Homily for the third Sunday of Advent: Joy!

“Behold” there is such a thing as “the joy of salvation.”  Go to the Christmas story and look. Behold, God comes to the earth, in such surprise! Behold, a baby, Who is Emmanuel, God with us. Amazing.

The Gospel for this Guadete-Rejoice Sunday of Advent has the adult John the Baptist in joyous waiting for the immanent appearance, of the revelation of The Christ, in their midst!  John is a joyous waiter—while actively preparing the Way.  His father Zechariah’s prayer is in John’s mind while he baptizes at the Jordan, as in “the dawn from on high shall break upon us…”  Soon!  Lk. 1:78.   Our rose-colored vestments and candle remind us of the pre-rising sun sky, which, if there are clouds to show it, can be pink-colored or bright yellow or orange in appearance.  Joy of the dawn breaking to sunrise.

Christmas 2023 has a lot of crisis going on in the world, and right in our own lives some tough things to face.  But there is joy: Jesus is come. God is with us.

He said that there would be war, tribulation, nature’s fury, unrest, upside down immoral living, a culture of death, culture of death and divide.

Such is the prophetic forecast of the Second Coming times: Yet, Behold, the Lord Who Is, Who Was, and Who is to return in glory. There’s joy in that.  He will redeem His people, restore all things, and show His reign.  In John 16:33 Jesus says: “But be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.”  It’s an all-temperature cheer, so to say for Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter.  God is deep within the soul of His baptized—it is the Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27.

In the present suffering in the world, it is the paradox, but God co-suffers with His people, and remember He Who went crib to cross. It is why we can have joy within, even if maybe tears or frustration or hurt is on some faces or in some hearts.

Jesus lives.  The One called the Redeemer is on the job. He is here doing some soulful work—with the Holy Spirit guiding it.  He can take what is all messed, and make it blessed.  He can take what is all messed, and make it blessed.

Recall the Beatitudes, as Jesus says it eight-fold, completely, how in Him the reign of God is upon the earth, “blessed are you believers—He says—who now live in Christ’ disciples, His faithful, anawim, poor in spirit people… as the peacemakers.. as those who mourn and care with the wounded or hurt in the world, even letting others to attend to your pains…the reign of God is yours!  The reign of God is for the hungry ones for righteousness… and for those brave people willing to suffer for Jesus’ Name and cause… and for the great 8 Beatitudes wraps up by saying:  the kingdom of God is yours, the kingdom of God is yours, rejoice and be glad, the kingdom of heaven is yours.

Join St. Paul: Gaudete, Gaudete! From his epistle today proclaimed in Mass.

It is not easy to be faithful and up-hearted in the Lord, and of glad spirit in Him—not with the deceivers, the gripers, the complaining grouches, the unsatisfied, the defy-ers, of those without respect for others or even their own, for the world’s disregard for the sacred and holy, of for the image and likeness of God in our brothers and sisters. For the secular humanists so proud and arrogant, for the rich and haughty of our world keeping the imbalance, for the war-mongers —- it is not easy to be faithful and up-hearted in the Lord, and of glad spirit: But remember Jesus words in John’s gospel amid all the drama unfolding in Jesus’ ministry:  “In the world you shall have tribulations, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.

There’s joy in the Victory of the Lamb.

The Story of Salvation in the New Covenant begins with the promise of ages getting fulfilled:  “Behold, God comes to the earth, Behold a baby, Jesus, Who is Emmanuel, God with us. “

The Salvation Story is Jesus with His Body, the Church.  He will not abandon her— He pledges fidelity to us.  Of course it is us on earth who botch things up. We become unfaithful, but we keep coming back to Him at Mass, at Confession, in prayer, in other key ways for renewal. He is there for us. In a quiet prayer you might make today, Emmanuel is waiting.  Presently, we are at Mass, in our special Lord’s Day gathering. Here we are for healing and help.  Behold, the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, happy are those called to His Supper.  In the Mass for Eucharist.  In the finish, at the Supper in Heaven, in Glory, we hope—which we “rehearse for” here, though with God actually Present in this Mass.  Behold.  Another small appearance, in the Host.  He’s here.

Jesus the Bread of Life likes it here at Resurrection (Riderwood).  Here aare some reasons:  We usually have 1,100 people come to Mass on Sunday here—we have numbers at our weekday Masses and our Adoration times each week, on a Thursday and a First Saturday of the month. He is ready to meet us and bring the divine aid we so need.  We will likely have over 2000 for Christmas Mass in our 7 liturgies on Dec. 24-25, and the Lord will be pleased to see numbers in His House for the Nativity Mass.

So as Colossians 1 says: ¹⁰ “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. -“ Christ will present you holy and blameless and above reproach before God (all shined up in Jesus’ righteousness) ²³ if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation.”

Let the joy deep in the well of your soul, the indwelling Presence of Jesus, and nourished and fortified with Holy Communion help you to continue on in the Faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel.