GAUDETE: Joy in Sorrow.
Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, Gaudete!
This is St. Paul’s enthusiastic hopeful words in his letter to Philippians which simply means “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say rejoice! This letter was written to the church in Philippi (Phil 4:4-6) and to all of us, the Church, the mystical body of Christ who gather every Sunday to worship as a joyful community. Gaudete Sunday takes its name from the introit (Antiphon) of the liturgy of the day, which quotes the Pauline positive approach to life: Gaudete in Domino semper. With Gaudete Sunday, our advent journey is halfway, and we are close to Christmas. The Church invites us to rejoice not minding the penitential character of Advent, because we await in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Looking back at Paul’s letter to the Philippians might offer us, perhaps, an encouragement of joy in sorrow. He mentions joy or rejoicing sixteen times and nearly a third of these references speak to his present joy (Philippians 1:4,18; 2:17; 4:1; 4:10). You’d think that he’s on vacation or visiting one of his prospering churches. But Paul was writing amidst some of his greatest suffering—imprisonment in a dark, dirty prison cell in Ephesus. Reflecting on this, Dennis Hamm, SJ says that Paul, like other famous prisoners in confinement - Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King Jr.- was led to reflect on big questions. “For example, what if I die here? What comes after death? Has my life been worthwhile? What can I hope for the people I would leave behind? Jesus has made all the difference in my life- how can I best communicate him to others? How do I make sense of suffering and encourage my friends in their own suffering? What have I learned here that might help them? (Dennis Hamm, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, 61).
You are aware of the many trials, wars, conflict, chaos, and tribulations that beset humanity in our world today. How dare we rejoice? It’s almost two years since the Covid-19 pandemic that claimed lives in thousands globally. Families are smacked down with fear and anxiety and mental health has skyrocketed and may other ills. How possible is it to experience joy? But Christian joy or rejoicing is not an experience of a stress-free life, it is joy “in the Lord.” Why? Because no matter the situation, being mindful of our union with the risen Lord evokes a deep, mysterious joy. The great Henri Nouwen wrote how joy can persist even in the saddest times. He writes that joy is something deeper. It 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" (Henri Nouwen, The Heart of Henri Nouwen. His Words of Blessing).
Therefore, in this third Sunday of Advent, "Gaudete" is the word's imperative form. We are commanded to rejoice. Against the backdrop of heartbreaking news out of our nation and cities, against the sad headlines every other day, that our celebration this advent (and at Christmas) is a countercultural declaration that even in sadness, we rejoice because our hope is in the one who is stronger than death. Hence, the readings this weekend highlight this joy beautifully. In the first reading Zephaniah proclaims, “shout for joy, sing joyfully, be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem” (Zeph 3:14); our Responsorial Psalm says, “cry out with joy and gladness” (Is 12:6); and the second reading is the main text of this reflection (Phil 4:4). The Gospel is John the Baptist’s joyful declaration about the coming of the mighty one, the Christ (Lk 3:10-18).
Sisters and brothers, yes, “we are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies” (2 Cor 4:8-10). And so, we pray to God to enable us to attain the joys of so great a salvation and to celebrate them always with solemn worship and glad rejoicing Amen.
Prayer of Reflection
Most gracious and loving Father, as we continue to prepare for the great feast of the nativity, fill our hearts with unspeakable joy so that we may rejoice in all things and at all times. Fill us afresh with your unspeakable joy so that streams of living water may flow always from within us. May our hearts swell with great anticipation as we approach the manger to humbly offer our song of praise, to Jesus our soon coming King.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning is now and will be forever, Amen.