Joy equals obtaining Jesus and sharing Him and His Love with others!!

Third Sunday of Advent. Sunday December 13th, 2009

As we come closer to the celebration of Christmas, today we celebrate Gaudate Sunday- the Sunday of joy. By the way, father is wearing rose, not pink, Father does not wear pink!!! Rose is the color of Joy and our readings today reflect this joy- the joyful expectation of the coming of the Savior- “Shout for joy, O daughter Zion,” “Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,” and “Rejoice in the Lord always!” When the readings at Mass say something numerous times, it’s because Holy Mother Church desires to send us a strong message- in this case, it’s a message of great joy. This joy however is not just a natural, but a supernatural Joy.
When we wait with expectant longing for that special Christmas present and receive it, we feel satisfaction and joy. It is a wonderful thing. Yet, this is passing joy. We might not be as joyful in six months…our present may break, or in the case of electronic items, like the new T.V.'s, a better one will surely come out in just few weeks, and so satisfaction in our new toy quickly leaves us.
In contrast, the supernatural joy the Scriptures speak to us today is one that comes from, and can only come, from God- This is a joy stemming from our knowledge that our savior, Jesus Christ is coming and we have an opportunity to possess Him and be possessed by Him. He is the cause and source of supernatural Joy. This type of joy does not pass with the seasons of the year or with the latest technological marvel, but remains in our hearts, forever.
The problem is that in our everyday reality we find it difficult to find this kind of joy. This can be for many different reasons, but usually because we have, in the past, tried to find it in all the wrong places and things--that is we have tried too often to find it in created things; or, in immoral or disordered pleasures, which we mistakenly think will bring us joy. The other problem is we equate joy with feelings; joy is not a feeling, it goes much deeper than feelings. Today our Gospel gives the key to finding joy.
Today, John the Baptist receives the crowd. The first thing to note is that the crowd has come to him in order to receive his Baptism. Their coming is an outward sign of their inner desire to follow God more fully. Theirs is an inner desire; an inner prayer that God might forgive them their sins…because sin is the main obstacle that prevents a soul from obtaining God and achieving union with Him and so obtaining true joy.
The individuals of the crowd have had a conversion experience, a transformation and change of heart…they have made a conscious decision and choice to leave their old ways behind. However, this is not enough, because they know that this conversion of heart has to be lived out in the grind of daily life, a grind in which it is sometimes, many times, very hard to find God and to keep a supernatural outlook and hope. So they are still searching for something- something more in their lives. And so they ask John the Baptist some questions, some very real and practical ones-, “I want to be good, I want to become better and love God more, what should I do?” The answers are in a way very surprising.
John the Baptist gives them practical answers. He doesn’t tell them to join him in the desert, he doesn’t tell them to leave the world or become some kind of weird religious person. But he simply tells them to return to their own life, but now live it according to the Plan, Law and Will of God, doing everything, no matter how small, for love of God alone. The tasks John give them are simple and they can be summed up in the following way, put God first, then others and then yourself. This is the first step in preparing them and us for the coming of Jesus.
The second step for us, is then to deepen our desire for the coming of the Savior. The people in today’s Gospel- as their hearts are more open to God- manifest a great desire to see the Christ. Is it John, could he be the Christ? John most likely disappoints them here--He is not the one. No, it would be one greater than he- one who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire…and this of course, increased their desire and longing even more. The gift of God would be greater than anything they could think of- the gift of God was God Himself—God is the gift. The Holy Spirit offers us this gift, the fire of God’s love, which if we let It, burns all of the dross out of our hearts and makes room for God; only Love can do this.
In light of this love then, do we manifest this desire to Love Jesus, Do we really love Him? Do we think of Him all the time, just like a lover thinks of the one he loves all the time. And so do we pine after Jesus, long for Him, want nothing else but Him… …do we desire Him with all whole heart? If we don’t desire Jesus like this, if we don't want Him to come right now for us, then do we really love Him?
In this we discover the greatest key of all, the Love of Christ and to love others for love of Christ, brings true Joy (Jesus, Others and Yourself). This is the secret of the saints--to be centered on Christ and to leave our self-centeredness behind. This is the imitation of Jesus, the One who came into this world as the servant of all, not desiring to be served but to serve. When we focus on the love and service of Christ and love and service of neighbor for love of Christ. We then leave the secular humanism of our day behind and it's idolatry of self, which puts the wants of self before all else, and instead place God alone at the very pinnacle of our daily life.
Consequently, we no longer equate joy with having our every whim and fancy met or having our personal satisfaction in all things guaranteed and fulfilled. We leave behind this very emotional and superficial view of Joy and instead express the true Christian joy, which is Joy as a virtue to be lived and shown forth as an example and witness to others in this sinful and so joyless world of ours. Our witness of joy in our daily life, especially amid our trials and tribulations shows the world that our Joy is not of this world, but comes from Jesus Christ our Lord and our savior, following Him, not just to be good, but to obtain Him, our greatest Love. Joy equals obtaining Jesus and sharing Him and His Love with others!
Today St. John the Baptist points the way to obtain Jesus our joy, and so John points us to confession and the Holy Eucharist. In confession we encounter the healing power of Christ which purifies our hearts and gives us the power to put our decision to change into action. Confession then makes our hearts capable of receiving Jesus and His love more fully in the Holy Eucharist.
And so, being made pure by confession, joyful souls come before the Jesus they love in the Blessed Sacrament, whenever they possibly can, during the Holy Mass and times of adoration. There their joy is strengthen and their love for Jesus increased; Adorers are joyful, those who don’t adore are not (period). How could it be any other way, to be in the presence of Jesus Christ, whom we love, can only bring us joy.
If Jesus is the Eucharist and the Eucharist is Jesus, and it is, then how can those who do not spend time with Him ever expect to find peace much less joy? One has to question whether they really believe. Maybe they think they can somehow love Jesus without faith in His Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist; souls filled with true joy, know that this is not possible. The Eucharist is our Joy because the Eucharist is Jesus. When we receive the Eucharist we receive what we truly desire, Jesus our joy and we begin to obtain Him and be possessed by Him for ever.
In this last week before we celebrate the Incarnation of God in Christ, let us ask the Holy Spirit through the intercession of His spouse- the Blessed Virgin Mary, to prepare our hearts by granting us the grace of an ever deeper desire not only to see the coming of Christ, but to possess Him fully with all of our mind and heart and be possessed by His Sacred Heart, by His Love, by His Joy, By HIM.