JOYFUL

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 3^rd Sunday in Advent [C] is, “JOYFUL.”

On a scale of 1 to 10 - 10 being the highest - how would you score yourself as a joyful person?

On a scale of 1 to 10 - 10 being the highest  - how would your family or the people you work with, or the people who live next to you, how would they score you as a joyful person?

Great selfie question: “Am I a joy to be with?”

GAUDETE SUNDAY

Today is Gaudete Sunday - the middle Sunday in Advent. Gaudete means “rejoice”.  We have the same idea in the middle of Lent - Laetare Sunday - which also means “rejoice”.

The theme for today is just that: Joy!

You heard in today’s readings that word “joy” or “rejoice” over and over again.

At the end of Advent is Christmas…. At the end of Lent is Easter…. There they are: two Church seasons that lead us to two big Christ feasts.

In both Christmas and Easter, we hear about joy - Christmas joy and Easter joy. Twice a year Catholics, Christmas and Easter Catholics,  got that right.

How does one get joy? The obvious Christian message is: “Get Christ.”

And Christ will challenge you on how to love, how to give, how to serve, how lay down one's life for one's friends - as well as those who are stuck. And giving - doing for others - will lead to great joy.

TWO BIG JOYFUL SONGS

The opposite to joy is sadness.

If sad, listen to music. Better: joy filled music.  If sad at Christmas time, don’t just sit there in your sadness. Take a good walk. Talk a good talk with someone. Do something for someone. Maybe a neighbor is all alone and you can bring some joy and some soup to them.

Listen to music - joy filled music.

Two great joyful songs are the Ode to Joy by Beethoven and Joy to the World by George Frideric Handel who worked on that musical piece - amongst others.

Today, is December 13. In 12 days we’ll be celebrating Christmas and everyone knows and sings - even Catholics - Joy to the World. 

I’ve also noticed that people sing hymns in church that have the music for Beethoven’s Ode to Joy.

Last night I read up on Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. It’s near the end of his famous  9^th Symphony.

Beethoven took the words of the German poet Friedrich Schiller - which he wrote in 1785 - and were slightly revised in 1808 - and put them at the end of his 9^th Symphony.

It has never fell off the charts. People have been singing it ever since. 

It’s a great piece for those Flash Mobs.

It became the National Anthem of the European Union in the 1970’s - and in various other places around our world.

Every December in Japan - the Ode to Joy is sung - everywhere - by all kinds of groups. It’s like groups that sing Handel’s Messiah in the United States, Canada, Germany and England at Christmas time.

Schiller - the original author - in his poem - was calling Europe to be united - to have deep respect for all human beings - to open up the prisons that were holding political prisoners who spoke up for human freedom.

Schiller’s poem begins by saying that joy is the divine spark in every human being.

CHRISTMAS

That would be the place I would want to go - to call the world to realize God is within the heart and minds of every human being - but often that spark goes out.

The results are the horror stories of our world.

If that divine spark has gone out, I would hope every Christmas that divine spark be rekindled - in the stable - in the cave - in the manger of our minds or hearts.

I would see Christ as the one who came to cast fire upon the earth - as we heard in today’s.  John the Baptist - when asked if he was the Christ - answered, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand….”

Christ can be that spark that ignites us.

I’m sure some time in your life you started a fire - and you cupped your two hands and blew into that fire to  get it going.

I see that spark like a little baby of a flicker - till it starts burning brightly - and warms the earth.

I would think that’s a way to re-tell the Christ story - the Christmas story.

I always loved being at my sister’s house at New Year’s - and they would fill up the fire place with wood and then get a fire going - a fire that warms the house and puts a smile on everyone’s face.

CONCLUSION

I began this homily by asking about how joyful you are - on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest.

I said that Christ is the one who can come into our world - can bring Joy to our world.

Someone once said, "Joy is the echo of God within us."

That joy begins as a spark. Breathe on it. Fan it. Ignite it. Bring that joy into your everyday world - by thinking and doing for others. Amen.