* 3 Advent (C), December 13, 2009
* Theme: Rejoice the Lord is Near

* In this 3rd Sunday of Advent, there is a sense that Jesus is coming soon.
* Both with the celebration of Christmas
* And into our daily lives

* We used to call this weekend liturgy, “Gaudete Sunday”– “Rejoice Sunday.”
* In the midst of Advent sobriety and preparation we need to be reminded that Christ is already present in our lives.
* Like the opening prayer, we need to highlight joy, celebration, rejoicing and hope.

* Gaudete – Rejoice, the Lord is in your midst. (psalm)
* How do we rejoice given the pressures of today?
* The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq wage on
* The weak economy has people worried about losing their jobs if the have not already done so.
* Problems exist within the family.

* In today’s second reading, Paul is telling the Philippians Church to, “Rejoice in the Lord always.”
* And then he repeats himself, “I shall say it again: Rejoice!”
* Why would he need to say it twice unless they were in terrible straits?
* Paul certainly was; he wrote this letter from prison.
* He had little reason to “Rejoice!” in prison.

* Paul isn’t merely encouraging people to enjoy themselves;
* They couldn’t, they were having their own troubles.
* He calls his beloved Philippians to the basic attitude of all believers; a sense of joy that comes from the realization that, “The Lord is near.”
* No trouble, persecution or pain can yank Jesus out of our lives.
* In order to keep that focus Paul encourages the Philippians to stay faithful to their calling, their behavior must be apparent to all who see them.
* “Your kindness should be visible to all.”
* (Cf. Jude Siciliano, O.P.)

* Advent has been our time of Waiting and Longing for the Lord
* What our faith shows us is that God meets us where we are even though we have shortcoming and faults.
* Can we meet other people where they are with kindness?

* Virgin of Guadalupe – Meets God’s people
* The Aztec People had been conquered by the Spanish Conquistadores
* There were several appearances to Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac in 1531
* The Virgin had the features of a conquered Aztec
* She came “en cinta” carrying her son, Jesus
* She met the poor suffering people where they were.
* She is the maternal image of God meeting us where we most need God to be.

* In today’s Gospel from St. Luke
* John the Baptist calls all to prepare
* He calls tax collectors and soldiers and all people
* He says that he is not the Messiah
* Rather, he points to Jesus
* Referring again to the second reading from Paul, our lives too must point to Jesus

* Finally, we rejoice together because we do not live in isolated worlds.
* We are Filipino, Latino, Anglo, African-American, etc.
* God meets us were we are in our joys and in our sorrows
* Together we point to Jesus by our praise around the one table
* “Many Made One Around the Table of the Lord.”

* Let us Rejoice together as God renews the face of the earth.

* Amen

Comments