3 rd Sunday of Advent - C. Introduction

Transcription

1 3 rd Sunday of Advent - C Introduction For the past two weeks we have heard of the Lord s coming as judge of all at the end of time. The Priest wears penitential purple during this season to help us realize our part in turning from God s covenant and participating in acts of darkness (sin), although pink may be worn on this, Gaudete, Sunday. There are images of light and darkness interwoven throughout the season s readings. The feeling of penitence comes as we force ourselves to compare our dreams, our great expectations, with reality. What keeps us from fulfillment in this moment? What hinders us from seeking the freedom that God offers us? Our fear of the unknown and our anxiety about taking risks often keeps us enslaved in our old ways and prevents us from reaching out for new ones. Our greed and possessiveness keep us from letting go of what we have so that we can seek the next step in life. God will free us from our enslavement to fear, injustice, poverty, negation, and disease if we simply let go and let Him guide us. Gaudete Sunday, in the pre-conciliar delineation of the liturgical year, was regarded as a day of particular joy with Advent half over and Christmas soon to follow. The term Gaudete refers to the first word of the Introit (Entrance Antiphon) Rejoice, taken from Philippians 4:4-5. [This week s readings remind me of Alfred E. Newman, the funny-looking character on the cover of MAD Magazine, whose epithet was What, me worry? Alfred is cool, calm, without anxiety. The Philippians (our second reading), were they to have an epithet, would have one that reads, Me worry? You bet! Why is it that the Philippians worry but the Alfred E. Newman types don t? The Alfred E. Newmans don t worry because they re detached, aloof, cynical. They don t like to get involved, to invest. To invest means to invest in the success of something to want to see it work out right. Investment is a sure way to worry; after all, not every project succeeds. It s a simple equation: no investment, no worry. The Philippian types are the opposite of the Alfred E. Newman types. Philippians are big worriers. They are big worriers because they re big investors--in pension 1

2 programs, in their children, in life insurance. But, most of all, their biggest investment is in Judaism. As faithful Jews, Philippians are deeply invested in the coming of a Messiah- the one who will free Israel and rule the nations with peace and justice. As Luke describes them in today s Gospel, The people were full of anticipation, wondering in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah (Luke 3:15). Philippians are so much on the lookout for a messiah that they almost mistakenly claim a desert hippie like John the Baptist as The One! But John keeps them back:...there is one to come who is mightier than I. I am not fit to loosen his sandal strap (Luke 3:16). If this isn t anxiety holy anxiety then what is? I think the rest of us could stand a dose of it. For anxiety means that we seriously believe that a day will come when a Promised One will come and usher in God s kingdom. In this case, a little anxiety is a good thing!] {taken from The Liturgical Press Sunday Bulletin for 3 rd Sunday of Advent 1994} 1 st Reading - Zephaniah 3:14-18a The theme of the 1st two weeks is carried on with this week s selection from Zephaniah. On that day the people of God will be restored. The Lord, your God, is in your midst. 14 Reading Shout for joy, 0 daughter Zion! sing joyfully, 0 Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, 0 daughter Jerusalem! 15 The LORD has removed the judgment against you, he has turned away your enemies; The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. Commentary The remainder of this book consists of sayings about the coming day of vindication (verses 8, 11). This is the beginning of these jubilant reminders. The summons to rejoicing has its setting in victory or escape from defeat, as at the raising of a siege. Here, Yahweh has intervened on behalf of His people as a defender. In Psalms 46 and 48, Yahweh s presence in the midst of Jerusalem provides defensive rather than offensive help. 2

3 16 On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem: Fear not, O Zion, be not 17 discouraged! The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; He will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, He will sing joyfully because of you, 18a as one sings at festivals. This expression usually accompanies assurance of Yahweh s presence to save in an oracle (see 2 Kings 6:16; 1 Chronicles 22:13). Because the people have trusted Yahweh, He is joyful. This is in contrast with the opening verse (v14) where the people are called upon to be joyful. This is a time of great anticipation and the responsorial psalm continues this theme of joy because God is with us. Deacon Finn s Commentary In this reading the church joyfully anticipates the Messiah's coming through the words of the prophet Zephaniah. The prophet's exuberant message anticipates a revelation that cannot be contained: The Lord is in our midst and his presence gives us joy. Zephaniah points out that great gladness results when we allow God to be with us. We sin when we try to find happiness in ways that bring a cutting off of ourselves from fellowship with God, the only person who can make us truly joyful. There is an old saying that joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God. One can be very hot and thirsty and be very happy to receive a cold glass of water. The person may be in complete turmoil, but for a few moments he is happy. Because joy is the presence of the Lord, a person may have his own personal life under attack through sickness, accident, death of a loved one, or even a divorce, and still be joyful and at peace. To experience God in our midst goes far beyond any technical explanation. We are told that the Holy Spirit is upon us; he has appointed us to preach Good News to the poor; He has sent us to heal the broken hearted. This joy of knowing that he is in our midst, knowing that his Spirit is upon us comes when we faithfully follow him 3

4 and obey his Word. This is the anticipation of joy that Zephaniah tells his people about and it applies, especially today, to you, wherever you are. If you want to be joyful, draw close to the source of joy by obeying God. Then listen as God rejoices over you in song. 2 nd Reading - Philippians 4:4-7 Last week we heard from the beginning of the letter to the Philippians, today we move to the ending of this letter. Saint Paul concludes his letter with instructions for the people living in expectation of Christ s coming. 4 Reading Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it 5 again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Commentary This calls to mind the early acclamation marana tha (Come, 0 Lord) (1 Corinthians 16:22; Revelation 22:20). This rejoicing is not separable from grief, for indeed it is rather deeply connected with grief. The one who grieves for his own wrongdoing and confesses it is joyful. Alternatively it is possible to grieve for one s own sins but rejoice in Christ... On this account he says Rejoice in the Lord. For this is nothing if you have received a life worthy of rejoicing.... He is right to repeat himself. For since the events are naturally grievous, it is through the repetition that he shows that in all cases one should rejoice. [Saint John Chrysostom (A.D ), Homilies on the Epistle to the Philippians, 15,4,4-7] 6 Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. 7 Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Either beyond the power of the human mind to grasp or accomplishing more than we can conceive of (see Ephesians 3:20). When the peace of God has 4

5 come upon us we shall understand God. There will be no discord, no disagreement, no quarrelsome arguments, nothing subject to question. This is hardly the case in worldly life. But it shall be so when we have the peace of God, wherein all understanding shall be ours. For peace is the state of being already at rest, already secure. [Marius Victorinus (ca. A.D. 355), Epistle to the Philippians, 4,7] Deacon Finn s Commentary How powerful and yet how wonderfully strange that a man in prison would be telling a church to be joyful. But Paul's attitude teaches us a very important lesson: Our inner attitudes do not have to reflect our outward circumstances. Paul is saying that we may not be able to control the circumstances, but we always can control our response to those circumstances. Paul takes up the joyful anthem; the Lord himself is near, dismiss all anxiety from your minds. Paul was full of joy because he knew that no matter what happened to him, the Holy Spirit was within him and he had nothing to fear (1 John 4:4). Paul is urging the Philippians to be joyful, and he is speaking to you; maybe you need to hear this. It is easy to get discouraged about unpleasant circumstances or to take unimportant events too seriously. If we have not experienced joy lately, we may not be looking at life from the right point of view. Never having to worry about anything is not an escape from responsibility. We all have worries in work, in our homes, schools and with our families. Do you want to worry less? Paul is saying that we need to turn our worries into prayers. Then pray much more. Whenever you start to worry, stop and pray. The peace that you receive is God's peace, and his peace is different from the world's 5

6 peace (John 14:27). This peace is not in positive thinking, in absence of conflict, or in good feelings. This is a real peace, and it comes from knowing that God is in control of our life. This means our destiny is set, our victory over sin is certain, and this is a peace that surpasses all understanding. Gospel - Luke 3:10-18 The story of John the Baptist is continued from last week. John gives directions to those who come to him and tells them that he is not the Messiah. He points beyond himself to Jesus, who is to come. In this reading we find that it is not the religious leaders who are willing to repent, but the ordinary Jewish people and those who, at best, are on the fringes of Jewish society: tax collectors and soldiers. These are the same people who respond positively to Jesus preaching. Gospel 10 The crowds asked him, What then should we do? 11 He said to them in reply, Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise. Commentary This question is repeated by the tax collectors (v12) and the soldiers (v14). The question occurs twice more in the Gospel (10:25 and 18:18) in which a scribe and ruler respectively ask Jesus for an authoritative response about what they must do to inherit eternal life and they receive different answers. Three times in the book of Acts this question occurs and in each instance Christian baptism is part of the answer (Acts 2:37; 16:30; 22:10). John doesn t call for the offering of animal sacrifices or performance of acts such as fasting. He calls for something more radical a selfless concern for one s disadvantaged brothers and sisters. John preaches, in advance, what Jesus will preach the proper use of material possessions. People who share half of their clothing are like Zacchaeus, who gives half of what he possesses to the poor (Luke 19:8). 6

7 12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, Teacher, what should we 13 do? He answered them, Stop collecting more than what is prescribed. 14 Soldiers also asked him, And what is it that we should do? He told them, Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages. 15 Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah. Tax collectors were despised by both Jews and Gentiles and it is surprising to see them coming to John for baptism as they were not expected to take ethics seriously. Again and again in Luke normal expectations and deep seated prejudices are turned upside down. The Roman tax system was riddled with abuses, which Caesar Augustus tried to eliminate. The tax collectors had been collecting the tax, plus whatever they could get which was all profit. It seems that these soldiers were Jewish men in the service of Herod Antiapias. Since they helped to enforce Rome s will in a subject country, they too were despised. As embodiments of Luke s themes of reversal of expectations and God s love for the despised, they present themselves for baptism. Luke s comment implies that there were Palestinian Jews who awaited the coming of a messiah; an anointed agent of Yahweh sent for the restoration of Israel and the triumph of God s power and dominion. 16 John answered them all, This emphasizes the universalism Jesus mission. 7

8 saying, I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. 18 Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people. John is inferior to Jesus. John uses the purifying agent of water; Jesus will use the superior purifying and refining agents of the Holy Spirit and fire. In Acts 2 Luke shows how the fire of the Holy Spirit accomplishes its work in human beings. Although the phrase clearly refers to Jesus, its exact meaning is elusive. Jesus is more powerful than John in repulsing the powers of evil. Not even fit to perform the work of a slave. (see also Acts 13:25 for the same theme/text) Grain was separated from chaff by winnowing the mixture of wheat and grain hulls (the chaff) was thrown into the air with a winnowing fan where the chaff would be blown away leaving the grain which would then be swept into the kitchen over the threshing floor, hence the term threshold (thresh-hold) for the bar across the bottom of a doorway. The image here is that of separating the fruitful from the unfruitful. In the Lucan perspective there are so many similarities between John and Jesus that Luke can say that John preaches the good news as he inaugurates the new time of salvation. Deacon Finn s Commentary The message of John the Baptist broke upon the people like a giant clap of thunder. He did not tickle the people's ears. He was not cute or an entertainer. His message was not good news, it was news of terror. John had lived in the wilderness and sometimes fire would break out. The animals would come out of their nicks and crannies, scurrying in terror from the menacing flames. It was to them that John likened the people who came to be baptized. 8

9 The Jews thought that God would judge other nations with one standard, and the Jews with another and that as sons of Abraham they were exempt. John told them that racial privilege meant nothing, that life, not lineage, was God's standard of judgment. John's message took root in unexpected places, among the poor, the criminals, and the soldiers. They were painfully aware of their needs. Many people then, as well as today, failed to see that respectability is not always connected with right living. John states that respectability can hinder right living if it keeps us from seeing our need for God. If you had to choose between them, would you protect your character even if it ruined your reputation? John warns of impending judgment by comparing those who refuse to work for God to chaff, the useless outer husk of the grain. In contrast, he compares those who repent and reform their lives to the nourishing grain itself. Those who refuse to believe in God will be discarded because they have no value in furthering God's work. Those who repent and believe hold great value in God's eyes because they are beginning a new life of service for him. Application The first reading tells us that the Lord is in our midst. The second reading reveals that peace is not worrying, but praying, about everything. The Gospel calls us to more than respectability; it calls us to right living. This week, let your witness to right living have a strong measure of joy. Start with yourself and take a spiritual, emotional and physical inventory of yourself. Be honest, specific and joyful. Take any area of you that needs correcting and pray constantly every day for just that one area of brokenness. You do not need to tell yourself how bad you are; you need to tell yourself how blessed you are to have someone forgive and love you. Jesus loves you so much he died for you. So look at an area of yourself that you can change this week. Share this change with a loved one, a friend, or maybe a clergyman. 9

10 Third Sunday of Advent [9] Zephaniah 3:14-18a Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6 Philippians 4:4-7 Luke 3:10-18 Daily Reflection of Creighton University's Online Ministries December 9th, 2018 by Chas Kestermeier, S.J. Creighton University s English Department Promise is one of the major themes in Luke, who wrote the Gospel reading for today, and in the early chapters of his Gospel Mary, Elizabeth, Zechariah, Simeon, and Anna all stress that God is keeping His promises, although it is actually only one single promise in various forms. In the Old Testament God made a number of promises, all of them having some meaning that people could understand directly, but there was always a deeper meaning. At the end of the Garden story God promised very little that is clear (Gen 3:15), and there is also the promise to Noah after the flood (Gen 8:21--9:17), in appearance also somewhat limited, but then there are all the promises to Abraham, the first believer. Then came the prophets, whose foretellings had that same double nature of the direct applicability and then the far deeper meaning; today's first reading, from Zephanaiah, and the psalm (actually from Isaiah 12), are good examples of this. God's word eventually gave shape to Israel's hope for a Messiah and, as always, He delivered more than we expected, Jesus, the gift that never stops giving. All the work of Christ points to the restoration of our lost innocence and a return to the Garden, the New Creation. He is not the Messiah people expected, or even the one that we actually desire in our own day (we prefer the old wine... Luke 5:39). God is always beyond us, always calling us further. Christmas is a principal step in this same keeping of promises, of God being with His people (Immanuel), but in a way that goes far, far beyond what anyone had understood the Old Testament promises to mean, and in a way, a very important way, this is what Advent is about: waiting filled with holy hope, in a world of 10

11 darkness and sin, for a savior, for the hand of God to intervene, just as He promised, and to change a world that we cannot. This is why Mary's Magnificat at the Visitation is such a song of amazement and joy (Luke 1:46-55): He has come to the aid of Israel his servant, mindful of His mercy according to the promise he made to our ancestors, of his mercy to Abraham and his descendants forever. And this is the joy and amazement that we celebrate today as we see God's love coming to light... This is why we rejoice, why we celebrate Gaudete Sunday. If we truly have faith in God and His promises and place all our hope in Him and not in ourselves, if we seek to imitate the Father and the Son and the Spirit in being nothing but love focused beyond ourselves, we must be the Alleluia people we proclaim ourselves to be at the Easter Vigil, light in the darkness, pointing to the Eternal Light. Be joy then, be love and hope for the world in the name of the Lord whom we await. Internet Sources: St. Charles Borromeo Church of Picayune, MS The New Catholic Evangelist Online Catholic Bible Study from St. Dismus Guild Click the lesson for the date your group is studying The Daily Reflection Calendar from Creighton University of Omaha, NE United States Council of Catholic Bishops 11