Fr. Michael Carlini sx
THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
By Michael Carlini
The Third Sunday of advent is called “Rejoice Sunday”: we are invited to be happier today, because Christmas is fastly approaching.
The Church is no longer inviting the faithful to adore merely "The Lord who is to come", but calling upon them to worship and hail with joy "The Lord who is now near and close at hand". The nativity of our savior will bring us much joy, a renewed hope. During Sunday’s celebration, additional signs of gladness are permitted, such as the use of rose (=pink) coloured vestments instead of purple.
The title of this Sunday is taken from the Letter to the Philippians 4:4-5 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! The Lord is near”. We must cultivate this feeling of gladness in our souls, because something special is coming on our way: the Lord himself is visiting his people. We should not be happy because Christmas is a season for gifts, but because God gave us the greatest gifts of all: his beloved Son.
The command “rejoice” is repeated twice, meaning that we need to be happy. We all know the meaning of the expression “Di gron drai” (we are facing many hardships); nonetheless we believe that “the heavens above will rain down the Righteous” (Is 45:8). The virtue of hope in the future, along with a positive attitude of optimism must be pursued, because the Lord will keep his promise of salvation.
A second chance
The disciples of John the Baptist were expecting a Messiah that would come with fire and an axe in his hand, to reward those who presumed to be righteous and to cut down sinners: the bible foretold
“The Lord has a day of vengeance” (Is 34:8). But Jesus does not conform by the model of messiah portrayed by the Baptist; he is the visible face of a merciful God, who came to call sinners, the give a second chance to those who once failed in their life. Not all is lost, on the contrary! Some of us prefer a strict God, who is easily offended and repays according to one’s deeds. And yet Jesus did not fulfill the expectations of the Pharisees, who presumed they were the only ones to have access to the Kingdom of God: he is meek and humble (Mt 11), he looks for the 99 lost sheep, leaving the few wise ones safe. Christ makes “the blind see again, the lame walk, the deaf hear; the dead to be raised to life and proclaims the Good News to the poor” (today’s gospel): the prophets of the First Testament foretold these to be the signs that would testify that the Messiah had come. Jesus fulfilled all of them.
Advent
During this season, Christians are requested to concentrate in prayer and to avoid distractions.
In our little way, we try to give continuity to the mission of the Lord: we seek to become good news to the poor, to be close to them, to make them know that even if society is marginalizing them, the Church was and will always be a home to the homeless and the oppressed. To those who are “deaf”, we shall proclaim the word of the gospel; to those that are blind, who cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel due to the hardships they experience, we shall donate the light of the star of Bethlehem, a light that illumines any darkness, that brings “Peace to all the people of good will” (Lk 2).
THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
By Michael Carlini
The Third Sunday of advent is called “Rejoice Sunday”: we are invited to be happier today, because Christmas is fastly approaching.
The Church is no longer inviting the faithful to adore merely "The Lord who is to come", but calling upon them to worship and hail with joy "The Lord who is now near and close at hand". The nativity of our savior will bring us much joy, a renewed hope. During Sunday’s celebration, additional signs of gladness are permitted, such as the use of rose (=pink) coloured vestments instead of purple.
The title of this Sunday is taken from the Letter to the Philippians 4:4-5 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! The Lord is near”. We must cultivate this feeling of gladness in our souls, because something special is coming on our way: the Lord himself is visiting his people. We should not be happy because Christmas is a season for gifts, but because God gave us the greatest gifts of all: his beloved Son.
The command “rejoice” is repeated twice, meaning that we need to be happy. We all know the meaning of the expression “Di gron drai” (we are facing many hardships); nonetheless we believe that “the heavens above will rain down the Righteous” (Is 45:8). The virtue of hope in the future, along with a positive attitude of optimism must be pursued, because the Lord will keep his promise of salvation.
A second chance
The disciples of John the Baptist were expecting a Messiah that would come with fire and an axe in his hand, to reward those who presumed to be righteous and to cut down sinners: the bible foretold
“The Lord has a day of vengeance” (Is 34:8). But Jesus does not conform by the model of messiah portrayed by the Baptist; he is the visible face of a merciful God, who came to call sinners, the give a second chance to those who once failed in their life. Not all is lost, on the contrary! Some of us prefer a strict God, who is easily offended and repays according to one’s deeds. And yet Jesus did not fulfill the expectations of the Pharisees, who presumed they were the only ones to have access to the Kingdom of God: he is meek and humble (Mt 11), he looks for the 99 lost sheep, leaving the few wise ones safe. Christ makes “the blind see again, the lame walk, the deaf hear; the dead to be raised to life and proclaims the Good News to the poor” (today’s gospel): the prophets of the First Testament foretold these to be the signs that would testify that the Messiah had come. Jesus fulfilled all of them.
Advent
During this season, Christians are requested to concentrate in prayer and to avoid distractions.
In our little way, we try to give continuity to the mission of the Lord: we seek to become good news to the poor, to be close to them, to make them know that even if society is marginalizing them, the Church was and will always be a home to the homeless and the oppressed. To those who are “deaf”, we shall proclaim the word of the gospel; to those that are blind, who cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel due to the hardships they experience, we shall donate the light of the star of Bethlehem, a light that illumines any darkness, that brings “Peace to all the people of good will” (Lk 2).