There are many paradoxes in our Christian Faith.

For example, there are three Persons in one God; this God made something out of nothing; God's mother is one of his creations, etc. It can be easy to respond by simply ignoring the discrepancies. But these paradoxes are not meant to be ignored. They are mysteries of our Faith, not meant to be kept secret, but to be unveiled by God himself.

One of the greatest mysteries of our Faith is that there can be profound joy even in the depths of the worst suffering, and this is the mystery that the Church draws to our attention on Gaudete Sunday.  In the midst of a season of penance and waiting, we find ourselves celebrating a day completely devoted to joy! How is it possible to “rejoice always,” as St. Paul tells us, when we know the suff ering that this world brings? The Church gives us a few models of joy in our readings for today: Isaiah, Mary, and St. Paul. In each of these cases, we fi nd someone living in joy even while they are still waiting for the Lord. We are called to do the same. Even though we live in a time after Christ’s fi rst coming, we still awaiting his second coming. We are still in exile, waiting to be taken home to Heaven. By pondering today’s Scriptures, may we hope to discover how these biblical fi gures always rejoiced in the Lord, even while they were still anticipating the fulfi llment of his promises, and to do likewise.

First Reading

Isaiah 61:1–2a, 10–11

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is shown reading this very passage from Isaiah to the synagogue in his home town of Nazareth. With every eye riveted on Jesus in anxious anticipation, he says, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk 4:21).

The breathless astonishment in that synagogue expressed the recognition on the part of those present that this passage from Isaiah was universally understood to be a reference to the awaited Messiah, a title which means, “Anointed.” Note that in verse 1, Jesus would have read the words, “the Lord has anointed me.” The crowd, which had heard of his growing reputation, was probably wondering if Jesus were the Messiah, the anointed one, and now he was speaking the very words that foretold his coming. Having been recited for hundreds of years by thousands of Jews, this phrase finally was spoken by the One who had inspired its writing!

Imagine the joy of the listeners who realized that they were finally en- countering the promised Messiah. We should find the same joy as we encounter Christ in the Mass and the Eucharist, intimately united with the Savior who came to redeem us from the power of sin and death.

Second Reading

1 Thessalonians  5:16–24

“Rejoice always.” These words, which begin this reading from St. Paul, best describe the appropriate attitude for the liturgy on this Third Sunday of Advent. Our hearts ought to be lifted by the nearness of the Lord’s coming.

In this season, we focus on several of the Lord’s advents or comings: past, present, and future. It is interesting to note that the section that precedes our reading from 1 Thessalonians addresses the question of the Lord’s second coming. Again, the consideration of the end of time, or the end of our lives, is not a reason for abject fear on the part of Christians. On the contrary, as “children of light and of the day” (1 Thessalonians 5:5), we are called to share in the joy of his coming. If we are his, we have nothing to fear from his coming; we will not receive judgment, as will the children of darkness, but vindication.

And although in this Advent Season we await both the coming of the Christ Child at Christmas and the second coming of Christ, we are able to participate in his presence with us now in the Church and preeminently in the Blessed Sacrament.

Gospel Reading

John 1:6–8, 19–28

The  Gospel this week features John the Baptist again, although we see him in a different light than Mark’s Gospel. In St. John’s Gospel, the Baptist is the witness to the Messiah; he “was not the light, but came to testify to the light” (John 1:8).

Scholars have noticed that John begins his Gospel with the same phrase as that which begins Genesis: “In the beginning.” This suggests a new creation in Christ. Closer attention reveals that John  also mentions   a series of days in the first two chapters of his Gospel that add up to seven in all! The phrase “the next day” is used three times in chapter one, suggesting the passing of four days, and the story of the wedding feast at Cana in chapter two begins with the words, “On the third day,” suggesting the passing of three more days. John describes the beginning of the re-creation in Christ, just as Genesis describes creation itself in a series of seven days.

The Baptist describes the Messiah as “one among you whom you do not recognize” (John 1:26). This idea of God among us is a central theme of both the Old and New Covenants. God dwelt among his people during the Exodus from Egypt, in the Tabernacle, and in the Temple. Of course, Jesus is our Emmanuel, “God with us,” in a special way during Advent. Most profoundly, he is “one among us” in the Eucharist, under the humble form of bread and wine, and as such is often one whom we “do not recognize.” Each Holy Communion, then, is a little advent, another coming of Jesus, and so the Advent season ought to teach us how to be better prepared to greet Christ in each Mass.

DIGGING DEEPER:
The Eucharist

The great spiritual masters teach us that a key to “rejoicing always” is to work intentionally to give thanks. A heart overflowing with gratitude does not succumb to darkness. Our word for Eucharist actually comes from the Greek eukharistia, meaning “thanksgiving.” At Mass, we offer Jesus’s sacrifice in thanksgiving to the Father. By being with Jesus in Adoration, we can rest in this thanksgiving. In the Eucharist, we give thanks for our greatest gift, God himself, and there we learn how to keep this gift always present in our minds so that we can truly give thanks and “rejoice always.” This week, try to attend Adoration or Mass with your group, or encourage them to do so on their own.

PRAYER:

RESOLUTION:

In a homily from Gaudete Sunday in 2002, Pope St. John Paul II said, “In the face of the inevitable diffi culties of life, the uncertainties and fears for the future, the temptation to give in to despair and disappointment, the Word of God always proclaims again the ‘glad tidings’ of salvation: the Son of God comes to heal ‘the wounds of the broken-hearted.’” Ask God where he wants to pour his mercy into your life. How can repentance actually prepare your heart to receive joy? What practical thing can you do this week to let Jesus heal the wounds of your broken heart?

Reprinted from  Opening the Word at Formed.org .
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