Rejoice in the Lord. Be happy. Rejoice. Last week, one of my nephews called me. He sounded very happy. The reason he called me is because he wanted to wish me Merry Christmas, but also he wanted to share with me that he got an iPhone 5 as a Christmas gift. That was his dream to have a iPhone 5. He talked to me about for almost 25 minutes about his phone. At the end, I said to my nephew to enjoy his gift. God wants us to be happy. Yes, God wants us to be happy. Like my nephew many people are happy during this time of Advent. You can see that in the face of the people we meet in the street, job and family. You can read their joy. That is a good thing. I like to see people happy. I am telling you this story because Today is called Gaudete Sunday or Rejoice Sunday. Because Gaudete is Latin word which means rejoice.
We are called to be joyful people. Catholics and believers, we are called to rejoice. God created us to be happy. And God wants us to be happy. Today is rejoice Sunday. Now , you may wonder why the Church calls this third Sunday of Advent, Rejoice Sunday. Why we should be happy ? What is the secret to be happy happiness ? What is the cause of this joy? And how to be happy in the midst of the violence, injustice, and poverty in the world ?
Today’s readings give us the reasons to be happy. The prophet Zephaniah in the first reading says that we should be happy because the Lord we are expecting is already among us. He is with us. He is living in our soul. We rejoice and we should be joyful people because we know that the one who comes to save us, is already with us. He is in the midst of the brokenness, injustice, even when we are facing hard time. God is with us here and now. God is the source of your joy. He is working within everyone of us. This is the source of the joy we are invited to. That is the prophet says : “Shout for joy… Sing joyfully…. Be glad.
In the same line, Saint Paul tells us that we should be happy, we should rejoice always in the Lord because the Christ is near. : “”Rejoice always in the Lord.……..Be happy… We should be happy not because everything is going well with us right now, not because our health and finances are in great shape, not even because someone gave us a big Christmas present, but simply because the Lord is near. Paul’s message is powerful. He is teaching us not only by word but by example as well. Because he wrote this message when he was in prison in Rome for preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ. In spite of the conditions in which he found himself, Saint Paul tells us that we should not be worried we have to trust God. And bring everything and every situation to God no matter what the problem we are facing . What beautiful advice from Saint Paul for us in this time of Advent . In the gospel, John the Baptist brings us a good news. He is saying that we find our joy and happiness when we share with needy people our time, our talents and our treasure . Gifts evoke joy in those who give and those who receive. Also, John the Baptist is telling us that we find our joy and happiness when we take care of the needy people around us. And when we please God by doing what is right. In this context, I have to say that Holy Redeemer is generous community because there is a good spirit among us, a spirit of sharing. It is amazing to see how people is ready to share and to serve. This is the heart of Christmas. My brothers and sisters, Christian joy needs to be shared to the people around us. Because we have to show the joy that Christ is with us. He lives in us. Let us pray….let us ask God the gift of joy. Rejoice in the Lord, always. Be happy.
