Gaudete Sunday Reflection

Gaudete Sunday Reflection



By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD


Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy


www.missionstsergius.org


Based on Readings from: Isaiah 35:1-10, Psalm 14, James 5:7-10, Matthew 11:2-11






“The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellence of our God”. These opening words from the Isaiah 35 and the following from James 5, in which he seems to be instructing the people of Jerusalem, where he was the .head of the church and is often thought to be “the brother of Christ”, are a messages of hope as well as instructions on living our daily life.


The epistles of James stress good works as the means to gain everlasting life with God in Heaven. In the epistle for Gaudete Sunday James instruct his church in the following manner; “Be patient therefore, brothers, to the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be you also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draws near. Grudge not one against another, brothers, lest you be condemned: behold, the judge stands before the door. Take, my brothers, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.”


This Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sunday, Meaning a Sunday to Rejoice .and the vestments are ROSE rather than purple. We are rejoicing that soon the promised of the ages birth will be celebrated.


During this season of advent as we prepare ourselves for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and the salvation his coming brought. The Gospel for Gaudete Sunday is from Matthew tell the story of how Christ when asked by John the Baptist’s followers if he was the promised of the ages and how Christ tell them to report to John all the miracles they have witnessed and then Christ goes on to say the following; “Truly I say to you, Among them that are born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he”.


What this says is that basically, in God’s eyes, all who believe and live their lives extending love, compassion, charity and work toward a peaceful world are equal in heaven


With so many grumbling about one thing or another these days and with the economy and the world in a state of turmoil and with the daily news services reporting one horrible event after another it might seem difficult to REJOICE..


Just the knowledge that so many children of God around the world are living in poverty, suffering from discrimination, homeless, and being killed because of the greed and power seeking of others, we might wonder how we could ever REJOICE IN THE LORD!


It might just be that the cause of all the suffering facing the world today is that so many have put God totally out of their daily lives and replaced Him with the desire for fame, fortune, power and just plain greed.


Many claim that they are too busy to give God a portion of their time every day or even on Sunday.


They have to work, shop, a game of golf or a sporting event to go to or some other reason rather than take an hour of time devoted to Thanking God and Seeking God’s blessings.


If they would just take some time to think, they might come to the realization that all good things came from the creator.


If only they realize that, just maybe, they might come to an awareness that they need to thank God for what He has provided them and acknowledge God’s presence in their life.


People are so busy decorating their houses and purchasing gifts in preparation of celebrating Christmas, Chanukah or Kwanzaa that all they focus is on the commercial aspects of the holidays.


People forget what true meaning of these holidays is all about.


REJOICING IN GOD’S GOODNESS AND GIVING THANKS.


Without God, none of these holidays would exist. Without Christ, there can never be a Christmas.


Let’s make sure that we set aside time in these last two weeks of Advent to thank God for all He has provided us.


Let’s plan to attend a religious ceremony as a part of our celebration plans. For those who are Christian, attend church and receive the Eucharist.


The reading from James letter to his church in Jerusalem instructs us to; “Grudge not one against another, brothers, lest you be condemned: behold, the judge stands before the door”

The message here is the same as the last two weeks, we need to be prepared or as the Coast Guard motto says we need to be “Semper Paradus” (Always Ready)and we also need to follow the Marines motto when it comes to God, Semper Fidelis which is Latin for "Always Faithful".


We must set aside time to recognize Christ’s coming here to teach us the way to happiness and everlasting peace and open the way for us to achieve eternal salvation.


Let us acknowledge that precious gift from God, the Gift of His beloved son and make room in our lives every day to “Rejoice in Him” through prayer and works of charity, compassion and love for ALL God’s children.


Let us strive to live our life every day in a manner that is in accord with the way Christ instructed.


Let us work toward becoming more considerate, compassionate, understanding, forgiving and caring persons to all we encounter in our daily life rather than just concentrating on our own desires and wants.


Let our gift to God be our thanking him for our lives and what we have and let us share, if we can, what we have with those who are in need.


AMEN