By Fr Joshan Rodrigues –
Feelings of joy, excitement and warm love impregnate the air as the Feast of Christmas approaches with startling swiftness. The month of December always seems to move along faster than the others. It is a month of celebrations, community and family, as we oscillate between weddings, First Holy Communions and Christmas get-togethers. It is a month of ‘joyful’ busy-ness.
The Third Sunday of Advent mirrors our happy hearts, as the Entrance antiphon proclaims, “Gaudete in Domino semper: iterumdico, gaudete” (Rejoice in the Lord; again I say, rejoice – Philippians 4:4).
With only one more Sunday before Christmas, the liturgy takes on a more eager and urgent sense of anticipation. The option of rose vestments and a rose candle for the third candle of the Advent wreath help heighten this emphasis. It is not surprising that the verbs “sing” and “rejoice” are heard over and over in the readings for this Sunday.
This sense of urgency and busyness is however tempered with St James’ exhortation (in the second reading) to be patient. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the pre-Christmas season, we must pause to reflect on the progress of our journey to the manger at Bethlehem, and probably even double-check our coordinates to ensure that we are headed in the right direction. Just as the farmer waits patiently to reap the sweet fruit of his labour, just as every meaningful relationship needs an investment of time and understanding, Advent must become for us a time to stop and stare at the grandeur of the Incarnation and what it means for ‘my’ personal journey on earth.
The ‘App’ generation – as some techno-sociologists describe us to be – is characterised by a desire for instant gratification. Technology has metamorphosed into satisfying our every want at the click of an app. Be it transport, shopping, food, commerce, banking, messaging, communication, entertainment or even finding an amorous relationship, there is an app for almost everything today. The happiness ‘delivered’ by these apps, however, is often superficial and short-lived, as the possibility of a deep encounter and a profound choice is negated by the speed of the world in which we live. Advent invites us to re-discover the rich rewards of patience and meaningful reflection.
Having the courage and desire to authentically search for the Lord leads to a long-lasting, and life-changing transformation. “The blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised…” (Mt 11:5) Advent has traditionally been a time of spiritual penance to “make straight the paths for the Lord”, yet it often descends into a superficial immersion into worldly celebrations, much like the false flattery for the “Emperor’s new clothes”. Our True King’s naked incarnation in a poor stable amidst the animals and shepherds, however, points the way to the real focus – reconciliation, humility, service and a spiritual course-correction.
Advent is a call to be ‘prophetic’. John the Baptist is unafraid of asking the real questions, and letting himself be seen as he truly is. He recognises the difference between himself and others; he recognises his role of service for another; he is not the light, but the witness of the Light; he is not the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom; he is not the Word, but the voice of the Word. John the Baptist finds his identity in service, so that another can develop his own role. This is a far cry from our culture plagued by the desire for stardom and attention. It is because of this, and many other reasons, that Jesus calls him the ‘greatest’.
Like the Baptist, our prophetic ‘voice’ is even more urgently required in today’s time. Isaiah’s deserts and parched land are made real in our present, in the ever-increasing violence (especially against women and children), corruption, selfishness, poverty and ignorance of the weakest and vulnerable in our society. The seeds of society’s shadows lie in each one of us. By commission or silence, we become complicit in the proliferation of darkness. May we ask ourselves and others the right questions, and face our failures and fears with courage and Divine assistance, so that this Christmas, our families and our society at large will be “crowned with everlasting joy” (Is 35:10).
Fr Joshan Rodrigues is currently the Managing Editor of The Examiner, Catholic Newsweekly of the Archdiocese of Bombay. He is an alumnus of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome in Institutional and Social Communications. He has done brief stints with the DeSales Media Group in Brooklyn, New York and Communications Office of the Episcopal Conference of England and Wales, London. He frequently blogs on faith and culture in ‘Musings in Catholic Land’