Daily Retreat 12/16/07
2007 Dec 16 SUN:THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Is 35:1-6a. 10/ Ps 145(146):6-7. 8-9. 9-10/ Jas 5:7-10/ Mt 11:2-11
From today’s readings: “The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom.... Lord, come and save us.... Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand.... Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel proclaimed to them.”
An Advent Oasis
The third Sunday of Advent is known as “Gaudete Sunday” - the Latin word “gaudete” means “Rejoice!” Up to this point, the liturgies and tone of the Advent season have been more pensive and somber, carefully reining in the joyful overtones of this time of year. That’s not to suggest that this is supposed to be a gloomy time of the year! But, like a composer who sneaks a subtle diminuendo in right before the climatic crescendo of the finale, so the Church helps us pace our holiday excitement to lead up to Christmas!
In that context, Gaudete Sunday is a playful preview of the finale. In the first reading, Isaiah’s prophecy paints a picture of everything gone right - even the desert and wastelands can’t resist the transforming joy of the Messiah’s mission! St. James reminds us to be patient and wait - the Coming of the Lord will fulfill all divine promises. In the Gospel, our sneak preview focuses on that moment in the life of Christ when everyone (even those in prison like John!) were just starting to grasp the implications of Emmanuel - what it means to have “God with us!” Even the damp and darkness of John’s prison could not shut out the transforming joy of the Messiah’s mission!
All of us know too well life’s deserts and wastelands, the damp and darkness of disappointments and despair, the cruel confinement of bitter fate. And yet every shadow and sterility (even those which weigh on us the most right now!) can be overcome by the transforming joy of the Messiah’s mission, for blessed is the one who takes no offense in Emmanuel!
Is 35:1-6a. 10/ Ps 145(146):6-7. 8-9. 9-10/ Jas 5:7-10/ Mt 11:2-11
From today’s readings: “The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom.... Lord, come and save us.... Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand.... Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel proclaimed to them.”
An Advent Oasis
The third Sunday of Advent is known as “Gaudete Sunday” - the Latin word “gaudete” means “Rejoice!” Up to this point, the liturgies and tone of the Advent season have been more pensive and somber, carefully reining in the joyful overtones of this time of year. That’s not to suggest that this is supposed to be a gloomy time of the year! But, like a composer who sneaks a subtle diminuendo in right before the climatic crescendo of the finale, so the Church helps us pace our holiday excitement to lead up to Christmas!
In that context, Gaudete Sunday is a playful preview of the finale. In the first reading, Isaiah’s prophecy paints a picture of everything gone right - even the desert and wastelands can’t resist the transforming joy of the Messiah’s mission! St. James reminds us to be patient and wait - the Coming of the Lord will fulfill all divine promises. In the Gospel, our sneak preview focuses on that moment in the life of Christ when everyone (even those in prison like John!) were just starting to grasp the implications of Emmanuel - what it means to have “God with us!” Even the damp and darkness of John’s prison could not shut out the transforming joy of the Messiah’s mission!
All of us know too well life’s deserts and wastelands, the damp and darkness of disappointments and despair, the cruel confinement of bitter fate. And yet every shadow and sterility (even those which weigh on us the most right now!) can be overcome by the transforming joy of the Messiah’s mission, for blessed is the one who takes no offense in Emmanuel!
posted by FrPitstick | 12/15/2007
<< Home