Father Koch: Our joy is at hand, but not yet fully realized
December 14, 2024 at 7:30 a.m.
Gospel Reflection for December 15, 2024, Third Sunday of Advent
On the Third Sunday of Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday, the priest is likely wearing a rose colored chasuble instead of the violet of the season. We are reminded that this season is coming to a rapid close and the time of celebration is close at hand. John the Baptizer tells his followers that the time of fulfillment is close at hand as well and that they should be preparing for the coming of the messianic age. We read that the people were filled with expectation, wondering and hoping that John was the messiah. Instead, he promises them that his announcement is only a preparation, the time for real joy was upon them, just as it is with us.
Throughout the course of human history each age has been a time of both hope filled expectations and anxiety over the uncertainty of the future. Each person, each generation, acts and reacts according to which of those contrasting worldviews is more predominant at the time. Coming as we are off the lingering effects of a global pandemic five years ago, and with the economic malaise, threats of war and terror, and the inauguration of a new president and members of congress, these feelings are heightened.
All of this can be overwhelming for people, both for good and for ill. Each one of us is either at peace or restless; hopeful or struggling.
This is not different than any other time in history and certainly no different than the world into which John the Baptizer preached his message of hope for things to come.
His preaching, though indeed offering the promise of the coming of the Kingdom of God, did nonetheless bear some warning and demands. Repentance was clearly at the heart of his message and was then even further emphasized and repeated in the teaching of Jesus. In order to fully enter into the Kingdom and to experience the joy of the presence of the Lord, we must repent and seek forgiveness of our sins.
But ours is never a passive faith. It is not enough to just repent and to move on. The people asked John what they needed to do in the midst of their waiting and his instructions to them were clear and specific: The crowds asked John the Baptist, “‘What should we do?’ He said to them in reply, ‘Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.’ Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they said to him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ He answered them, ‘Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.’ Soldiers also asked him, ‘And what is it that we should do?’ He told them, ’Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.’”
It is evident from John that the call to repentance carried a social dimension. He was less focused on what we would call personal sin, and much more centered on the so-called social sins. John reminds us that the coming of the Kingdom of God is not about the person or a personal relationship with God, but it is centered on the service we offer to one another.
So often we focus on dogma, ritual, personal prayer, and obedience to laws and precepts, and these offer us a sense of focus, discipline, and purpose. They keep us united together and provide a shared language and belief. However, the life of discipleship cannot end there or be completely expressed just in those essential elements.
John’s emphasis on doing good works for others foreshadows the teaching of Jesus. When we hear that John is the precursor to Jesus most people seem to mean that all he did was to preach repentance and to baptize those who came to prepare them for the coming of Jesus. Although we know little of how and what John preached, the snapshot that we hear on this Advent Sunday tunes us into the many ways in which John prepared his audience for the coming of the Messiah.
The messiah age was to be one of healing, mercy, and charity,
In our joyful observance of this Advent Sunday, and in anticipation of the great joy we experience at the Feast of the Nativity, let us all draw our attention to the real joy that comes each and every day as we live lives of merciful charity to all those we meet.
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Gospel Reflection for December 15, 2024, Third Sunday of Advent
On the Third Sunday of Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday, the priest is likely wearing a rose colored chasuble instead of the violet of the season. We are reminded that this season is coming to a rapid close and the time of celebration is close at hand. John the Baptizer tells his followers that the time of fulfillment is close at hand as well and that they should be preparing for the coming of the messianic age. We read that the people were filled with expectation, wondering and hoping that John was the messiah. Instead, he promises them that his announcement is only a preparation, the time for real joy was upon them, just as it is with us.
Throughout the course of human history each age has been a time of both hope filled expectations and anxiety over the uncertainty of the future. Each person, each generation, acts and reacts according to which of those contrasting worldviews is more predominant at the time. Coming as we are off the lingering effects of a global pandemic five years ago, and with the economic malaise, threats of war and terror, and the inauguration of a new president and members of congress, these feelings are heightened.
All of this can be overwhelming for people, both for good and for ill. Each one of us is either at peace or restless; hopeful or struggling.
This is not different than any other time in history and certainly no different than the world into which John the Baptizer preached his message of hope for things to come.
His preaching, though indeed offering the promise of the coming of the Kingdom of God, did nonetheless bear some warning and demands. Repentance was clearly at the heart of his message and was then even further emphasized and repeated in the teaching of Jesus. In order to fully enter into the Kingdom and to experience the joy of the presence of the Lord, we must repent and seek forgiveness of our sins.
But ours is never a passive faith. It is not enough to just repent and to move on. The people asked John what they needed to do in the midst of their waiting and his instructions to them were clear and specific: The crowds asked John the Baptist, “‘What should we do?’ He said to them in reply, ‘Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.’ Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they said to him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ He answered them, ‘Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.’ Soldiers also asked him, ‘And what is it that we should do?’ He told them, ’Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.’”
It is evident from John that the call to repentance carried a social dimension. He was less focused on what we would call personal sin, and much more centered on the so-called social sins. John reminds us that the coming of the Kingdom of God is not about the person or a personal relationship with God, but it is centered on the service we offer to one another.
So often we focus on dogma, ritual, personal prayer, and obedience to laws and precepts, and these offer us a sense of focus, discipline, and purpose. They keep us united together and provide a shared language and belief. However, the life of discipleship cannot end there or be completely expressed just in those essential elements.
John’s emphasis on doing good works for others foreshadows the teaching of Jesus. When we hear that John is the precursor to Jesus most people seem to mean that all he did was to preach repentance and to baptize those who came to prepare them for the coming of Jesus. Although we know little of how and what John preached, the snapshot that we hear on this Advent Sunday tunes us into the many ways in which John prepared his audience for the coming of the Messiah.
The messiah age was to be one of healing, mercy, and charity,
In our joyful observance of this Advent Sunday, and in anticipation of the great joy we experience at the Feast of the Nativity, let us all draw our attention to the real joy that comes each and every day as we live lives of merciful charity to all those we meet.