3rd Sunday of Advent, B December 13, 2020
Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette
♫Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you O Israel♫. That joyful refrain is from one of the best known hymns in the Christian tradition. And it is a great time to sing it since today is Gaudete Sunday, Latin word that means “rejoice.” That’s why I am wearing this bright color, because rose vestments represent great joy. The Lord is near, our salvation is at hand, and our anticipation is building. And the longer we’ve waited, the greater our joy. Rejoice that Christmas is almost here.
St. Paul goes even further; He commands us to “rejoice always.” Who doesn’t want joy? But, what if we’re tired? Rejoice. What if we’re afraid? Rejoice. What if we’re miserable… if we don’t feel joy? Rejoice always. Our feelings do matter, but the fact that Jesus often says, “be not afraid,” and that scripture tells us to “rejoice” should tell us that something more than mere emotion is involved.
To rejoice is to express joy. Well, what is joy anyway? Comfort? No. Pleasure? No. Excitement? No. Happiness? Closer, but not quite. What is it? Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Its truest form is only found through holiness – the abiding presence of God in a person’s heart.
It is called a fruit for a reason. It is neither totally dependent on us nor totally dependent on things outside our control. We can prepare soil, plant a seed, water it, cover it from cold, and protect it from pests. Yet we still depend on the process of life and growth that, for all of our scientific knowledge, is not really under out control. Joy is grown in the heart of a person by the work of the Holy Spirit, but that requires them to prepare their hearts to receive and express that joy. All of this is summed up and included in that simple command: rejoice.
Still, how? When I am not feeling the joy, how can I rejoice? By choosing to nurture the joy until it is felt. Like John the Baptist, we must prepare the way. Part of the greatness of joy is that it is found in the anticipation of the goal and not just at the goal itself. That’s why this advent journey began by looking to the end of the world and remembering how greatly we must depend on God to be prepared.
The Holy Spirit who produces joy in us is not waiting for us at the end, but He accompanies us on the way. By convicting us and calling us to conversion, by strengthening us in prayer beyond words, by guiding us through the Church’s teaching and liturgy, the Spirit begins to grow joy in us and enable us to fulfill the command to rejoice always.
So Paul reminds us not to quench the spirit. Yet, before that he urges us to do two things guaranteed to bring us joy, to make that rejoicing possible: Pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances. But who can pray constantly? Who is always grateful? Surely these are exaggerations, right? Not if you believe what the saints tell us. From Paul who wrote it to Augustine to Aquinas to Theologians today, authentic Catholic interpretation of this command has been consistent. Prayer and gratitude should be constant.
How is this possible? Should we quit our jobs, stay home on our knees all day, and keep repeating rosaries? No, although for certain monks and nuns – many of whom are saints – that isn’t too far off from what they did and are doing. Still, lay Christians with jobs and families can’t do that. They have responsibilities that they must attend to, but this doesn’t meant they can’t also pray without ceasing.
Not all prayer is the same. Dedicated vocal and mental prayer, where we focus on nothing else, is required for all Catholics. Every day, each of us should spend at least some time doing nothing other than prayer. But prayer is not always so exclusive. There is the practice of the Morning Offering, which offers to God everything else in that day as a sacrifice and prayer. This can transform work, laundry, cooking, and play time into a form of prayer so that our whole day – except our sins, of course – can be pleasing to God. There is also the ancient practice of the Angelus and the Jesus prayer where, periodically throughout the day, you pause to lift your mind to God and say a few short prayers. It’s kind of like the moments when you pause briefly at work to talk with a coworker. If we can afford a moment chat about the game or the news with friends, surely we can afford a moment to speak with God too.
Finally, there is the conversation of the heart. St. Augustine emphasizes that desire can be a prayer. If we cultivate a desire for God that stays throughout the day, then we are praying throughout the day. When we’re alone, each of us has an inner monologue in our hearts. Idle thoughts, imaginary conversations, day-dreams and so on. With a combination of desire, of dedicated prayer time, and of quick pauses to pray throughout the day, we can shift this monologue to a dialogue, a continual conversation with God. This is the mature spiritual life of the saints and something God desires from all of us.
The other part of Paul’s command – to give thanks in every circumstance – is closely related to this and to joy. Like joy, we might wonder how we give thanks if we don’t feel grateful. But that’s just it. Gratitude is a decision, a choice based on a fact. The emotion of gratitude is good, but it is a side-effect that doesn’t have to be there. In your efforts to pray always, be sure to include the choice to say, “thank you Lord for” and to list things big or small. It helps to pick facts that don’t depend on our feelings. John the Baptist tells us he is not worthy to untie the sandals of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet, despite the infinite gap of worthiness, that same Jesus not only lets us serve him, he serves us, dies for us, and gives us his flesh to eat. Acknowledge and reflect on this and other mysteries of the faith. Thank God for them. If we do it deliberately and with perseverance, it can sometimes change the way we feel.
So, how do we rejoice? Choose to boldly express joy even when you don’t feel it, and you will come to know joy. Not that we simply will ourselves to feel something else, but, instead of believing the lie that our feelings define who we are or what we can do, we look at what God has done and is doing. Starting from that reality, we make ourselves speak praise and gratitude, we force ourselves to sing songs that express the joy of salvation. Do it clearly, do it loudly. Pray so you know who to thank and why. Thank him because he is good even when you are not. Rejoice because, if you let him, He will “make you perfectly holy” and it is holiness that brings joy. “[He] is faithful… [He] will accomplish it.” Rejoice, then, because Emmanuel shall come to you; indeed he already has.