercy.

But also, we recognize that we are called to be like John, to call others to focus on what really matters. Perhaps it means putting up a manger scene in your yard or house for visitors to see; perhaps, you might invite a fallen away Catholic to our Advent penance service, to speak to them about the importance of living the faith and confessing their sins and going to mass.

John was willing to suffer for Jesus, to be imprisoned and even to be martyred. It may surprise you, and it’s somewhat of a paradox, but that willingness to suffer for Jesus is the key to deep Christian joy.

Rejoice, the Lord is close! Prepare your hearts well for his coming, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.