Watch!  Comfort!  Rejoice!

During the first three weeks of Advent, we have received several invitations and challenges.

Week 1: Watch…Be awake to the revelation of God in our midst. Recognize God in the people and events of each day. 

Week 2: Comfort…Be ready to give and receive comfort. Experience the tender love of our Good God and reach out to extend love and compassion to others.

Week 3: Rejoice…Appreciate the many ways that God touches those broken in body and spirit.  Be grateful for all who offer goodness and kindness to others.

As I prayed with the readings for the Third Sunday of Advent, I had a mental image of a Word Cloud with REJOICE displayed most prominently. In the first reading Isaiah encourages us to REJOICE in God who is our joy. In the Responsorial we hear Mary’s song of praise and her proclamation that she does indeed REJOICE in God. And in Paul’s letter we are reminded to REJOICE always.  It sounds so easy…REJOICE, BE HAPPY! But a close reading of the texts implies something more, an invitation not only to REJOICE, but also to become like the God in whom we REJOICE. This is a God who has a “preferential option” for those who are poor, who heals those whose hearts are broken, who frees those held captive by less than positive choices, who feeds the hungry, who acts justly and shows mercy --- or more accurately who works through us to accomplish these things.  To paraphrase St. Paul’s letter, this is a God who believes that we can partner with him and who promises to make us “perfectly holy” in the process.

The story of John the Baptist recounted in the Gospel provides a somewhat different perspective. There is no mention of rejoicing in this story; in fact, the scene is confrontational. Yet somehow the readings are related. After all, John was the long-awaited child who leaped for JOY in his mother’s womb! John knew who he was and who he was not. Even when his followers wanted to believe he was the long-awaited Messiah or at least a Prophet, John was clear about who God had called him to be. John knew that he had a unique role, and he was true to his calling. In the Franciscan tradition, we believe that every individual is unique, and that God invites us to use our unique gifts to bring forth goodness, kindness, justice, and mercy and thus bring more JOY into our world.  

As we continue our Advent journey, we are invited to reflect upon our unique calling to bring forth justice and peace, to show mercy and kindness, to extend God’s love. Isaiah, Mary, Paul, and John accepted their calling. To what are we called in Advent 2020? The challenges we face today in the midst of a pandemic, racial injustice, environmental crises, and social divisions may seem overwhelming.  I can’t help thinking that Isaiah, Mary, Paul, and John must have felt overwhelmed at times. Yet, they could REJOICE because they knew who they were and whose they were, and they embraced their unique gifts and allowed God to work through them.  Trusting that the God who calls us is faithful, are we willing to do the same?