Altar Front, Esker Church, for 3rd Sunday of Advent, 'Rejoice' Sunday.

Soul Food for Young Adult Communities: Dec.15th 2013. Third Sunday of Advent, Year A.

Click here or here for the Mass Readings for this Sunday. The Gospel is Matthew 11:2-11

Dear Friends.

Now, last Sunday the 8^thof December, we usually would have celebrated the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, but because it fell on a Sunday, the day of the Eucharist, the Sunday took precedence over the wonderful Feast Day. But this by no means diminished the centrality of Mary,

Pointing to her Son

but rather it illumined her even more. Mary always points to Christ, and never away from Him. So it was apt then that we honour her demand “do as He tells you”. Now, just to remind you,- because it is a simple mistake that many people make-  the Immaculate Conception refers to Mary’s own conception in the womb of her mother Ann. This was all part of God’s plan in bringing His Christ to us. Before Jesus came, someone was always preparing a spot for Him, a place only He could fill.

Pointing to Jesus, the 'Lamb'

In today’s Gospel we read of another character who points to Christ, and that is John the Baptist. We heard something about him last week, but today we learn that he is “even more than a prophet”, as Jesus tells us that John “is the man of whom Scripture says: I send my messenger ahead of you to prepare the way before you”. How important is this messenger? Well, very important. Can you recall the Annunciation? It was the moment in time the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and said ‘Yo Mary, will you like be like the mother of God’s only Son…like?’, and she in her humility responded “yes”. Then, what did she do? Did she brag to her friends that God had chosen her among all women? No. She went on a long trek over the hills to visit her cousin Elizabeth who, as the angel Gabriel promised was also pregnant. But, who was she pregnant with? I think we need to ask Zechariah. Oh, wait he can’t speak until Elizabeth gives birth. I will tell you anyways, her son is John. Jesus and John are related, they are cousins…like. There are some beautiful pictures which portray the infant John and the child Jesus playing together, watched over by Mary. Isn’t it

Mary and Elizabeth meet.

spectacular? I wonder what games they would have played as youngsters.

John was in the desert, pointing towards Jesus, and he admitted that he wasn’t even worthy to untie Jesus’ sandals, that the one coming was better than he. And this isn’t because Jesus always beat him at monopoly or scrabble, but because Jesus was someone great. Even before they were born, John was letting everyone know that Jesus was something else, was someone else,  because as soon as the voice of Mary was heard speaking to Elizabeth, John leaped in the womb and so began his mission. He was eager.

I was thinking, wouldn’t it be great if we could all reflect something of Jesus? How wonderful the world would be if we could all be little Christs roaming around and doing good. But we can, no matter how idealistic it may sound. We all have the ability to point to Jesus, to bring others to Him. As I said last week, my wilderness is Dublin, but even here I have the potential to bring Christ to others. And that is what we must do. Regardless of our surroundings, we must always point to Jesus. As the first reading tells us “let the wilderness and the arid land rejoice, the desert be glad and blossom”. The American poet Sylvia Plath in her poem ‘Black Rook in Rainy Weather” alludes to a something like this, a moment being “tricked” into radiance. That is just it. Every moment has the potential to radiate God, because He is in that moment.

Every morning as I walk to the bus, I always look at the sky. I probably look mad, but anyways. At that hour what I see is mesmerising. I see the stars, the sun, and the moon. I see clouds rolling over the dark blue tapestry becoming light. It is a wonderful sight to behold. It is all pointing towards someone, God. I stand in awe, and I am filled with such wonder. All this before 8am.

Today, Sunday the 15^th of December is traditionally known as Gaudate Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent, and ‘Gaudete’ means ‘Rejoice’. So regardless of what is going on, rejoice. Jesus is on His way: John in his prison wasn’t quite sure, so he sent messengers to Jesus  asking ‘Are you the one who is to come?’  Jesus’s answer to them was to go back and tell the imprisoned (soon to be beheaded!) John,-  “the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are made clean, the deaf hear, the dead are brought back to life and good news is reaching the poor”. So come on, let’s all REJOICE!!! Like John the Baptist in the womb, leap with joy, you who hear the voice of Mary and who now hear with joy the words of Christ today. REJOICE…!

God bless

Sarah.

To read ‘Soul Food for Hungry Adult Communities’ for this Sunday, click here.

Esker Church, for Third Sunday of Advent, 'Gaudete !' Sunday, -'Rejoice !'

Soul Food for Hungry Adult Communities: Dec.15th 2013: 3rd Sunday of Advent, Year A.

Malachy 3:1 “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty. (quoted in today’s Gospel, Matthew 11:2-11.

A Reflection:

A DISCOURAGED WORLD MEETS THE LIGHT!

Newgrange Dawn

The days are short and getting shorter, the nights are long and getting longer. At least for the moment. But come the end of this week and we will have reached the turn of the year, the longest night of the year, the shortest day of the year, on Saturday 21^st December. Our Irish ancestors, over 5000 years ago, watched for this, too, and the burial mound at Newgrange testifies to this,- they watched for the rising of the sun on this morning of December 21^st, when the light flooded into the darkest and deepest chamber. A bit like our hearts and our societies at times, when all there seems to be around us is darkness, weariness, discouragement, violence,  sadness. And then that day comes when there is the turning of the year, and light floods our hearts, our communities, right to our depths. ‘It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness‘.

And in the face of that, how about this? The first Reading this third Sunday, this ‘Rejoice’ Sunday, speaks to all of us who have  ‘weary hands…trembling knees… faint hearts’. Isn’t this what the approaching celebration of the coming of the Christ into our world and into our lives, is all about? Hear the words deeply:

Strengthen all weary hands, steady all trembling knees, and say to all faint hearts ‘Courage! Do not be afraid. Look, your God is coming.’ ‘

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed, then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongues of the dumb sing for joy, for those whom the Lord has ransomed shall return….everlasting joy shall be on their faces…sorrow and lament will be ended.”

“They shall see the glory of the Lord, the splendour of our God.”

Our Lord,- yours and mine and all of ours- is on the way towards us, to flood the chambers of our hearts and communities with his glory, his presence, his own joy, his light. Our faces will be radiant when we gaze at the human child, the Son of the Most High, lying there for the world and for us in the feeding trough of the animals, and wrapped in the swaddling clothes of our welcome.

And then, in our blindnesses we will see, in our lameness we will begin to walk again, in our diseases we will be cleansed, our deafness will be taken away, and our deadness will waken up to a whole new aliveness, as we hear glad tidings of great joy announced to each of our hearts and communities.

‘Rejoice in the Lord, always! Again, I say, Rejoice! The Lord is near!’

Everlasting joy shall be on our faces!

Fr. Seamus Devitt C.Ss.R.  seamus.devittcssr@gmail.com

To see ‘Soul Food for Young Adult Communities’ for this Sunday, click here.