Rejoice: The Sign of a Promise to Come

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say rejoice!” The se aren’t my words; these are St. Paul’s words to the Philippians, which Holy Mother Church gives us in the introit for today’s Mass. While the days have been growing darker and just a little colder, we have been preparing ourselves for a great feast. And just today, just for one brief moment, we get a glimpse of the joy to come: a brief respite from the cold, a momentary flicker of light in the darkness. Today we light the rose-colored candle, for today is Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is the Latin word for rejoice.

But why do we “take a break” in our Advent? We do something similar in Lent when we celebrate Laetare Sunday, Laetare being Latin for “joy.” Well, quite simply, they’re signs.

We’re used to signs these days. And society has us pretty well trained to see and interpret them. In the movies, we can tell when someone is about to fall in love with the music. We can also tell when they’re about to die. We’re conditioned. We know when our boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife, says, “we need to talk,” that something is coming. When we ask someone “what’s wrong,” and they say, “nothing,” we can tell by the look on their face and the tone of their voice what’s really going on.

Our Catholic faith is no different. Our liturgies are full of signs: signs of wonder and awe, signs of joy and sorrow. Too often, though, we miss them. While we’re quick to name every character in the Wednesday Netflix series, we may not be so quick to recall what we heard at Mass last week, let alone the week before.

Sometimes, Advent can seem like just a date on the calendar. Today, December 11th, is:

· The Anniversary of the Statue of Westminster

· Burkina Faso Republic Day

· Holiday Food Drive for the Needy Animals Day

· International Mountain Day (established in 2003 by the UN to protect mountains)

· International Shareware Day

· National App Day

· National Caesar Day (A day to honor those named Caesar)

· National Jon Day (Same thing)

· Noodle Ring Day

· UNICEF Birthday

· UNICEF Day for Change

· Worldwide Candle Lighting Day

· Third Sunday of Advent.

I don’t know about you, but when I woke up, there was nothing in the air to tell me it was National Mountain Day. I can’t find a satellite radio station dedicated to Mountain Day yodel tunes. I did not get the friendly “Happy Mountain Day” greeting from the staff at the grocery store. I’m pretty sure there’s a war on Mountain Day; all anyone says is “Mery Christmas,” and that’s a full two weeks away! If there weren’t a label on the calendar to remind me, I might have missed it altogether. There were no signs. No warnings, no clues.

We run the same risk with Advent: the risk of missing the signs and the clues about what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and what’s coming. It’s not entirely our fault; the signs aren’t quite as bright as they used to be.

When we started celebrating Advent in the 9th Century, it was a 40-day fast, just like lent. The vestments were black, not purple. Deacons didn’t wear dalmatics. Flowers were prohibited in the church, as was organ playing. Everything took on a hushed tone. You knew what was happening even if you didn’t have a calendar. Then, after three weeks of quiet contemplation, you would walk into the Church and see the bright, vibrant colors of the flowers. You would smell the sweet aroma of incense. Your ears would hear the full, rich tones of the organ. And the dark colors of black and violet would give way to rose. Then, a voice calls out from the still, quiet time before the Mass.

Today you would hear the bells and feel the organ.

And on this Sunday, you will remember that something is coming. A promise has been made. And though times are dark, and we may feel far from God, God is coming! Rejoice!

GAUDÉTE in Dómino semper: íterum dico, gaudéte. Dóminus enim prope est. Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say rejoice!

Now, we’re not without the signs. We don’t see them as quickly. Listen to the Gospels. On the first Sunday, we hear the promise of the coming of the Son of Man. Stay awake, for you do not know the hour. On the second Sunday, we hear the story of the herald: John, the Baptist. Repent, for the day of the Lord is at hand! Today, we hear the most explicit promise from Jesus that He is the Messiah, and He has come. In the first reading, Isaiah tells us what to look for when the Messiah returns.

“The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom.

They will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song.

The glory of Lebanon will be given to them, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God.

Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you.

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing.

What does Jesus tell John’s followers when they come to see if He is the one who was promised?

Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.

Jesus makes it clear in no uncertain terms that He is the Lord who has come as the salvation for all humankind. The Messiah who has been promised has come. Maybe you’re afraid right now. These are trying times. But to those of you whose hearts are frightened, Jesus says, “Be Strong, Fear Not.” Your God comes to save you. Maybe you or a loved one are suffering this Advent. Maybe it’s a physical illness or a spiritual pain. Maybe it's a mental health condition. Jesus tells you, “the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing.”

You, who hurt because this is your first Christmas without your grandma, grandpa, or your mom or dad. You, who are struggling to pay the rent or feed the kids. You who are afraid to confront the sin in your life, who ask, “how can God love me?” Yes, on this Gaudete Sunday, when we light the rose candle and proclaim “Rejoice,” we see through a sliver in time to that tremendous Heavenly tomorrow that is promised, and we hear God say, “Here is your God. He comes to save you.”

Tomorrow may be dark again; it may be darker than yesterday. But, brothers and sisters, we have been promised a tomorrow that is not yet here and has already come. One of my favorite theologians, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, said:

“Celebrating Advent means being able to wait. Waiting, however, is an art that our impatient age has forgotten. It wants to break open the ripe fruit when it has hardly finished planting the shoot. But all too often the greedy eyes are only deceived; the fruit that seemed so precious is still green on the inside, and disrespected hands ungratefully toss aside what has so disappointed them.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, homily on the First Sunday of Advent, 1928.

My friends, we have been promised a savior, and He is coming! In a moment, we will embrace Him in the Eucharist. “Here is your God. He has come to save you.” Friends, if you have pain in your heart, if you have doubt, if you have fears, whatever stands between you and God, offer it up with our offering today. Then run to embrace the Eucharist; run to embrace the God who has come to save YOU!