Scriptures:
Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11; 1 Thessalonian 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28
I would like to share a reflection by Joyce Rupp I
received via email from a friend this week.
“Last week when I walked through London's Heathrow airport
the terminal sparkled with Christmas glitter and glitz. I paused at one of the elegant stores to
admire a lovely silk scarf, priced at £233 ($365). A bit stunned at the fact someone would pay
that amount for a scarf, I proceeded to find the departure gate. I sat down there and decided to continue
reading Katherine Boo's Beyond the Beautiful Forevers, a powerful
book filled with true stories of people living in Annawadi, one of Mumbai's
worst slums. Katherine Boo chose to live
among these poorest of the poor for several years, listening to their stories
and observing how they managed to get through each day. The young children are waste pickers, sorting
through stinking garbage to find items to sell for recycling. Few receive a formal education. The tiny sheds
the families live in are next to a sewage drainage lake. Rats bite the children as they sleep. It is a contemptible life but one, they
reluctantly accept as their fate.
As I sat there
reading, I paused to consider my own privileged existence, recognizing that
even something as simple as being able to read a book sets me apart from the
Annawadi children. I thought again about
that expensive scarf and felt a great sadness at the disparity between someone
buying a £233 scarf and a child pleased to make a few rupees for a hard day's
work in a dangerous, rotting garbage dump.”[1]
Rejoice! It’s Gaudete Sunday!
We are half way through Advent; we’ve lit the pink candle representing JOY! Rejoice!?
Knowing there is such a social and economic disparity! I’m torn.
Last week’s sermon talked about the often revealing view from
the prophet’s mountaintop. How the view
can be more than expected gazing upon Heaven and earth, and the promise of
God. While Joyce Rupp’s reflection disturbs me I still can't get this Sunday’s theme of Rejoice Always out of my head
and heart.
How does one rejoice always in such a challenging world? Even John the Baptist, the messenger of hope,
announcing the coming of the long awaited Messiah is having his very identity
challenged and when he finally convinces them he is not the Messiah or Elijah,
then his ministry is brought into question.
How is it that God consistently, throughout history, has tried to reveal
himself and how much He loves us and we can, just as consistently, miss the
signs He places before our very eyes?
Continuing her reflection, Joyce Rupp asks a common question
when contemplating human suffering.
"What can I do?" I thought. "How does my awareness make any
difference for the "have nots" of the world?" I am still thinking about that after returning
home to face the Christmas blitz here with its glaring sales ads and savory
enticements to buy all sorts of things for those who have immensely more than
any child in the Annawadi slum. I
realize that each decision I make about what to buy, or not buy, affects the
larger world in some way. And I remember
Pamela Chappell's song: "I can't change the whole world wide but I can
change the one inside, and so I start from heart to heart, one person at a
time."
Realistically, what does it mean to “rejoice always”? First of all, it doesn’t mean that we cannot
be sad about suffering or that we have to ignore the tragedies in the world around
us. We do encounter sadness in our
lives, we see sadness in other lives, as well as great injustice. St. Paul, who knows suffering well, as life
in Thessalonica in his time was hardly paradise, wasn’t turning a blind eye to
the reality of life. Paul does recognize
that suffering does not get the last word, because the object of our joy is
God.
So Paul offers a remarkable phrase, which is part of a triad
of Christian practices that becomes a formula for joy: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give
thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for
you.” (1 Thes 5:16-18)
- Rejoice always: This is an attitude to be practiced every day. Something like when I greet you to Mass. As you turn the corner and saw the rose colored vestments you could not help but smile. Something as simple as greeting a person with a smile, despite the challenges you may be facing become a flicker of joy for someone.
- Pray without ceasing: Be in constant communion and communication with God. As I was on the Habitat for Humanity site we heard the sirens, not knowing if it were the police, fire truck or ambulance it was amazing how quickly my mind and heart jumped to prayer, praying to cover any of the possible situations.
- Give thanks in all circumstances: Even in the midst of suffering give thanks. It is easy to give thanks in moments of joy and success. Yet it is in suffering that we most recognize our need for God, and in the midst of suffering we learn to grow deeper in faith.
“Where is the joy? It
comes from a loving trust in God, in the awareness that God is working through
the compassion we feel, in the knowledge that God desires a just world where
the poor are treated fairly, and in the trust that God will help those who heed
His voice to help bring about justice.
So, there is joy.
John the Baptist’s message of hope is about bringing justice
into the world, making things ‘right’ with God; preparing a just world, and
repenting of greed. So John the Baptist's message is
not just a hopeful one, but a joyful one, as well.
So on this Gaudete Sunday, I say to you, Paul says to you,
the church says to you, and Jesus the Christ says to you: ‘Rejoice always!’”[2]
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