CHRISTIAN JOY

The Third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sunday which means rejoice. It is also called Joyful Sunday because the Lord is near. The third candle in the Advent Wreath is lighted which symbolizes the joy of salvation. Salvation comes from the Latin word salus which means health. We rejoice because the Lord comes to bring us healing, wholeness, fullness of life and completeness. He restores our broken relationship with God and with one another. He fulfills the work of new creation given to Him by the Father. And His work of new creation requires human collaboration. We celebrated the great feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe last December 12th and Mary is our model of human collaboration, her unconditional yes to God. The apparitions of Mary in Guadalupe triggered one of the largest and fastest mass conversions in the Christian history within a decade. Nine million indigenous people were converted to Catholicism with thousand baptisms daily ending the Aztec practice of human sacrifices. God wants all to  be saved and He wants us to collaborate in His work of new creation. St. James in his letter (5:7-10) presents an agricultural analogy highlighting the collaboration of man. He points to the patient waiting of the farmer. The patient waiting is not inactivity, complacency or lack of initiative. The farmer does his work. He cultivates the soil, sows the seed and pulls the weed. It is about labor, hard work, diligence, persistence and perseverance. God does His part and we must also do our part. We are called to  zealously and patiently promote the advent of God’s kingdom here and now. We are called to be the builders of God’s kingdom. We are the physical presence of Christ in our tormented world today Therefore, our Christian joy is not superficial or shallow. It is not denial of pain but a quiet confidence of God’s promise and presence. He is a faithful God. It is a joy that the world cannot give. It is a joy that comes from a deep conviction that God is with us every step of the way. It is profound and lasting joy, complete and full. It empowers us to witness that love is stronger than hatred and goodness will have the final word. Only Jesus can give us this joy, the fruit of His total self giving love on the  cross. We are called then to grow in our relationship with Him so that we become agents of His joy into the world. Merry Christmas!