From the Pastor's Desk: December 15, 2019

From the Pastor’s Desk:                                                                                                                                December 15, 2019
 
"Gaudete in Domino semper!  Rejoice in the Lord always!" (Philippians 4:4)
    
The liturgy for the Third Sunday of Advent focuses on rejoicing and calls this Sunday "Gaudete" (Rejoice) Sunday.  On this “Gaudete” Sunday, the priest uses rose colored vestments and we light a rose colored candle on the Advent wreath, because of an ancient color scheme- rose signifies joy. The reason why the church has us focus on joy as we approach the celebration of Christmas is because the Church wants us to be prepared to erupt with joy as we celebrate one of the most important events in the history of the world – the Incarnation of the Son of God at Christmas.
    
What is joy?  The dictionary defines joy as an emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying.  It is also defined as a state of happiness or felicity.  In Catholicism, joy is a state of soul equated with happiness and it is also defined as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.  Joy, therefore, is not to be understood as something superficial or immature.  The person who is filled with Christian Joy possesses an immense treasure because the true Christian can smile and laugh even in the middle of the most terrible adversities and sufferings. 
    
This is the joy of Advent and joy of our daily life – we are days away from Christmas. This reality ought to fill us with happiness and joy, and it should as the essentials to our Christian way of life. Because our happiness is not an ordinary one, but the happiness of Christ, who Himself is our primary source of joy. Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta used to say: “Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.” We need to be joyfully present in order to relate and to embrace one another with “the net of love”. In order to love we are called to action. To respond to this action gives us joy– the purest appreciation of the other in ourselves.
    
Some people ask: but is this joy still possible today? Men and women of every age and social condition, happy to dedicate their existence to others, give us the answer with their lives! Was not Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta an unforgettable witness of true Gospel joy in our time? She lived in touch daily with wretchedness, human degradation and death. Her soul knew the trials of the dark night of faith, yet she gave everyone God's smile. In one of her writings, we read: "We wait impatiently for paradise, where God is, but it is in our power to be in paradise even here on earth and from this moment. Being happy with God means loving like him, helping like him, giving like him, serving like him" (The Joy of Giving to Others, 1987, p. 143). Yes, joy enters the hearts of those who put themselves at the service of the lowly and poor. God abides in those who love like this and their souls rejoice. If, instead, people make an idol of happiness, they lose their way and it is truly hard for them to find the joy of which Jesus speaks. Unfortunately, this is what is proposed by cultures that replace God by individual happiness, mindsets that find their emblematic effect in seeking pleasure at all costs, in spreading drug use as an escape, a refuge in artificial paradises that later prove to be entirely deceptive.” Benedict XVI- Angelus, December 16, 2007
    
Although on this Sunday when John the Baptist challenges us with a message to share what we have with others, to be fair, to avoid cruelty of extortion, to practice “holy moments” in our everyday live, we need to realize that our response to all the good things the Lord gives us cannot be sadness or joylessness.  We have one another, we have our faith, we have Jesus as our companion in life, we have the Holy Spirit to guide us, and we have a Father in heaven who cares for each one of us with personal and unique unconditional love. Rejoice, therefore, the Lord is near. Rejoice, the Lord is here. Rejoice, here with us is the Lord Jesus!

This week we need your assistance to decorate and to clean the church for Christmas. Let us joyfully share our gift and talents in preparation to welcome the newborn Jesus into our community of faith.    

 Have a blessed Third Week of Advent!

With prayers,
Fr. Andy