Rejoice! Gaudete Sunday!

A homily by Fr. Bob way back 2005 at Sto. Nino Chapel, Greenbelt, I always reflect on every year’s Gaudete Sunday…

Today is the Third Sunday of Advent. It is Gaudete Sunday. The imperative verb Gaudete, means “Rejoice”. It comes from the Latin noun, gaudium, which in English is “joy”. Gaudare is “to rejoice”. Gaudete is “Rejoice!”

It strikes me and I request you to note that gaudete is neither a noun nor an adjective but a verb. More so, it is an imperative verb. Thus, it is a command. It does not describe an actual state of being or a present condition of things. It does not say that everything and everyone are jumping with joy. Gaudete Sunday is not “Joyful Sunday”; it is, rather, the Sunday that commands us to be joyful.

But can we command joy? Can anyone of us simply jump with sincerely overflowing joy at anyone's command? We can teach the heart, but can we order it to experience what emotion to feel? Can we really, possibly order the heart so that the heart automatically and sincerely follows what we command it?

The heart normally searches for at least one reason to feel what it feels. It is never sad for nothing. It is never happy for no reason. There is a reason for every tear and a cause for every smile. What is the reason for today's command for us to rejoice?

Jesus -- the reason for the season.

Life may be harder for us this year and there may be so much frustration, pain, and fear in our hearts, but through all the onslaughts of our daily living we can find joy in the gift of God to us: His Only Begotten Son, Jesus, who is Emmanuel, “God-With-Us”. He is the joy that never fades. He is the Joy that does not depend on whatever happens around and inside us. He is the Joy of the world yet the Joy that the world cannot give nor take away. He is the Joy that raises us up no matter how down we are:

“When I am down and all my soul so weary,

when troubles come and my heart burdened be,

then I am still and wait here in the silence

until you come and sit awhile with me.

“You raised me up so I can stand on mountains.

You raised me up to walk on stormy seas.

I am strong when I am on your shoulders.

You raised me up to more than I can be.

“There is no life, no life without its hunger.

Each restless heart beats so imperfectly.

But when you come and I am filled with wonder,

sometimes I think I glimpse eternity”

(You Raised Me Up by Josh Groban)

Gaudete! Rejoice! The Church tells us today, “Rejoice!” We command our hearts today, “Rejoice!” We tap our loved ones on their backs and say to them, “Rejoice!” We reach out to the downtrodden and raise them up, saying, “Rejoice!” The First Reading today (Is 61:1-2, 10-11) proclaims, “I exult for joy in the Lord, my soul rejoices in my God....” The Psalm today (Lk 1) sings, “My soul glorifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” The Second Reading today (1 Thes 5:16-24) commands us, “Be happy at all times; pray constantly; and for all things give thanks to God, because this is what God expects you to do in Christ Jesus.” But John the Baptist in the Gospel today tell us that thought Jesus, our Joy, is already in our midst we fail to recognize Him.

Failure to recognize Jesus in our midst is the reason for sorrow. If we cannot rejoice with the Church, with the liturgy and the readings today, with the Advent season, and with those who are rejoicing, it will help us to know why by reflecting on the presence or absence of Jesus in our life. Have we forgotten the reason for the season? Have we exchanged Him for Sta. Clause instead? Do we recognize Jesus in our midst? If we do then we know that the joy of life, not only of Christmas, is truly in giving rather than in receiving, in loving rather than in being loved, in serving Jesus in one another rather than being served by others.

As we light the pink candle for the third Sunday of Advent, may the Light to which John the Baptist gave witness enlighten each of us and see it burning in our hearts and in the hearts of all. Like John the Baptist, may we speak for that Light by becoming joy in the lives of everyone.

Gaudete! Be happy the Lord is Emmanuel, “God-With-Us”. Rejoice! Be the happiness of others. Give them Jesus, only Jesus, always Jesus.

Pandemic Ngalay of the Faith

 There's a filipino word, "ngalay", which translates to "numbness". It occurs when a body part gets stuck in a position for a very long time that it almost feels like it hardened already. The same can be said of most people's faith nowadays.

Maybe it's because of the pandemic, and everything has been online for more or less two years that people have become used to their "online church". But everything has practically opened up, and statistics do show that things have pretty much been back to normal. So why are churches and prayer meetings not filling up?

Cardinals, bishops and priests have been calling the faithful to go back to the pews. Religious communities have been asking their members to attend face-to-face. Yet a big number of people remain in their couches or beds for religious activities, while readily going out without fear and discomfort when going to malls or other public places.

Fear of covid is hardly the reason for the poor attendance, as the same people have no qualms going out on a gallavanting spree even with people they hardly ever met. At one point, one may say it's probably because they don't know the difference between online and face-to-face, but I'm sure they know online dates are way different than actually being with each other. E-numan (or people drinking together via video conferencing) will never be the same as sharing drinks and grub at the same table. Our greatest feast in the Eucharist will never be the same in youtube or facebook!

So maybe it is ngalay! People have become numb to their faith, downgrading it significantly as lesser priority over many other things. Yes, they will still declare God as their top love, but they can't be bothered to make the effort to stand up, fix themselves, and go to Church.

It is said that a sign of life is growth. If you're not moving up, you're already dying. Maybe it is just ngalay, and not death. But if we get too used to not moving, we're as good as dead. When our love for God doesn't move us to make an effort for Him, maybe our love for God is dead, transformed to a fake one without us even noticing.

The cure to ngalay is to start moving. The sign of love is joyful sacrifice. But all of this is not up to God... Does the person want the cure? Does the person still love God?

Where does God want you to go? Stop making excuses and go already!

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Lent 2022 Reflections // Day 03

 

Lent 2022 Reflections // Day 02

 

Lent 2022 Reflections // Day 01

 

the one thing lacking despite obedience // 2022.01.28

 Jesus tells the rich man who has followed all the commandments since youth that the one thing lacking is for him to sell what he has and give to the poor. Mortification, to subdue ones desires, ensures God is number one in our life. If we can't let go of our favorite things, then God can't fill us with joy. It's not because God is selfish. There is nothing we can do or give that will add to Him. It is because we need Him, and He wants to fill us with His presence. The beauty is that it is His grace that will allow us to let go. Have an attachment you can't let go? Lift it up to Him with trust and obedience, and realize how that is nothing compared to what He offers.

prayer and fasting against road rage and more // 2022.02.21

The spirit of gentleness is far from roadragers like me. I guess that's my sign that I have a loooong way to go to becoming a saint. It's a scary thought actually, since St. James tells us that these come from not-so-friendly devils. Extra scary to think that the devils in me are partying for a long time already. Thankfully, Jesus assures us in St. Mark's Gospel that prayer and fasting can kick out even the persistent ones. Admittedly, I am not praying enough, and by the looks of what I see in the mirror, I'm doing quite the opposite in the eating department. What to do is obvious. How about you? Any persistent devils? How's your prayer and fasting from the things of the world going?

working out the not-so-impossible // 2022.02.18

Faith without works is dead! These words pierce me every time, aware that I fall short of what I believe in, much more of what I speak of. I love what Jordan Peterson said... when we say we believe, our mind and body have to show it. If you're like me, you know that's next to impossible. But that's the only way. The world is nothing compared to a life in Christ. So, let us persevere, and like the saints, prove that nothing is impossible with God's grace.

maybe you need to ask, too // 2022.02.11

Hush hush! We read many instances when Jesus asks people to keep quiet about Him healing them. Almost all the time, they couldn't keep quiet. That's what His love can do. It's hard not to share it. Silent about God? Maybe you need to be like the man in today's Gospel, and ask God that you may hear and speak. He did say, ask and you shall receive.