3rd Sunday Advent Year A

Rejoice in the Lord Always

My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
With the lighting of the pink candle of the Advent Wreath, we are reminded that we are called to live with joy. Christianity is a joyful religion. The birth of the Savior brings joy to the world. He is the only source of true joy.
The challenges of life will always be with us, but each day we have a choice: the choice to be happy or the choice to be miserable. Whether we cry or whether we laugh we will die; then why don’t we die with a smile on our face? When we make the choice to live joyful lives, our soul opens up to the action of the Holy Spirit and He fills our whole being with His power.
Two frogs fell into a deep bowl of cream. One was an optimistic soul. But the other took the gloomy view. "We'll drown," he lamented, and with a last despairing cry, he flung up his legs and said "Goodbye."
The other frog with a steadfast grin said, “I can't get out but I won't give in, I'll just swim around until my strength is spent, then I'll die the more content." Bravely he swam to work his scheme, and his struggles began to churn the cream.
The more he swam, the more the cream turned into butter. On top of the butter at last he stopped, and out of the bowl he hopped out to safety.
This Sunday’s liturgy reminds us that Christianity is a joyful experience. Patience is essential if we are to be joyful and never allow ourselves to be crushed by the difficulties of life. Let us remember the words of the Apostle James: “Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. (James 5:7-8)
James points to nature to illustrate his point that patience is necessary. The farmer suffers in sowing the seed. The same farmer will rejoice in harvesting the crop.
Now, what does it mean to be patient? To be patient is to understand that my present suffering is meaningful and necessary. It is as meaningful and necessary as the suffering of the farmer waiting for the harvest. The justification for the suffering is in the good-times that will come in the future.
Jesus said in the Gospel today “Blessed is the one who takes no offense at me”. Have you ever seen someone take offense at the Lord? I have. A certain lady who spent her time working for the Lord — visiting the sick and the bedridden, helping the elderly and the handicapped — was diagnosed of a knee problem needing surgery. The surgery was not a success and so left her in constant pain and unable to walk. One day she pulled herself together and asked Jesus in Prayer why He did this to her. “Do you know what Jesus said to her?” she said: “As I was looking at the crucified Jesus and telling him about my bad knee, he said to me, ‘Mine is worse.’”
Paul gives us some important, practical advice in Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord always” and "Do not worry about anything" (4:6). Doesn't this sound like the famous hit by Bobby McFerrin, Don't Worry Be Happy? Even though we live in a world that is chock-full of toys, comforts and luxuries yet fewer and fewer people seem to experience true peace and satisfaction in their lives. Rather we continue to experience more and more worry and anxiety. Life is full of problems; as Bobby McFerrin admits, yet he goes on to advise us not to worry:
In every life we have some trouble/ When you worry you make it double/ Don't worry, be happy. Ain't got no place to lay your head/ Somebody came and took your bed/ Don't worry, be happy. The landlord say your rent is late/ He may have to litigate/ Don't worry, be happy. Ain't got no cash, ain't got no style/ Ain't got no gal to make you smile/ But don't worry, be happy.
Yet there is a big difference between St Paul and Bobby McFerrin on this issue. Bobby McFerrin tells us "Don't worry, be happy" without telling us why we should be happy or more importantly how to not worry. Paul, on the other hand tells us in Philippians both why we should be happy and how we can dissolve our worries and attain happiness. Here we have Paul's key to happiness.
Philippians 4:4-5 tells us why we should be happy and not worry. "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near" (4:4-5). 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 has bought us a big Christmas present, but simply because the Lord is near. We should be happy not because of what we have seen in the past or what we see today but because of what we shall see tomorrow. It is a happiness that springs from the faith and the hope that our Lord is coming to wipe away the tears from all eyes. "And all shall be well. And all manner of things shall be well" to use the famous words of Julian of Norwich.
It is one thing to know why one should not worry and another to know how not to worry. How could one keep from worrying when one is surrounded by apparently insurmountable problems and difficulties? Paul gives us an answer in Philippians 4:6 "Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." (4:6) In every situation, in every difficulty or problem, in all circumstances, Paul knows one thing we should do rather than worry, and that is: take it to the Lord in prayer. Paul does not ask us to deny that we’ve got problems or to pretend as if they are not there. He urges us rather to face our problems squarely, not with worry but with prayer. Turn worries into prayers.
Learn to trust God in everything and in every situation. Learn to bring everything to God in prayer. Be strong; fear not. Rejoice with joyful song.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.