By Fr Francis Gonsalves, SJ –
Third Sunday of Advent – Cycle C – 12 December 2021
Readings: Zeph 3:14-18; Phil 4:4-7; Lk 3:10-18
“God will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival” (Zeph 3:18)
Homily Hint: Today, we celebrate what has traditionally been called ‘Gaudete (rejoice) Sunday’: the halfway mark in Advent. A slightly different rose-coloured vestment is used at Mass. Advent is not a sorrowful season but is marked by a gradual increase of joy that will overflow at Christmas. As we continue our synodal journey, we can interpret the readings from the perspective of joy. On the one hand, people are joyful because God journeys with them, loves them and forgives all their failings, and, on the other hand, God rejoices at their readiness to undergo conversion and change.
The joy of experiencing the Lord’s love and forgiveness:
- Today’s first reading is unusual because it is the only time in the 3-year liturgical cycle that a reading is chosen from Prophet Zephaniah who preaches to the people of Judah and Jerusalem during a period of religious, spiritual and moral decadence. Zephaniah’s prophetic activity coincides with the reign of Josiah (640-609 B.C.), and almost solely deals with predictions of judgment. The first two chapters of the book, as well as the first part of the third chapter, is full of frightening prophesies of the fate that will befall the people who have succumbed to idolatry and immorality. However, the tone of today’s first reading is totally different, resounding with joy: “Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart!” (v.14) since: (a) God takes away the judgements against you, (b) Your God is in your midst, (c) God renews you in his love, and (d) God sings as on a day of festival. The awareness of a loving, caring, protective and forgiving God in our midst is already a cause for great rejoicing.
The joy of experiencing God’s coming in our midst:
- The readings of Advent point to three ‘comings’: (a) Christ’s first coming in history, which already occurred some two thousand years ago; (b) Christ’s second coming in majesty, which will be in the Parousia at the end of times; and, (c) the Lord’s daily coming in mystery—in the reading, reflecting and responding to God’s word, in the sacraments (especially the Eucharist) and in the ups and downs of our earthly pilgrimage. Life is so unpredictable and fragile. We have all experienced this, especially during the pandemic.
Zephaniah points to that ‘Day’ when weeping shall be turned to joy, when despair shall fructify into hope, and fear shall be transformed into love, for, “The Lord, your God, is in your midst.” (v.17). As Christians, we know for sure that our God, Emmanuel has, indeed, come. There is certainly reason to rejoice and be glad since God forgives us, loves us and embraces us into a new covenantal love. We can feel secure in the love, mercy and presence of this God who, like a king and warrior governs and protects us, and like a father-mother loves us and cares for us. Echoing the sentiments of Zephaniah, instead of the usual psalm, we have a hymn from the book of Isaiah that probably expresses the joy of return from Exile. The hymn gives thanks for salvation for God is “in the midst of Israel.” The response: “Shout and sing for joy, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel!” gives us a foretaste of the supreme salvation of God-with-us in Jesus Christ.
The joy of repentance and return to God:
- Today’s gospel passage reintroduces the figure of John the Baptist who, last week, called us to prepare the way of the Lord and to make his paths straight. This passage might seem discordant with our theme of rejoicing along our journey. Moreover, one will surely not associate John the Baptist with singing and dancing, although Luke reports John’s ‘embryonic leap’, so to say, [Lk 1:41] while still in his mother’s womb in the presence of his mother’s cousin, Mary, herself expecting Jesus! Anyway, one can think of John as a connecting-link between the Old and the New Covenant. Just as a sutradaar in a drama or the MC of a programme introduces the actors and artists and then disappears from the scene, so does John introduce Jesus to the world: “One who is more powerful than I is coming … He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire …” (v.16). The Holy Spirit is associated with fire (as at Pentecost, the ‘tongues of fire’); and, fire is also regarded as an energizing and purifying agent. When asked: “What should we do?” John advises three groups of penitents—general public, tax-collectors and soldiers—to do concrete acts of reparation. Likewise, we can ask: What should we do? What should I do? There is joy in repenting and returning to God. This is the “good news” that John preaches (v.18).
Rejoicing in the Lord’s nearness despite chains:
- The second reading traditionally gave this third Sunday of Advent the prefix ‘gaudete’: rejoice! Paul writes this letter from prison because of his faith in the good news. Despite hardships, he rejoices in the consolation he experiences. He says, “The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything,” and, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice!”
Three Texts from Catholic Tradition:
- St. John Chrysostom (347-407) – is one who always insisted on the necessity of giving away any excess we have. To those who asked John the Baptist, “What should we do?”
Chrysostom says: “Give away all the excess you have … Not doing so is robbery.” -
Henri Nouwen, (1932-1996) describes the difference between joy and happiness: “While happiness is dependent on external conditions, joy is the experience of knowing that you are unconditionally loved and that nothing—sickness, failure, emotional distress, oppression, war, or even death—can take that love away. Thus, joy can be present even in the midst of sadness.”
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Pope Francis untiringly speaks of joy – Citing the 2nd reading of today, he preached on Gaudete Sunday in 2017: “Always be happy …. always remain joyful, even when things do not go according to our desires …. The joy of the Christian comes from faith and from the encounter with Jesus Christ, the reason for our happiness … The more we are rooted in Christ, the more we find inner serenity, even in the midst of everyday contradictions.”
In Lighter Vein: A wise and holy pastor was expected in town. All the faithful were ready with questions to test the holy man’s wisdom. When he arrived, he gazed at the eyes of those assembled.
He began to hum a tune. Some people hummed along with him. Then, the pastor sang and many sang with him. Finally, he began to dance. The congregation followed suit. Soon everybody became absolutely absorbed in the dancing, oblivious of all else. An hour later, when the dance had drained everyone of all inner tensions, there was total silence. The pastor then said, “I guess I’ve answered all your questions.”
Fr. Francis Gonsalves, SJ is the Executive Secretary, CCBI Comm. of Theology & Doctrine and President, Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune and former Principal of Vidyajyoti College, Delhi. He is also the Executive Secretary of the CCBI Commission for Theology and Doctrine. He has authored many books and articles and is a columnist with The Asian Age and The Deccan Chronicle national dailies.