GAUDETE, Rejoice in the Lord

Ish 35:1-6.10, Jam. 5:7-10, Mt. 11:2-11. On this Third Sunday of Advent Year A also known as the Gaudete Sunday, the Church invites us to show the impact of our joy with the Lord. The joy and happiness in the Lord that we celebrate today is symbolised by lighting a rose coloured candle on the Advent wreath and wearing rose vestments today instead of the purple one. Today's first reading encourages the exiled Jews in Babylon to rejoice because their God is going to liberate them from slavery and lead them safely to their homeland. In the second reading, James the Apostle encourages the early Christians to rejoice and wait with patience for the imminent second coming of Jesus. Finally, in the first part of today’s Gospel, Jesus encourages John the Baptist in prison to rejoice by casting away his wrong expectations about the Messiah and simply accepting His healing and preaching ministry as the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah. 

The first step to become happy in the Lord is to give up sin so that we can live a life of grace with the Lord. Three times, people asked John the Baptist, “what should we do?” Each time he told them to give up something or not to be greedy. Our journey of conversion is a journey from wanting and being greedy and possessive to becoming selfless. That was the journey John the Baptist asked his hearers to make and the journey we are challenged to make this Advent so that we will have true joy and happiness to celebrate at Christmas rather than just Santa Claus coming to town. When we turn our back on sin and follow the Lord it does not mean that we will never again have trouble. Of course we will. We will have troubles as long as we live but we will have an inner peace in the Lord and find our happiness in the Lord.

May the Lord bless us with His joy and be with us in the journey through the remaining days of Advent! Amen!! Good morning and happy Sunday!!!