Third of : Gaudete Sunday; Fr. Rick, homilist

From the liturgical colors today, pink and rose, you see we are celebrating Gaudete Sunday, also known as Rose Sunday. With the on the altar covered in pink and rose, we cannot help but notice our regular Advent color blue, for the altar cloth. I see it not as a sign that we could not find a pink or rose altar cloth, which we couldn’t, but rather of the color symbols given to baby boys and girls. Certainly, the gift of children is great cause to rejoice! As we approach , we celebrate the birth of a certain child. In the Advent Season tradition, we often see two New Testament figures surface: and Mary, mother of Jesus. The liturgical readings concentrate on the message of the second coming through December 17, and John the Baptist being mainly representative in the gospel, and after that, on the birth of the Christ Child through Christmas, with Mary the mother of Jesus having a major role. John the Baptist is interesting, as we know through a few stories before his birth. Gabriel told his father, Zechariah, he and his wife, Elizabeth, both advanced in years, would have this son, and laid out the remarkable things John would do as he grew into manhood. Many wondered, “What will this child become?” Later, Mary visits Elizabeth, Mary newly pregnant and Elizabeth six months along. As Elizabeth greets Mary, Elizabeth’s child leaps in her womb, and Elizabeth praises Mary, “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Was John’s leap within his mother’s womb one of joy? Fast-forward to adult John, dressed in camels’ hair and skins, eating locusts and wild honey; unlikely to be the future Zechariah and Elizabeth expected for their son John. He calls people to change their ways, repent and live a relationship with God, with the sign of that being baptism with water, testifying to their commitment to live the change and be in relationship with God. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus approaches John, who says, “I should be baptized by you.” In John’s Gospel, John the Baptist calls out to Jesus as the Lamb of God “who takes away the sin of the world.” I dare say John made this declaration in utter joy. Does John recognize Jesus as the promised one? The Messiah? If so, his joy is truly understandable. Today, we encounter John the Baptist as less than certain about Jesus. We can understand his question and frustration. In John’s eyes, Jesus, as the expected promise of a messiah to lead the people of the covenant to freedom, a political liberator, a redeemer in the physical here and now, appears to fall short. “Are you the one or is there another?” Jesus’ response illuminates the difference his presence is making: people receive their sight and hearing, begin to walk after being lame, become cleared of illnesses, receive new leases on life, and hear good news. Truly, the reign of God is at hand. It might be different from John the Baptist’s expectation, but blazingly alive with new promise, nonetheless. Hopefully, Jesus’ response gave John comfort, as he sat in his cell awaiting his fate. What has this child become? Forerunner of the messiah, jumping with joy, not just as a man about to baptize Jesus, but six months in Elizabeth’s womb. He became one who believes and trusts, even with his questions. For us, he encourages joy for what God is and will be doing, and gives an example of honesty to ask questions. The other New Testament figure associated with Advent, Mary mother of Jesus, is a most obvious symbol of this period of preparation. Her pregnancy represents expectation. She is also perfect as the image of joy, the message of Gaudete Sunday. Like John, her life will not be pain-free. As early as the 40th day after Jesus’ birth, Mary receives the disturbing message from the prophet Simeon, that Jesus is destined for the rise and fall of many, and will be a sign opposed, revealing the inner thoughts of many, and a sword will pierce her own soul. After that, where is the joy? It may have been in seeing her child grow strong and wise. Would that not give a mother joy? It could have been her seeing the positive transformation Jesus made in so many lives. As a mother, she no doubt feared the enemies he made. This fear was realized as she stood with the disciple John, at the foot of the cross, watching the life flow out of Jesus’ body. Certainly, there is no image as heartbreaking as that of a mother holding her child’s lifeless body, a sword piercing her soul. But the joy that must have erupted within her as the news of his resurrection was proclaimed! How enlivened she must have been. I could almost see her hitting Simeon on the shoulder and saying, “Why didn’t you tell me there was more?” John the Baptist and Mary the mother of Jesus were people, who lived experiences of joy in their encounters with Jesus, and also lived very difficult moments. We, ourselves, have experiences of joy in our lives, and some very difficult times, some lasting years. Joyful moments are opportunities to be grateful to God we are alive to experience them. These moments may seem few and far between, but if we are attentive, there may be more opportunities than we realize. 12th-century abbot and reformer of Benedictine Monasticism, Bernard of Clairvaux, wrote of the three comings of Jesus the Christ: at his birth in Bethlehem, with the promise of his return – both of which we are familiar, and Bernard added an in-between coming. Bernard described this as Jesus coming in spirit and power to his followers, giving rest and consolation since the first coming was about redemption, and the end-of-time return about our life (the fullness). I would broaden Bernard’s idea of the in-between coming of Jesus in some ways. He said this was for the followers of Christ. But I believe the coming of Christ to us in spirit and power can be at moments in which we experience joy. During this holy season, we may experience joy even if so briefly. The joy we experience may be in seeing the excitement of children during this time; it may be within ourselves, as we recall memories of past that bring us much happiness, or plans that excite us presently about this Christmastime. We hear songs proclaim Christmas as “the most wonderful time of the year” and “that time of year when the world falls in love,” all pointing to a specialness of this holy day we celebrate. If we pause with the joy we experience, and realize we are celebrating the birth of Jesus which gives us the awareness of God’s commitment to us through Jesus and Jesus’ mission of bringing us fuller life in harmony with God, one another and all creation, then our celebration is much more profound than we may realize. Wherever we are with challenges and joy in our lives, let us remember John the Baptist’s and Mary’s moments of joy and welcome our own! Behind those exhilarating moments, especially those we encounter moving toward Christmas, is a God who loves us, never apart from us. Amen.