Isaiah 61.1-2a,10-11 ・Luke 1.46-55 ・ 1 Thessalonians 5.16-24・John 1. 6-8,19-28
Seniors in our community may still remember that the season of Advent had been a season of penitence, that is, maybe because of the strong emphasis on the demand of conversion in preparation for the Second Coming. Indeed, the Second Coming is one more big thing we hope for while trying our best to live a better Christian life. On the 3rd Sunday of Advent, we are reminded that the Season of Advent is more of a joyful waiting. So even if we have these “things” about Second coming during Advent, as long as we have certain openness and readiness to where God leads us while living on this earth, we can be in a joyful state while waiting and hoping for the Second coming too.
Since we are already on the 3rd Sunday of Advent, the reminder about joyful waiting brings us now to a more general reminder on how we should live a Christian life (Christian joy), that is, “being happy all the time”. Therefore we are all waiting with deep joy to celebrate the very joyful occasion of the birth of Jesus, and all other wonderful things connected to the Nativity.
Let us rejoice and be glad that Jesus came to live among us as a human being, and as our Lord at the same time. Let us rejoice and be glad because Jesus has really come to liberate us from different forms of poverty and many other forms of captivities. if we have not been liberated, it may mean that we have not been ready and open yet to the call of deep joy. So we have John the Baptist again to help us dig deeper on how we can be truly liberated from different forms of captivities. There was a man whose name was John. He came to testify to the Light (to Jesus). John was not the Light. He came to testify to the Light. We can see here a very clear relationship between John the Baptist and Jesus. So we too has to acquire certain and similar kind of relationship with Jesus. The joy of Christmas can only be ours (authentic experience of Christmas) when we are able to testify to the reality of Jesus.
We are called to work with Jesus to bring joy to others too through becoming His witnesses, through serving Him and His people in humility, and to further understanding our individual and faith community`s role in spreading the Good News of liberation. Acquiring certain identity and mission closer to that of John the Baptist, and staying true to our identity and mission will definitely bring us to deep joy and gladness.