GAUDETE
The entrance antiphon for the Third Sunday of Advent begins “Rejoice in the Lord always”
(Phil 4:4). In Latin the first word of the antiphon is Gaudete, hence the title for this Sunday. The Word of God for this day invites us over and over to rejoice in God’s presence, love, support, care for us and for all of creation. We hear the words of the prophet Zephaniah calling the people to hope in God’s love, to rejoice in what God does for the beloved. Shortly before this passage that we hear today, Zephaniah predicted that God would choose a faithful remnant, a people humble and lowly, to be the future of the chosen people.
Having been given the promise, this remnant is invited to sing and rejoice in the God of love who delights in this people, who rejoices over them, who ”exults over them with loud singing as on a day of festival”. What a marvelous image of God! This God, who long before the days of Zephaniah called Israel to be holy, this God who dances with joy and exultation, desires and ever deeper relationship with humanity and invites us into a relationship that gives joy to both God and humanity.
What does it mean to be holy? John the Baptist gives some indication in the passage from Luke’s Gospel. When the people asked what they should do, John didn’t tell them they had to be perfect. Rather, he challenged them to go about their ordinary lives, but to share the gift of love in small, ordinary ways. To the ordinary folk, those remnant people Zephaniah spoke of, John invites them to be generous with what they might have – if you have two cloaks, share one with a person who has none, if you have food, do likewise. To the tax collectors – do your job faithfully and honestly, don’t be greedy and cheat your fellow citizens. To the soldiers – don’t extort people with threats, be satisfied with your wages. In other words, live your life with integrity, generosity and care for others. As Paul says, “le your gentleness be known”.
We could sum all this teaching up in a simple sentence: live your vocation as fully and faithfully as you can and strive to keep growing in your vocation and in your relationship with God and with others. Pope Francis reminds us often that if we want to experience the joy of the Gospel and union with God, we need to begin by sharing God’s concern for the poorest among us. In the 1980’s, the hymn ‘And the Father will Dance’ was quite popular. A young teenager in the parish would often request that hymn of our music ministry. As soon as the hymn would start, her face would glow and she would start dancing in place in her pew. She was a living example of the call of Francis and the Word of God to live our relationship with God in joy.
Our primary vocation is as disciples of Jesus; this is lived out in particular vocations within that primary one. We are challenged to reflect honestly on how we are living our vocation as well as to ask if God is calling us to something more today.
By Richard Beaudette, OMI
