On Friday, as I was preparing this homily, it began to rain outside. Most people would have been filled with joy forrain, but my first thoughts; however, were, “The drops of rain are tears from angels cryingover the massacre of the children in Connecticut.” While angels can’t cry, because they aren’t human, it is hard to find joy in the midst of so much sorrow.
On this Third Sunday of Advent, called “Gaudete Sunday”, or “Rejoice Sunday”, we are supposed to rejoice. This is why a rose colored Advent candle is lit and the priest wears rose colored vestments. It’s a sign of joy.
But how can we have joy and happiness in the midst of tragedies and sorrows of life in the world we live in? Don’t we also just wish the world would be a happy and better place and then everyone would be truly happy?
All of us long for happiness and joy. We are tired of turning on the television or picking up the newspaper, or reading the news on the Internet and being faced with another tragedy in the world. Hurricane Sandy causes 30,000 people to become homeless and 60 billion dollars in damage; the terrible tragedy of the children and teachers who died in Connecticut; and it’s not just those places that are far away from us. Just listen to the radio or turn on the TV and what does the news reporter say? A house caught on fire and a family is now homeless, a man was stabbed, another murder in Wichita, a car accident and three people were killed. And in our own homes, a sick relative, a death in the family, a loved one who is experiencing difficulty, a family member who lost his job. A friend whose wife left him.
How can we rejoice with so much hardship and suffering in the world?
First, we rejoice because Jesus, the Son of the Eternal Father, came down from heaven and was born in Bethlehem and this is why celebrate Christmas. We rejoice because Jesus, who is God, knows what we are going through because He and His family experienced great tragedy and great suffering in their life.
Mary and Joseph fled into the desert because they were foretold Herod wanted to kill the Child Jesus. And how they must have sorrowed when they heard the news of the innocent children massacred in Bethlehem.
Because of this, Joseph lost his job and Mary and Joseph had to live away from their families. They knew what it was like to be homeless, without a job, strangers in a foreign land (Egypt). Once they were able to return, Joseph and Mary experienced the pain of losing Jesus for three days. And then when Jesus became an adult, He and Mary would endure the death of St. Joseph. There are too many examples to give in the Gospels to list them all, but Jesus Himself suffered much. For example, some of His own relatives thought He was out of His mind. Others thought He was possessed by the devil. Some attempted to trick Him. Some accused Him of blasphemy. He lived in a time the government oppressed and persecuted the Jewish people. He was ridiculed, mocked, spat upon. And Jesus experienced His sorrowful passion, His scourging, crucifixion and death as though He was a criminal, yet He was a totally innocent victim.
Jesus knows about tragedy, suffering and misunderstanding. He lived it. And Mary knew what it was like to hold Her dead Son in Her arms. And because Jess chose to live like one of us, in all things but sin, He knows also how to help us and how we feel when we suffer.
We rejoice and are happy because Jesus rose from the dead and is now alive and with us. Jesus comforts us and consoles us in our sorrows. Jesus came to heal the broken hearted. He walks with us, through our dark valleys, our sufferings, our hardships. We rejoice, because of His great love for us, and because of all Jesus went through, so that when we die, we can go to heaven and enjoy peace, happiness and joy forever. For if Jesus hadn’t come into the world, we could never have been able to go heaven.
As we live in the world, John the Baptist reminds us how to have peace and joy in our heart. In the Gospel today, people asked John the Baptist, “What should we do?” The people wanted to know how they can be better persons. And John told them the truth. He told them to stop cheating each other, through extortion and over charging taxes. But ratherto help the poor, give away a coat one doesn’t need,and food to those who have none, to not falsely accuse others and he said to be satisfied with their wages. This is how people will be able to rejoice and be happy, because they will have peace in their heart living a life of repentance, honesty, good deeds and accepting and being thankful for what they have.
The people suspected John might be the Messiah, and so they asked him and again he told the truth. No. He is not the Messiah, the Messiah will come and all will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord.
John stands before us, showing us the way to prepare for the coming of the Lord, to have peace and joy in our heart. He is saying to us peace and joy comes with living a virtuous life, free from sin and in being truthful, honest, doing good deeds for others and being satisfied and grateful for what we have.
St. Paul explains it this way, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I say it again, Rejoice. Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, and thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
If we live as John the Baptist and St. Paul ask of us,no matter what happens in our life, we will have peace and joy in our heart. We will be guarding our heart, through prayer, petition and thanksgiving to God. And this is because only Jesus can give us peace and joy, for the world cannot give us lasting peace and joy. For the world will someday pass away.
We have to remember, the worldis not our home. Our home is in heaven. And only in heaven, will have perfect peace, joy and happiness. And before we make the final journey home to heaven, we also have the great hope of Jesus’ Second Coming, when He will once and for all destroy all evil and will renew the face of the earth, such that peace and joy will reign on earth, as it is in heaven. We all long for that day!
May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, help us to have peace in our heart, so that no matter what tragedies and sufferings go on in our life, we will have joy and happiness knowing Jesus suffered for us, and now suffers with us, for He is our hope, our joy, our peace, and our happiness!