Pastoral, Liturgical, Teaching, and Social Justice Moments brought to you by DignityUSA.

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The third Sunday in Advent is traditionally known as Gaudete Sunday, or the Sunday of Rejoicing. We are called to rejoice because our annual Advent preparation to celebrate the Incarnation is half over. But sometimes rejoicing is easier said than done, particularly in these difficult days. Also, rejoicing should not be seen as a mandate from above – something we have to force ourselves to do to be pleasing to a judgmental Deity – but instead as the result of a process of trusting in Love’s relentlessly welcoming presence. We rejoice not because we are commanded to, but because, over the course of time, we have learned to recognize Love’s light even in dark moments.

December 12, 2021: the Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday  
Zephaniah 3:14-18a 
Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6 
Philippians 4:4-7 
Luke 3:10-18 
 
Rejoicing in the Midst of Difficult Times 
A reflection by Thomas DeVoyd 

This Sunday’s first reading is from the prophet Zephaniah, someone who witnessed the tragedy of Jerusalem’s destruction. David’s kingdom was falling. The city was being attacked by the Babylonians. At the time, the prophets were warning that the destruction of the city was coming, but those warnings fell on deaf ears. Idols had been erected by the people of Judah and they went further and further away from God’s laws. According to the prophets, this angered God and enemies were allowed to take over the lands. Today’s reading, however, is a celebration that God had forgiven them. In Zephaniah’s vision, God is once again going to protect them from their enemies, and the lands will be restored to their former glory. God’s people have returned to worshiping God alone. Although it sounds so foreign, this passage speaks directly to the current age. We can put so many things in front of God: our jobs, friends, money issues, and relationship problems just to name a few. These become more important than our relationship with God. I think it is easy to forget that faith is not just something that we do on a Sunday for an hour and then forget for the rest of the time. It is always the right time to practice our faith by trusting in the Divine Care for us and sharing that concern with one another, and the rest of God’s creation. 
 
The passage from Philippians offers so much hope: “Rejoice in God always and again I say rejoice.” Paul wrote this in prison, a place where most people do not rejoice about anything. Paul trusted that his needs would be taken care of, and so Paul was at peace with what was happening. We can all work toward this commitment to joy through faith. Paul goes on, “Let your gentleness be evident to all.” When we live a life of faith, other people can tell. We do tend to be gentler and more at peace because we trust that things will work out within God’s plan. We can pray and wait for an answer, not feeling that we need to be “pushed to the front of the line.” Living in faith today with all the distractions we face is not easy. Those who do have a peace that I am still hoping to find. We are invited to present our needs to God and to trust that they will be met.  
 
In the passage from Luke, John the Baptist is depicted as older than Jesus. John was born to parents who had been unable to have a child until God stepped in. People who he was baptizing were asking what they should do to be right with God. John told them to act justly: tax collectors should only collect what is due; soldiers should not extort money from others; people should keep only what they need and give the rest to those who have less. John would baptize Jesus though he did not feel worthy of the task, but John trusted that there was a plan and so did what Jesus asked. Many people thought that John was the Messiah and called him teacher as they do in this passage. This is how people also referred to Jesus. John, though, also seemed clear on the role he played: to prepare the Way for Jesus. This must have taken great trust when people were trying to make the Messiah.  
 
It can be so frustratingly difficult to put our faith in God. There is so much turmoil in the world. People are predicting the end of the world but only God knows when the end will come. The Prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures often associated the difficulties of the world with our inability or unwillingness to allow God’s Love to direct our actions. At times, those who have followed this path of Love are considered fools by others. But like Paul in prison, this trust can empower us to “rejoice in God always and again I say rejoice.”