3SUNDAY OF ADVENT 22

3rd ADVENT SUNDAY, 11 DECEMBER 2022: ISAIAH 35. 1-6a, 10; JAMES 88. 7-10; MATTHEW 11. 2-11 Thrust: Rejoice! Indicative: Rejoice with joy and singing because the dry land of life shall blossom abundantly with the glory and majesty of the Lord. The only thing needed is patience 1. This 3rd Sunday of Advent is celebrated as the Sunday of Joy. The word of God breathes a profound air of joy. The prime reason for joy is quite clear: the Messiah comes and his coming heals and renews everything. There will be an abundance of life in renewed strength and gladness. The glory and the majesty of the Lord shall be resplendent on earth in new blossom and vigour. 2. But we need to see this reign of the Messiah. We need to see with the eyes of faith and hope. Often life looks bleak and dark with manifold vicissitudes. Like the disciples of John the Baptist, we too may ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 3. Like many in the world, we too may be looking for many other alternatives like the world, the flesh, and the evil. It is in this context, Jesus replies, "Go and refer to John the Baptist what you hear and see: The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the dumb speak, the dead are raised, the poor receive the good news". 4. These are really the very same signs of the Messianic times as told in the OT, as heard in Isaiah, "the deserts and the dry land rejoice and blossom like the rose. He transforms everything by his healing and health, by restoring happiness and peace ". 5. Today the same Lord is telling us almost the same thing: "Go and refer to the world what you hear and see". This implies that we ourselves hear and see before we testify to others what God does in our world, and in our human lives. 6. Do we really hear God's voice, God's message constantly speaking to us? Do we hear his directions and counsels? Do we hear his cautions and warnings? Do we hear his appeal for conversion, for renewal? Do we hear his daily invitation to trust in him, to experience his love and mercy? 7. Do we see his hand working in our lives? Do we recognise his action, and intervention in our lives? Do we see his healing bandaging our wounds, his care protecting us, his love nurturing and strengthening us, his mercy forgiving us, his wisdom illumining and guiding us? 8. True it is that in our present times, there is so much blindness, deafness, numbness, lameness, aridity, sadness and death. These do not seem to be the Messianic times but the demonic times. Many cannot and do not see, do not hear, do not speak God and good. Many are paralysed with regard to moving for God and good. Many limp and stumble in the path of God and good, while they run in the road of evil and fun. 9. Further, many experience their life dry and sad. Life does not seem to be fair and happy. So it is difficult to believe and testify. But the truth is this: Our God is loving and caring and unfailingly He comes to save us. We need to be convinced of this. 10. We need to believe this against all incredulity, trust amidst all distrust, hope against all hopelessness, we need to be courageous against all discouragement, we need to be strong against all weaknesses, we need to be firm against all wavering, we need to be wise and clear amidst all confusion and deviations. 11. As Isaiah says, we need to strengthen our weak hands and confirm our feeble knees. Yes, strengthen our weak hands, cling tight to God in faith, and stretch out, to reach out to others in charity. We need to make steady our stumbling knees in prayer, in determination and in surrender. 12. We need to establish our hearts. We need to be patient as James exhorts us like a farmer and like all the prophets. Only like this, we can Live and testify like John the Baptist. God comes to save us, and He changes the quality and the tone of our life. Imperative: Only in joyful suffering and patient endurance, our advent, our Christmas become events of joy here and now, and not merely of the past. (REFLECTION 2 FROM 2020, 13 DECEMBER) Focus: It is quite natural that everyone seeks happiness. But true joy can be found only in God and good. Enjoyments and pleasures are not real joy, because they can never quench the deeper thirst for satisfaction and fulfilment 1. This 3rd Sunday of Advent is known as the Sunday of joy, and the readings radiate this joy. The Prophet Isaiah announces: "I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul". The second reading continues the same tone and mood of joy with the call to "be patient always" and not lose heart. The gospel too is permeated with the same spirit of joy, though not explicit. 2. Now, why should there be joy? Why should we rejoice? What is there to rejoice? True it is that the reality seems to be bleak and dark. There seem to be more reasons to grieve and lament, rather than to be glad and praise. But nothing of these should snatch away our spirit of joy, which is deep-seated in God and in our faith. Our joy is in God. Our joy comes from our unfailing faith and unswerving hope in the Lord’s promises and assurance. 3. Thus, the Word of God clearly outlines the reasons for joy, along with the call to be joyful. We must rejoice because God comes to save us as the Messiah. Thereby, there is healing to the brokenhearted, liberty to the captives, release to the prisoners, a year of favour and a day of vindication from the Lord. 4. Therefore, rejoice, because the Lord comes to us, the Lord intervenes into our life, the Lord changes our life. Should we not rejoice? God’s abiding presence, God’s caring providence, God’s tender closeness, God’s uplifting justice, God’s hearty compassion, God’s indulgent mercy, God’s mighty liberation, and God’s abundant generosity, God’s unfailing fidelity – Are these not enough reasons to rejoice? 5. Therefore, why feel distant, abandoned and alienated when God is near? Why feel uncared and anxious when he is provident? Why feel unwanted and unloved when he is so close? Why feel like a victim of injustice and deceit when the just God is with us? Why feel disheartened when God is so compassionate? Why feel depressed and let down under the weight of sin, when he is so merciful? Why feel bound and imprisoned, when God is liberating? Why feel lacking and deprived, when God is immensely generous? 6. All that is needed to experience this joy even amidst the multiple shades of sadness, is to trust him, with deep faith and unfailing prayer; trust in his promises, trust in his love and salvation. Entrust ourselves to him, in deep humility and surrender. And carry on his mission, with unflinching zeal, with the unquenchable Spirit, and in a spirit of testimony. 7. Prayer, humility, surrender and testimony – these alone are the ways to experience and promote that deep and lasting joy. Let us then be the containers and carriers of joy. Direction: Let joy be contagious! So that this positive and healthy contagion would displace and dispel the destructive virus of sadness and badness.