REJOICE ALWAYS IN THE LORD

 

Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent, Year A

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

Scriptural Texts: Isaiah 35:1-10, James 5:7-10, Matthew 11:2-11

 

Today is the third Sunday of Advent also known as the Gaudete Sunday. The word gaudete is derived from the Latin words gaudium, joy, and gaudeo, to rejoice or be glad. We find this mentioned in the opening words of the introit antiphon of today’s Mass, “Rejoice (Gaudete) in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is at hand” (Philippians 4:4-5). The significance of this Sunday is that in the midst of the penitential and somber nature of Advent, the Church invites us on this Sunday to lighten our mood and to rejoice in hope because the day of the Lord’s coming is drawing ever nearer. In other words, the mood shifts from a tone of expectation of Christ’s coming to one of rejoicing at the arrival of God’s kingdom with the coming of Jesus.

The liturgy of the word of this Sunday focuses on the signs and miracles associated with the Messianic age, its coming, and what we need to do to prepare. In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah, looking forward to the future promised to the people of Israel, makes a description of the coming of the Messiah. He says that the Messianic age will be a time of renewal when the curses laid upon mankind and nature will be reversed. In that time, the wildernesses and dry land will blossom, and streams will come forth from the desert. The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; the lame man shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy (Isaiah 35:1-6). Finally, those whom the Lord has ransomed will return and enter Zion singing, crowned with everlasting joy; they will meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee (Isaiah 36:1).

In the gospel reading, Jesus presents himself as the fulfilment of the hopeful vision of Isaiah which we read in the first reading. When John the Baptist sent messengers from the prison to inquire from Jesus if he was the Messiah they were expecting or they should wait for another, Jesus did not give them a yes or no answer. He told the disciples of John to go back and tell John what they had seen and heard, namely, the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them (Matt. 11:4-5).

Our time and age are not different from time of the Israelites. Like the people of Israel, we too have become fugitives in our land. We mourn daily with morning in sight. Hardship and suffering have become our lot. That is why like the people of Israel, we too long for the Messiah to come and liberate us. We too cry out with the psalmist saying, come, Lord, and save us. At Advent, we wait for this Messiah to come and save us. But we know that waiting can be wearisome. That is why St James in the second reading, admonishes us that as we wait for the coming of the Lord, our attitude should be like that of a farmer that is waiting for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains (James 5:7-8). The most important virtue we need to have in this time of waiting is the virtue of patience. Patience makes us joyful and hopeful in the face of waiting.

In those moments when our hearts become frightened and weighed down by the hardship we face; in those moments when we find ourselves at the verge of losing patience in our suffering as we await the coming of the Lord, let our faith be like that of John the Baptist. Even in chains in prison, he was still sending his disciples and us to our savior. Let us never forget that our God is always close and in Jesus, God has come to save us. Throughout the ages there are troubles, but God brings us comfort and life. He liberates us not from our struggles and shackles. Let us then wait patiently and joyfully for his advent. When he comes, he will save us and make our joy complete.